I HEART DANIEL BEKELE!

Indulge us a bit, will you, as we lay out our case for this crush, this adoration we have for the mind of a most brilliant man. This love letter is a protest letter. It is as much a love letter about a man as it is about our country. 

We are quite sure you thought we meant to write an ode to the ole Prime Minister. The international homage he received of late, honoring his place in the legions of rulers and documenting his resolve to ensure that his government is not treated differently has caused us all to genuflect whenever his name is uttered.

But we don’t intend to canonize him within these pages. Besides, our feelings toward the Prime Minister cannot be adequately captured in any written language. So strong are our emotions that they risk being misunderstood. Yet we think about him quite often. We are also very convinced we have committed thoughtcrime numerous times.

But we digress.

Speaking of criminalizing dissent and other such undemocratic tactics that are obviously beneath our esteemed Prime Minister (see, high praise from the Committee to Protect Journalist for his work), let us return to the subject of our crush.

We were reminded of Daniel earlier this week amid discussions of this proposed law entitled “Charities and Societies Draft Proclamation No. 00/2007” governing civil society organizations in Ethiopia. Daniel Bekele's name has been absent from blogs, websites and news sources as of late and now he returns as the Ethiopian legislature takes aim at their latest victims: charities and civil society organizations.

You see this draft proclamation seeks to "regulate" civil society organizations by making it extremely burdensome for them to function. A renowned attorney has analyzed the most salient parts of this draft legislation and points out that another alternative to this draconian law exists. It is a proposal that was put together by none other than our Daniel. This attorney, who no doubt knows that we have a crush on Daniel, described him as "a young and dynamic anti-poverty civil society activist."

We couldn't agree more. And we can most probably go on about the many wonders that are Daniel Bekele.

What is striking about this latest draft law and Daniel's connection is that it illustrates a pattern on the part of the Ethiopian legislature to thwart progressive attempts by our gallant advocate. 

Let us rewind back several years to yet another draft law that shockingly enough sought to regulate the press but ended up curtailing freedom of expression. Our young and enterprising Daniel was at the heart of that brouhaha as well. When does the man get the time?

As a consultant to Article 19 (a London based organization that advocates for free expression) Daniel published a paper entitled “The Legal Framework for Freedom of Expression in Ethiopia.” The report assessed the framework for free expression, identified “key areas of concern” and provided some recommendations for “prospective law reforms or enactment of new laws” to the Ethiopian government and other interested parties.  On the eve of the publication of Daniel’s report, in March 2003, the Ethiopian legislature drafted an extremely repressive press law that editors from nine different newspapers described as draconian and would ultimately jeopardize free speech.

Fast-forward five years later and once again the Ethiopian legislature, through this draft law is curtailing what little progress fledgling civil society organizations have made. To add insult to injury, two of the most prominent members of civil society, Daniel Bekele and his colleague Netsanet Demissie, remain in prison. Experts have noted that instead of viewing these organizations as equal partners in the fight for democratization, the government views them as enemies.

In fact, its as though in hearing that Daniel works in public charities, the Prime Minister and his cronies channeled Lord Goring from “An Ideal Husband” and said “In public charities? Oh dear me. What a lot of harm you must have done, [Daniel!]”

What Daniel sought to do was to move the essential elements of a free, democratic society—free speech, free press, and by acting as an election monitor, free elections—from the margins into the center of the Ethiopian Consciousness.

Witness who is imprisoned in Kality; it is not merely some agitators caught in the crosshairs of an election dispute. Daniel is a committed human rights defender.

Who else would risk attacks, public rebuke, fines, imprisonment and the constant threat of harassment? In a country that suffers from undeniable brain drain, you can understand our praise of this man and ultimately our love of Daniel, a man who remains and battles daily for our rights and our country.

It is patriotism itself that languishes behind barbed wires in Kality.