Duka’le Lamisso and Abuse of Civil Liberty in Sidama
By Hawassa Teessonke 23 February 2013 In a land where state does not have any contractual obligation to protect residents from abuse of political power, civil liberty vanishes into thin air. A local stooge of a rogue political establishment can torture, imprison, kill and maim civilians under his jurisdiction who he perceives to be disobedient to his instructions with impunity when and where he wishes. The continued persecution, bogus criminal charges and sentencing of the Sidama civil rights icon, Duka’le Lamisso bears testimony to this sad state affairs. The common adage: “Power corrupts; but absolute power corrupts absolutely” could not be truer in today’s Sidama and an amalgam of 56 nations in Southern Ethiopia. The people are forced to live in dark ages. Any new idea is regarded as a threat to the political establishment. Effective economic development interventions in Sidama which were established 19 years ago were dismantled 11 years ago because they were considered