ECADF Ethiopian News

San Diego State, UCSD, UCLA, and UCR rally for Birtukan Mideksa

Written by Free Birtukan – SD and LA

Students from San Diego State, UCSD, UCLA and UCR rallied on Saturday January 23, 2010 against human right violations and the unjust imprisonment of Judge Birtukan Mideksa, Ethiopia’s prominent opposition party leader.

The students, members of the San Diego and Los Angeles chapters of the www.freebirtukan.org organization, raised awareness and asked the public to participate by writing to the US State Department. They passed flyers and post cards stating the unjust imprisonment of Judge Birtukan Mideksa and other prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia. In this one of a kind solidarity rally held in the Little Ethiopia block of Fairfax Ave in Los Angeles, the students demanded the immediate release of Birtukan Mideksa and all prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia.

It was inspiring to see these young Ethiopian and Eritrean-Americans come out with one voice and speak against injustice. Students we talked to informed us that they do not know much about the political situation in Ethiopia; one thing they know is that they can not be silent when fellow Ethiopians are put in prison for just speaking the facts. “No one should go to jail for speaking about any process”, said one activist. “I know it’s wrong to arrest people based on their opinion or what they said, what the Ethiopian government doing is wrong, we all should do something about it”.

The Students were visibly vibrantand passionate against the unjust imprisonment of fellow Ethiopians and were ed to be organized to do thier part to help Ethiopians in their fight for a free and democratic country.

Before concluding their activities, the students gave a power point presentation describing the sequence of events which led to the re-arrest of Judge Birtukan Mideksa. A candle light vigil, which started with a moment of silence for Ms. Birtukan and all prisoners of conscience ended with energetic chanting up and down Fairfax Avenue.

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