VZCZCXRO4021
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHDS #0877 1101054
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201054Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4425
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3345
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1875
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEPADJ/CJTF HOA
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 000877 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM ET
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION HOLDS FIRST PUBLIC PROTEST SINCE 2005 
 
REF: ADDIS 594 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Mainstream opposition party Unity for Democracy and 
Justice (UDJ) staged a peaceful public demonstration in Addis 
Ababa on April 16 to protest the re-jailing of its 
Chairperson, Birtukan Midekssa (reftel).  The demonstration 
was authorized by municipal authorities and was the first 
opposition protest in Ethiopia (and only second public 
protest of any kind) since the violent aftermath of the 2005 
national elections.  Embassy officials monitoring the event 
observed approximately 140 UDJ members and supporters 
marching from UDJ headquarters two and a half miles to the 
Prime Minister's offices (with a stop en route at the 
Presidential palace) where they presented a petition for 
Birtukan's release to a government representative.  According 
to press reports, they received a letter in return that said 
Birtukan would not/not be released because she had broken the 
law.  The event lasted approximately three hours. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Prior to the demonstration, city police were 
stationed in pairs at several key intersections, but 
otherwise there were no changes to usual traffic and security 
patterns in Addis Ababa.  Tadessa Tesfaye, the police 
commander for Kirkos Sub-City, was on hand to coordinate 
security.  When the protest march began, city police on 
motorcycles controlled traffic flow in the lanes not occupied 
by the protesters and clusters of police, both in trucks and 
on foot, more visibly monitored the protesters, but did not 
interfere with the march.  One source told us that there was 
a significant plainclothes police presence in the streets as 
well.  Armed federal police staged out of sight on the 
grounds of a school near Stefanos Church, by Meskal Square, 
mid-way along the route.  Pedestrians were allowed to pass 
the demonstrators without restriction and very few stopped to 
watch the march (and none joined). 
 
¶3. (SBU) UDJ Vice Chairs Gezachew Shiferaw and Hailu Araya 
led the march.  Former Ethiopian president Negasso Gidada, 
now an independent parliamentarian, also marched in 
solidarity with UDJ.  Throughout the march, one mega-phoned 
protester led chants of "Release Birtukan" in Amharic.  The 
protesters held aloft placards with five different slogans: 
(i) "the government must respect the rule of law"; (ii) 
"release Birtukan without preconditions"; (iii) "UDJ will not 
be weakened by Birtukan's arrest"; (iv) "the arrest of our 
leaders will not weaken the party"; and (v) "instilling fear 
in citizens' minds is a crime."  International and local 
journalists filmed and recorded the event without incident, 
accompanying the protesters the entire route. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Ethiopian government's decision to grant 
permission for this demonstration, and the responsible 
behavior of police and protesters alike, is an encouraging 
sign.  Public opinion since the 16th is split between those 
who view the re-authorization of public demonstrations as the 
first flicker of hope for political space for mainstream 
opposition groups following several years of government 
retrenchment post-2005 and those who continue to view UDJ's 
struggle for a license to demonstrate as a one-time event. 
We will watch closely over the next weeks and months to 
determine whether there have been any repercussions for 
participants in the march, which will further gauge the 
success of this limited democratic experiment. 
Unfortunately, the government has shown no indication of any 
flexibility on the broader issue of Birtukan's continued 
detention and pardon revocation.  The case continues to 
symbolize the broader constraints on opposition political 
activities and freedom of expression in Ethiopia.  We will 
continue to use private diplomacy to press for resolution of 
Birtukan's case.  The coming days will show the 
implementation of an April 15 High Court ruling requiring 
prison officials to respect Birtukan's right to be visited in 
prison.  If the right is upheld, EmbOffs will visit her soon. 
 End Comment. 
YAMAMOTO