The world knows Mohammed Bouazizi as the poor and desperate young man, harassed by the authorities, set himself in fire in a town located in central Tunisia, inspiring a revolution that brought down the country’s dictator, reverberating through the Arab world and bringing about similar changes in Egypt and Libya toppling two more longtime dictators. Even though the world did not care as much, the death of Yenesew Gebre on November 11, 2011 (approximately a year after Bouazizi’s death) is widely felt and revered among Ethiopians at home and in Diaspora for through death he lives in the hearts and minds of Ethiopians who advocate for change. This brave young man was a well known and loved school teacher who was fired from his job by the government in power due to his strong views against this dictatorial regime. Just like Bouazizi of Tunisia, Ethiopia’s Gebre, paid the ultimate sacrifice by burning himself to death in full view of hundreds of people and in protest of the injustices that his fellow Ethiopians continue to suffer.

As we protest today for the release of all political prisoners, prisoners of conscience and those detained and presumably "disappeared”, we also pay tribute to these martyrs featured above for their bravery and to many others who have been violently killed in Ethiopia in the last 20 years the TPLF/EPRDF ethno-fascist regime had been in power. We continue our peaceful struggle until the dictatorial regime of PM Meles Zenawi:

1)      Releases all political prisoners without any pre-conditions whatsoever, and

2)      Relinquishes all power it has taken possession of illegally to the people.

In addition:

• We demand that the government of Canada immediately end providing all non-humanitarian aid to the tyrannical regime of Mr. Meles Zenawi.
• We encourage human rights groups such as Amnesty international andHuman Rights Watch to continue with their enviable work exposing the repression in Ethiopia, and
• We call upon the often reluctant and/or selective Western media to also cover news events in Ethiopia, as it has extensively covered North Africa.