A Humble Plea for Bertukan Mideksa’s
Release for the Sake of peace
25 April, 2009 | Rev. Tegga Lendado, PhD.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the outset this article is a plea for Bertukan Mideksa’s release for
the Sake of peace. I’m only trying to address this delicate situation from
a SHIMGILINA role form my Christian ethics and humanitarian
perspective.
Apparently, Bertukan’s issue
is legally moot, politically
undemocratic, logically absurd
and morally disturbing. I do
not think the government
authorities and other politicians
should waste their precious
time and energy in such a
minute matter. This is a plea
for her unconditional release in light of the foregone presidential pardon.
Many of her friends believe that Miss Burtukan was simply telling the
truth, being true to her religious conscience. Others say neither her
former arrest nor the current one is legal. Without further delving into
the case, the way the pardon was served and administered was unethical
and fishy. The document the shimagelaes devised is should not be
construed as political, judicial and administrative, so as to hold her liable
per se. Whatever the shimagelaes did to secure the pardon was indeed
commendable. The elders effectively mediated the deal off-records of
the court. That the court should re-indict or reconvict or re-sentence or
re-imprison her is rather unfortunate. The fact that she asked for
forgiveness should not be seen any different from the fact that she never
felt any remorse of the crime she was accused of committing. I have
heard or at least understood one former co-prisoner/defendant almost the
same thing but he is not sent back to jail. Could the young woman be the
weakest link of the gang to fall prey? Why Burtukan only and now? To
say the least, Burtukan is becoming like a sacrificial lamb for all the
culprits of 2005 massacre (read Isaiah 53, St. John.3:15-16) as it talks
about Medhane-Alem, Jesus Christ).
Was the pardon meant for the alleged massacre or for her "illegal"
political activities? Did she kill any one or give order to kill any one? Was
she a government authority, executive, like an army member or police
force, so as to act in that manner? If she had committed such a heinous
crime and lied about it then why should she return to Ethiopia after her
European tour? Is she trying to win the heart of the people by suffering
in the hands of her "enemies"? What is the point? Is anyone trying to
make her a hero? Does a government have jurisdiction over a crime
committed beyond its borders, be it “deceit” or otherwise? How can a
government be so potent and play omni-present or omniscient, all-
knowing like the Almighty God to pursue an individual's motive, speech,
state and affair, not even in a good sense? If her crime is just lying,
should she then not be prosecuted for that alone? If politics was always
telling the truth, will it not cease to exist?
I also think the pardon document is misleading and so the PM, the
Parliament and the President of the country need to revisit the court’s
decision in the interest of all concerned parties. Yes, the government has
the mandate to safeguard and implement the law. But, at times, cut-and-
dry implementation of the law may not be helpful when it come to
making peace. In essence, for the sake of peace and democratic
progress, she should be released and all the charges should be dropped.
Burtukan should be freed on humanitarian consideration as she has an
aging mother and a child to support at this bad economic time. Keeping
her in prison serves no other purpose than aggravating unnecessary
political upheavals and forcing her dependents suffer more for issues
they are not directly involved in. Young Bertukan should also learn that
politics, unlike law or physical science, is unfortunately, a tricky
venture. The rule of legal justice and that of political maneuvering do not
seem to auger well.
For the sake of peace and in the spirit of God’s forgiveness granted to
humanity and in light of this Holy Season, it is my plea that the Ethiopian
government authorities re-forgive (70x7 as per Mt.18: 21-22) Bertukan
Mideksa to set free from imprisonment. If Ethiopia is magnanimous
enough to accommodate President Al Bashir, an arrest warranted
suspect before ICC, it would equally be honorable and worthwhile for
Ethiopia to forgive its own citizen?
In another note, let me conclude my plea by quoting a young athelete,
Bryan Steinhauer, 22, recovering from coma after suffering his friends’
beating on his head. He said, “ I am not full of hate; hatred kills
progress” (CNN News, April 23, 2009). Let us remember the Savior
and Steven’s utterances, “Forgive them, for they know not what they
are doing”. Let us be free from the shackles of revenge, if any. God
bless us all! May He bless Ethiopia! Nkosi sekelele Afrika!
Rev. Tegga Lendado, PhD.
