Freedom Fighters

It was September 11, 2010 - A day in America for somber remembrance of lives that were lost as a result of terrorism against humanity. I started the day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia when my friend Andualem Arage picked me up in a cab to take me to the notorious Kaliti prison where he spent 18 months 5 years ago. It was New Years Day, 2003 in Ethiopia according to the Ethiopian calendar and Andualem wanted to support his party leader Birtukan Mideksa who is currently serving a life sentence in Kaliti. Andualem is the Secretary General of the UDJ (Unity for Democracy and Justice)and Birtukan Mideksa is the party leader and consequently the first African woman in history to lead a major opposition party in Africa. We arrived at Kiliti and stepped out of the cab at the gas station across the street from the entrance of the prison. I wanted to snap some photos and Andualem suggested we snap them from afar so that suspicions were kept at bay. This is the world Andualem and his party leaders live in. One where they are constantly looking over their shoulder in fear they are being followed or watched and constantly under government harassment. Most of the people of Ethiopia feel they have no true freedom under the oppressive rule of Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, and the few who have the courage to fight for real democracy pay the price with their lives. A few minutes after our arrival Birtukan's mother, Almaz Gebregziabher and her 5 year old daughter Halley arrived by cab dressed up in the finest traditional Ethiopian dress to commemorate the New Year. Halley had a small drum with her so that she could play her mother a song. I greeted both of them with the customary three kisses on the cheek, introduced myself, and handed Almaz a small bottle of perfume to pass along to Birtukan, as only her immediate family is aloud to visit her despite the rights of the prisoner according to the Ethiopian constitution -- business as usual. We all walked over to a row of benches right outside the prison gate where several soldiers stood watch. We were joined by a small group of people waiting to visit their loved ones and awaiting their turn to be called by the guard to enter. As I sat in support, Andualem told me his stories of when he was imprisoned at Kaliti -- the horrible conditions, and his experience that drove him further into his desire to fight peacefully in hopes he would see the day of democracy in his beloved country. Immediately following the 2005 elections, Birtukan, Andualem, and 21 other members of their party were thrown into prison accused of trying to overthrow government order and were all sentenced to life in prison. The party believed along with most Ethiopians that the election results had been rigged. After 18 months of negotiations and pressure from the international community, the prisoners were released. Birtukan was delivering a speech in 2007 in Sweden about the unconstitutional way in which their release was handled. As a prominent and experienced judge, she knows the law well, and is well qualified to deliver such an opinion. Unfortunately, the hammer of injustice slammed down hard on her again and as a result of her comments, her life sentence was reinstated and she was thrown back into prison. Her party is committed to fighting for democracy on behalf of Ethiopia through peaceful struggle. In the words of Andualem Arage, "So long as we are not free, we have to fight. We have to have the courage not to kill, not to hate our brothers, but to fight for our rights. We need to organize the people and be committed to the point of death. They cannot kill everyone. When the people have the courage to fight for their freedom and are committed even to the point of death, that is when the democratic system here can start."