Dr. Berhanu Nega with Sisay Agena of ESAT, on the current Ethiopian politics

Dr. Berhanu Nega, Chairman of “Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice Freedom and Democracy” on the current Ethiopian politics with Sisay Agena of ESAT.

The 2005 general election

During the 2005 elections, Berhanu debated Meles Zenawi. Despite the post-election political impasse, CUD met on 20 August and elected Berhanu mayor of Addis Ababa. Dr. Admasu Gebeyehu and Assefa Habtewold were elected Deputy Mayor and Speaker of the city assembly respectively at the same meeting. Had the CUD taken over the task of running the city, Berhanu would have been the first elected mayor in Ethiopia.
However, the October riots led to Berhanu’s imprisonment, along with CUD chairman Hailu Shawul, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, and Former Senior UN Prosecutor Dr. Yacob Haile-Mariam and other leaders of the CUD, as well as a number of civil rights activists and independent journalists. They were charged with genocide and treason. Amnesty International and the European Union recognized the prisoners as political prisoners and requested immediate and unconditional release. The Ethiopian Supreme Court, however, sentenced all of this group to life sentences. After the intervention of the international community and Ethiopian elderly, majority of the leaders were pardoned after 21 months of prison on 20 July 2007.
While in Kaliti prison, Berhanu wrote and published a book Yenetsanet Goh Siked (“The Dawn of Freedom”), which was published in Kampala, Uganda by MM Publishers in May 2006. The book, over 600 pages long, included an account of his time with the EPRP.
Source: Wikipedia