THE DANIEL BEKELE PROJECT

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (In honor of the beginning of Ramadan for Ethiopian Muslims)
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Join Daniel's family and friends as they call for the end of political incarceration and to a new millennium where human rights and freedom are respected in Ethiopia

Letter from the family of Daniel Bekele

October 8, 2007. To many, that day holds no particular meaning or significance. On that day, many people will go on with their daily lives. They will go to work and spend time with family and friends. Some may celebrate a special event, such as a birthday or an anniversary.


However, in an Ethiopian court on October 8th, it will be a somber day where judges will determine the future of Daniel Bekele, a human rights attorney, activist, scholar and a Prisoner of Conscience who has been incarcerated in an Ethiopian jail for two years.

We are writing to request your legal, social and political intervention to secure his freedom so we may memorialize that date as the day justice prevailed for not only Daniel and Prisoners of Conscience throughout the world, but for a society that values human rights for all.

At the University of Oxford, Daniel is a Ph.D. candidate with a Masters Degree in Legal Research, in addition to a L.L.B. in Law and a Masters Degree in Development Studies from Addis Ababa University. As an attorney, Daniel's fields of expertise are in Public International Law, Human Rights Law and Law in Development.

Daniel actively participated in the Global Call to Action Against Poverty and he worked as a policy and advocate manager at ActionAid Ethiopia, the South Africa-based international development organization, where he pushed for civic engagement in Ethiopian society.

He also published papers with a focus on the freedom of expression and the application of international human rights law in his homeland of Ethiopia. Daniel's contributions and his passion for peace illustrate dedication to his belief in a peaceful and democratic change in Ethiopia.(More...)

Related stories:

-SSI: Daniel and Netsanet's case may not wrap up before the millennium
-U.N. elections consultant testifies for Daniel and Netsanet, says they "acted within law"
-Two-Month Adjournment and a Prolonged Jail Delay

Today's Top HEADLINES

-Celebrating 2000 with Mixed Emotions
-Kinijit Leaders addressing Crowed in London - Picture
-Addis Press Corps: My observations(Mengedegna)
-PM Meles's Millennium speech (ETH govt.)
-O.N.L.F Press Release
-AUDIO - Govt. Ridicules Opposition Gathering in Eritrea
-Cornell University to offer degree program at BahirDar (First in Africa)
-Ethiopia, EU, US agree on coffee trademarks
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in Review)

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MUSLIM WORLD CELEBRATES START OF RAMADAN

Most of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims celebrated the start of Ramadan on Thursday. The beginning of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, is traditionally determined by the sighting of a new crescent moon. During the month Muslims have to abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn until dusk.(More..)

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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Egypt faults U.S. for inactivity on Mideast peace
-Bush to endorse limited troop cuts in Iraq
-Russian nominee PM hints at presidency
-U.S. Base Hit By Iranian-Type Rocket
-Japanese Prime Minister Abe hospitalized
-Castro Says Cuba Saved Reagan's Life

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In memory of a South African martyr

Thirty years after freedom fighter Steve Biko was beaten to death by police, his image is still instantly recognisable across South Africa. He is one of the most important figures in recent South African history and some are concerned about the commercialisation of his image. But it is undeniably one of the ways in which his legacy is kept alive.(More..)

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PICTURE OF THE DAY^repost

(In honor of the beginning of Ramadan for Ethiopian Muslims)

(The mosque of Negash is said to be the first one built in Ethiopia by the followers of Prophet Mohammed who came with the First Hijra. The photo shows a modern building on that place)
-ETN Interview with Ato Nejib Mohamed from the Ethiopian Muslim community and Abune Gebrail from the Ethiopian Orthodox church
-The first hijra: Migration to Abyssinia(International Board of Islamic Research and Resources)
-[VIDEO] The Message – first Muslims flee to Abyssinia (Scene from the 1977 movie by Director Moustapha Akkad starring Anthony Quinn)



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