Tedla Asfaw August 31, 2007
It is possible to receive Ethiopian 'Esra Meete" or 2000 by welcoming the true son of Ethiopia freed from two years in Ethiopia's jail to tell us what is like to live without the right to move, speak and meet loved ones and the fate of thousands of others who are still in prison because no one knows them or speak on behalf of them.
Keeping the visa debate aside may be dealt with if the abugidainfo web site is correct let us focus now on the coming meeting at New School in New York City with Dr. Birhanu Nega on September 6, 2007.
This up coming meeting has not yet been advertised very well and I personally forward freenega.org/talk to all the Ethiopian Internet sites and just today I see it in Abugida and Ethiopiwinet site and the first one to advertise before all of us is the pro Meles site Aiga forum.
Aiga instructed its followers to track down Dr. Birhanu and check with him if he is following the TPLF "constitution" and I will not be surprised if they come in force and try to control the debate and frustrate the discussion about the human right violations going on in Ethiopia since TPLF lost the May 2005 election and Dr. Birhanu and all the Kinijit leadership jailed for almost two years and thousands of their supporters unaccounted for and many exiled and hundreds shot dead by the regime security agents in broad day light.
Ethiopians and their friends also contacted the Abyssinian Church in Harlem, New York City to come to the meeting and meet Ethiopians and arm them with facts and also encourage them to visit areas in Oromo and Ogaden and meet with locals there and learn the truth when they go to mission next month in Ethiopia.
We also contacted Addis Dimts host Ato Abebe Belew to publicize Dr. Birhanu's appearance in New York City so that many from D.C. and Boston area can join us to welcome him and rally behind him and his party who gave big credit for the Diaspora Ethiopians "united" struggle without which they might have been still in jail.
The respect we give to Dr. Birhanu is also to show support to the millions of Ethiopians who voted for him and his party and who are still not allowed to make any political rally and were forced to show their admiration and love for them by organizing nonpolitical gathering like the one we saw in" Ferensai Legassion" last week in Addis Ababa neighborhood where Ms. Birtukan Midiksa grew up.
It will be shameful to disrespect Dr. Birhanu after he gave two years of his life separated from his children and wife to the struggle by listening to some Diaspora agitators who hated him for standing with the people.
