Blen Mesfin (Amharic: ብሌን መስፍን) is an official in Ethiopia’s opposition Semayawi (Blue) Party. In 2016, she was named one of twenty women political prisoners in the FreeThe20 campaign by Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Mesfin was arrested at a protest in Addis Ababa in April 2015. The protest was for 26 Ethiopians killed by a group called Islamic State in Libya. More than 30 members of the Semayawi Party were arrested before an April 27 political rally.
Two other members of the Semayawi Party, Meron Alemayehu (ሜሮን አለማየሁ ) and Nigist Wondifraw (ንግስት ወንዲፍራው), were also arrested. They were #5 and #6 in the FreeThe20 campaign. They are now free.
References
- ^ "#Freethe20 - HumanRights.gov is the official United States Government website for international human rights related information". Archived from the original on 2016-07-16. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- "FreeThe20 Women Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Concern Campaign Launch". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- "Ethiopia: Respect court rulings and release opposition members". July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- "Ethiopia: Semayawai(Blue) Party members are being arrested ahead of Sunday's (April 27, 2014) Protest Rally". ECADF. 26 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- "FreeThe20 Women Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Concern Campaign Launch". U.S. Department of State. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
External links
- Ethiopia: Semayawi Party (Blue Party) including origin, mandate, leadership, (UNHCR)