Free all Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience in Ethiopia Immediately

Honourable Peter MacKay
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

His Excellency Ban Ki-moon
UN Secretary General
New York

A group of dedicated democratic leaders, Journalists and antipoverty campaigners in Ethiopia are soon to be wrongfully convicted. I encourage you to do every thing in your diplomatic power as the representative of the Canadian people and Head of the World body to ensure that these men and women are immediately and unconditionally freed.
Examples of these prisoners of conscience are: Prof. Mesfin W/Mariam, Dr. Birhanu Nega, Judge Birtukan Midekssa, Mr. Daniel Bekele, Dr. Ycob Haile-Mariam. They are victims of the government's effort to crush the democratic movement in Ethiopian. On May 15, 2005, the people of Ethiopia voted the ruling party out of office. Instead of getting regime change, Ethiopians went under a state of emergency imposed by the ruling officials. This democratic movement met its bloody end on June and November of 2005 when government security forces used unmatched force killing 193 people, wounding more than 700 and detaining tens of thousands. As a result, they have been charged with absurd but serious offences such as "treason," and "attempted genocide." Furthermore, their trial has thus far been proved a farce fabricated by the prosecutor. So shamelessly illegal have been the proceedings and evidence presented that a key witness admitted to being forced to testify against the defendants.
On November 15, 2006, the European Parliament passed a joint motion condemning the post-election violence and ensuing disrespect for the law. It also called for the freedom of all prisoners of conscience. The Federal special court is set to make its final rulings on February 19, 2007. I strongly urge you to demand from the Ethiopian government the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.