Ethiopian judge and opposition party leader Birtukan Mideksa has served as a resounding voice for democracy and the full extension of human rights in a state where corruption and political intimidation are commonplace.  As the only African female leader of a main opposition party, which is known as Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), Mideksa was sentenced to life in prison following an arbitrary arrest by government officials in December of 2008.

Mideksa had been one of 126 opposition members jailed in 2005 after the eruption of violent, countrywide protests over disputed elections; clashes between citizens and security forces are reported to have led to the deaths of 193 Ethiopians.  Along with fellow party members, Mideksa was convicted of the political crime of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order of the state after submitting a series of proposals for the national political reconciliation of Ethiopia.  Mideksa served 20 months of a life sentence before being granted a pardon that led to her release in July of 2007.

Her December re-arrest was provoked by an speech given by Mideksa in which she insisted that she had not, as the Ethiopian government claims, requested a pardon in 2007.  Officials maintain that this contention is in violation of the terms of Mideksa’s pardon, though Mideksa is adamant that she is being imprisoned for exposing corruption. She is denied full visitation rights and has recently been placed in solitary confinement without cause.

In the short time between her release and subsequent return to prison, Mideksa did not pause, she did not hesitate in trying to draw attention to the political inequity of a nation paralyzed by corrupt power politics that effectively discount a majority of citizens.  Offering testimony before members of the U.S. Congress in 2007, Mideksa spoke of a state and a future that she envisions: “Ethiopia has many problems, including a legacy of repression, corruption and mismanagement. It will not be easy to confront the past. We must start at the right point by embracing the rule of law, human rights and democracy. The time is ripe to develop a direct approach to the democratization of Ethiopia.”

International agencies, government officials and non-governmental organizations have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mideksa.

Fear for safety of Ms. Birtukan Mideksa-Statement from the UN Refugee Agency

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