Ethiopia: AndinetLA build a prison cell that symbolize Birtukan’s cell

The Kinijitla/AndinetLA support group build a prison cell that symbolize Birtukan’s cell and urged individuals to experience it for two minutes. Hundredths came to experience it. The shack/cell drew a lot of attention and opened up discussions especially with non-Ethiopians.

Click here to listen about the experience
Another one here

September 13, 2009, thousands participated in the 8th Annual Cultural Street Festival in the heart of Little Ethiopia. The festival, which includes cultural dance performances and international unity parade, become an annual event to celebrate the designation of the area on Fairfax Avenue, between Olympic and Pico, as Little Ethiopia by Los Angeles City Council. This annual event helps to introduce Ethiopian culture to the Los Angeles Community and to increase involvement of the Ethiopian community in the U.S. democratic process.

Kinijit/Andinet Los Angeles Support and Development Association for Democracy seize the opportunity to raise public awareness of the continuing abuse and life imprisonment of the prominent Ethiopian opposition (UDJ) and first national woman leader in Ethiopia, Judge Birtukan Mideksa. Ms. Mideksa is a freedom fighter, a courageous leader and has become the spirit of resistance against tyranny in Ethiopia.

Ms. Mideksa was held in solitary confinement and denied access to legal counsel and visits by the International Red Cross and other international human rights organizations for 6 months after her roadside abduction by the regime’s notorious armed thugs on December 29, 2008. The physical and mental torture to dehumanize Ms. Mideksa has been intensified.

The 2008 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report described prison conditions as follows: “Prison and pretrial detention center conditions remained harsh and life threatening. Prisoners often had less than 22 square feet of sleeping space… prison conditions were unsanitary …Medical care was unreliable … police often physically abused detainees. There were some deaths in prison due to illness and poor health care. Prison officials were not forthcoming with reports of such deaths. Authorities sometimes arbitrarily denied visitors’ access to detainees. In some cases, family visits to political prisoners were restricted to a few per year.”

Los Angeles Support and Development Association for Democracy (Kinijit LA) rented a booth at Little Ethiopia Festival and urged individuals to be confined in 6 ft by 4 ft shack for about 2 minutes to publicize her ordeal. It is impossible to demonstrate the full extent of Ms. Mideksa’s suffering from the inhumane treatment by Zenawi’s regime. The shack drew a lot of attention and opened up discussions especially with non-Ethiopians. “Free Birtukan” wristbands and brochures were distributed. While confined in the shack, an audio reminded the individual to imagine how much physical and mental torture a solitary confinement for 6 months would inflict. That is the price Ms. Mideksa has been paying to bring rule-of-law and justice in Ethiopia.

Members of Kinijit LA wore “Free Birtukan” T-shirt to publicize her ordeal by a brutal tyrant regime. “Free Birtukan Mideksa” petition drive was conducted all day and the public was urged to join the campaign for freedom of Birtukan by writing letters to their senators and US Congressional Representatives.

It was a successful campaign for freedom of our heroic leader.

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