African Community Network/Ethiopian Bible Fellowship
Atlanta, GA, USA
tlendado@aol.com
Release for the Sake of peace
25 April, 2009 | Rev. Tegga Lendado, PhD.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the outset this article is a plea for Bertukan Mideksa’s release for
the Sake of peace. I’m only trying to address this delicate situation from
a SHIMGILINA role form my Christian ethics and humanitarian
perspective.
Apparently, Bertukan’s issue
is legally moot, politically
undemocratic, logically absurd
and morally disturbing. I do
not think the government
authorities and other politicians
should waste their precious
time and energy in such a
minute matter. This is a plea
for her unconditional release in light of the foregone presidential pardon.
Many of her friends believe that Miss Burtukan was simply telling the
truth, being true to her religious conscience. Others say neither her
former arrest nor the current one is legal. Without further delving into
the case, the way the pardon was served and administered was unethical
and fishy. The document the shimagelaes devised is should not be
construed as political, judicial and administrative, so as to hold her liable
per se. Whatever the shimagelaes did to secure the pardon was indeed
commendable. The elders effectively mediated the deal off-records of
the court. That the court should re-indict or reconvict or re-sentence or
re-imprison her is rather unfortunate. The fact that she asked for
forgiveness should not be seen any different from the fact that she never
felt any remorse of the crime she was accused of committing. I have
heard or at least understood one former co-prisoner/defendant almost the
same thing but he is not sent back to jail. Could the young woman be the
weakest link of the gang to fall prey? Why Burtukan only and now? To
say the least, Burtukan is becoming like a sacrificial lamb for all the
culprits of 2005 massacre (read Isaiah 53, St. John.3:15-16) as it talks
about Medhane-Alem, Jesus Christ).
Was the pardon meant for the alleged massacre or for her "illegal"
political activities? Did she kill any one or give order to kill any one? Was
she a government authority, executive, like an army member or police
force, so as to act in that manner? If she had committed such a heinous
crime and lied about it then why should she return to Ethiopia after her
European tour? Is she trying to win the heart of the people by suffering
in the hands of her "enemies"? What is the point? Is anyone trying to
make her a hero? Does a government have jurisdiction over a crime
committed beyond its borders, be it “deceit” or otherwise? How can a
government be so potent and play omni-present or omniscient, all-
knowing like the Almighty God to pursue an individual's motive, speech,
state and affair, not even in a good sense? If her crime is just lying,
should she then not be prosecuted for that alone? If politics was always
telling the truth, will it not cease to exist?
I also think the pardon document is misleading and so the PM, the
Parliament and the President of the country need to revisit the court’s
decision in the interest of all concerned parties. Yes, the government has
the mandate to safeguard and implement the law. But, at times, cut-and-
dry implementation of the law may not be helpful when it come to
making peace. In essence, for the sake of peace and democratic
progress, she should be released and all the charges should be dropped.
Burtukan should be freed on humanitarian consideration as she has an
aging mother and a child to support at this bad economic time. Keeping
her in prison serves no other purpose than aggravating unnecessary
political upheavals and forcing her dependents suffer more for issues
they are not directly involved in. Young Bertukan should also learn that
politics, unlike law or physical science, is unfortunately, a tricky
venture. The rule of legal justice and that of political maneuvering do not
seem to auger well.
For the sake of peace and in the spirit of God’s forgiveness granted to
humanity and in light of this Holy Season, it is my plea that the Ethiopian
government authorities re-forgive (70x7 as per Mt.18: 21-22) Bertukan
Mideksa to set free from imprisonment. If Ethiopia is magnanimous
enough to accommodate President Al Bashir, an arrest warranted
suspect before ICC, it would equally be honorable and worthwhile for
Ethiopia to forgive its own citizen?
In another note, let me conclude my plea by quoting a young athelete,
Bryan Steinhauer, 22, recovering from coma after suffering his friends’
beating on his head. He said, “ I am not full of hate; hatred kills
progress” (CNN News, April 23, 2009). Let us remember the Savior
and Steven’s utterances, “Forgive them, for they know not what they
are doing”. Let us be free from the shackles of revenge, if any. God
bless us all! May He bless Ethiopia! Nkosi sekelele Afrika!
Rev. Tegga Lendado, PhD.
African Community Network/Ethiopian Bible Fellowship
Atlanta, GA, USA
tlendado@aol.com
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