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Professor Ephraim Isaac Frees Ethiopian Politician

By Samuel Jair
On October 6, 2010, Professor Ephraim Isaac of 704 Rosedale Road, Princeton 08540, led a Coalition of Ethiopian Elders that helped the release of a prominent Ethiopian political leader from prison. Ms. Birtukan Mideksa, a former judge and leader of the opposition political party, Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), had been in jail for almost two years (See October 6, 2010 New York Times Senior Opposition Leader in Ethiopia Is Released From Prison.)
There were jubilations in Ethiopia following the news of Ms. Birtukan’s release. The United States Government, the European Union, and Ethiopians throughout the world were pleased by her liberation. The United Kingdom’s Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham, welcomed her release, saying, "This is an important step forward. We have always taken the view that her re-imprisonment was not in Ethiopia’s interest and a solution should be found… for her to be released." Likewise, Amnesty International issued a statement saying, “We are delighted that she has been able to go home to her family."
Ms. Birtukan Mideksa graduated from Addis Ababa University Law School with a Bachelors Degree in Law. She practiced law in the Third District of the Federal Judiciary. She was then appointed to be a judge of the Third Federal District Court in Addis Ababa.
In 2004, Ms. Birtukan joined a political party called Rainbow Ethiopia: Movement for Democracy and Social Justice. She subsequently helped form the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), which consisted of a coalition of four parties.
In the 2005 Ethiopian National Election, her CUD party won about a third of the seats. However, the party leaders believed they would have won more if it were not for voting and counting irregularities. They called for public demonstrations that resulted in violent confrontations with the police through which 200 demonstrators and 7 policemen were reportedly killed, not to mention the extensive property damage. Subsequently, the leaders of the party, including Ms. Birtukan, were arrested and convicted of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order by force and sentenced to life in prison.
In 2007, after 18 months in jail, Ms. Birtukan and 25 senior members of her political party were pardoned and released from jail. The Coalition of Ethiopian National Elders headed by Prof. Isaac, based on lengthy consultations with the Government and the detainees respectively, worked out the pardon and the release.
In 2008, Ms. Birtukan founded the political party Unity for Democracy and Justice, UDJ, for which she was elected to be Chairperson. That year while giving a lecture on a trip to Sweden, journalists coerced her to explain the way in which she and the opposition leaders were freed. There followed reports that she had publicly denied having apologized for her actions or asking for a pardon. Thus, upon her return to Ethiopia, the government ordered her re-arrest to fulfill the life sentence conviction that had earlier been rescinded based on the pardon. Many powerful international forces tried to get her released, but Ethiopia, being the only African country which was never colonized, generally resists outside pressure. The Government rather respects the traditional African conflict resolution tradition.
Ethiopia, little known in the west except for the tragic civil war induced famine of the 1980’s, is the most populated African country. Contrary to the tragic image of a starving people of those days, Ethiopia has immense economic potential — agricultural, mineral, and hydroelectric power resources that have just begun to be exploited during the last decade. It is predicted to be one of the most populated and richest countries in the world within the next two or three decades if it continues the present stride of development.
Professor Isaac is a founder and first professor of African and Afro-American Studies Department at Harvard University. The Ephraim Isaac Prize is awarded annually to a student at Harvard University who submits the best essay on African languages and history. Isaac has also been a Visiting Professor at Princeton University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Pennsylvania and others. He has honorary degrees from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Addis Ababa University of Ethiopia, as well as many other honors.