VZCZCXRO4788
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHDS #2817/01 2880452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140452Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2351
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 002817 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/IWI AND AF/E - JWYSHAM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM ET
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA'S NOMINATION: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE 2009 
 
REF: STATE 99729 
 
¶1. (U) Embassy Addis Ababa would like to nominate Ms. Birtukan 
Midekssa Deme, Chairperson, Unity for Democracy and Justice Party, 
as our nominee for the 2009 Secretary's Award for International 
Women of Courage.  The remainder of this cable is tracked to 
nomination detail criteria outlined in reftel. 
 
¶2. (U) Nomination Details: 
 
Full Legal Name of Nominee: Birtukan Midekssa Deme.  (Note: 
Ethiopians are given a single first name.  Their second and third 
names are their father's and paternal grandfather's first names 
respectively.  For passport purposes, the grandfather's name "Deme" 
is used as the surname, but for all other purposes women go by the 
Amharic equivalent of "Mrs" followed by their first name, i.e. 
Woizero Birtukan.  End Note.) 
 
Job Title: Chairperson, Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) Party. 
 
 
Date of Birth: April 27, 1974 
 
Country of Birth: Ethiopia 
 
Citizenship:  Ethiopian 
 
Address, Telephone, and E-mail: 
     Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 
     +251-911-406-739 
     BIRTUKANMIDEKSSA@YAHOO.COM 
     (Note: Addis Ababa does not have a standard 
     street addressing convention, hence the vagueness 
     of the address). 
 
Passport Number: EP0374810 
 
Confirmation of Notification:  Post confirms that we have discussed 
this nomination with the nominee, and she has confirmed her 
appreciation for, and concurrence with, our intention to nominate 
her. 
 
¶3. (U) Justification for Award: 
 
     Birtukan Midekssa has shattered the Ethiopian political 
system's glass ceiling becoming the first woman to lead a political 
party in the country's more than 3,000 year documented history. 
Despite a challenging political environment and having been the 
personal target of prominent persecution, Birtukan has not only made 
history for the role of women in politics, but has fundamentally 
altered Ethiopia's political landscape by establishing the country's 
first truly national political party. 
 
     Soon after graduating with honors from law school, Birtukan 
Midekssa was appointed as a judge in Ethiopia's High Court in her 
early 20s.  From her position on the bench, Birtukan personally 
observed the lack of judicial independence and strong-handed efforts 
by the Ethiopian Government (GoE) to influence the courts.  Unable 
to change this dynamic from within, Birtukan forewent the job 
security of lifetime tenure to become active in the political 
opposition joining Rainbow Ethiopia - Movement for Democracy and 
Social Justice.  Birtukan quickly rose within the party, assuming a 
position as Vice-Chair, and winning a seat in Parliament in the 
tumultuous May 2005 national elections. 
 
     After months of legal challenges by Rainbow and its Coalition 
for Unity and Democracy (CUD) partners to contest the election 
results, on November 1, 2005 Ethiopian police detained Birtukan and 
over 100 senior opposition leaders.  After seven weeks of being held 
without charge in violation of the constitution, the GoE finally 
charged Birtukan and her colleagues with seven capital offenses, 
including Treason and Genocide, which Post and Ethiopia-watchers 
broadly consider having been politically motivated.  With a one-year 
old daughter at home, Birtukan spent the next 19 months in prison. 
When the GoE offered to release her and her colleagues if they 
signed a statement acknowledging that they had violated the 
constitution, former judge Birtukan refused to so taint her 
reputation and integrity.  On June 11, 2007 an Ethiopian court 
convicted Birtukan of "Outrages Against the Constitution" and 
several other offenses and on July 16, it sentenced her to life in 
prison.  In late July, Ethiopian elders helped secure a GoE pardon, 
and release, for Birtukan and the others. 
 
     After being released, internal rifts within the former CUD 
emerged, but the bulk of its key leaders who remained politically 
active established the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) party. 
Despite facing persistent GoE harassment personally and among her 
supporters, Birtukan remained committed to forming a strong 
opposition party.  Recognizing the inherent weakness of Ethiopian 
political parties which are uniformly oriented toward an individual 
leader or ethnic group, Birtukan struggled successfully among early 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002817  002 OF 002 
 
 
UDJ supporters to ensure that the party is truly national in 
complexion, leadership, and support.  On June 18, 2008, UDJ held its 
founding general assembly with delegations from Oromiya, Amhara, and 
Southern Nations regions, as well as from ruling-party dominated 
Tigray, and largely neglected Afar, Gambella, and Somali regions. 
Birtukan's strong credentials, dynamic vision, and persuasive 
rhetoric convinced the founding members to elect her as the first 
woman to lead an Ethiopian political party. 
 
     The introduction of robust democratic practices and 
institutions is a fundamental objective of the United States.  The 
emergence of a dynamic and competent political opposition is 
fundamental to achieving that goal.  As a strong political leader, 
an accomplished professional, and an individual willing to face 
personal adversity rather than compromise her integrity, Birtukan 
Midekssa is a role model for all Ethiopians.  Recognizing her with 
the Secretary's Award for International Women of Courage would only 
confirm the status which she has already earned. 
 
YAMAMOTO