I am Blen Tamrat Layne, and I am writing on behalf of my family. My father, Tamrat Layne, was the former prime minister, and he has been in prison for more than eleven years. He got arrested when I was four years old and my sister was two months old. And we had to grow up with out a dad in our lives, especially my little sister. She was born the same year my dad got arrested and she hasn't had a relationship with our dad her whole life. I can't simply explain the pain of having to grow up with out a father. It is really hard to see other children with their father's and my sister and I don't even remember what his voice sounds like. We had to grow up with out our dad for many years and we miss him. When my sister was eight years old, we told her that our dad was in prison, and she was devastated. She cried for hours and hours. Every day she tells me that she misses him and she asks me when he's coming home. Our mom tells us that he will be home soon and all we could do is hope and pray that our father would come home to us so we could be a family again. I remember when I was a child wondering why my dad wasn't home, and I used to ask my mom where he was. When I finally found out that I wouldn't see my dad at home, I was heart broken.
I remember seeing my mom cry, and I used to ask myself "Why did they take my dad?" Everybody knows after my dad got arrested, my sister, my mom, my auntie, and I left Ethiopia. It was very hard for my mom to leave our family and live in a foreign country, to get away from the hardships we had back home. Even though we were far from home I never forgot my dad and my family. I was hopeful that my dad would be released and come to us one day so we could be reunited and he could help my mom in raising us. I imagine what my dad was like and I dream that I woke up one day and I finally got to hear his voice. I dream that he would play with me and that he would go to my basketball games, I dream of having a loving dad. My sister tells me that she is Dad's little princess and she wants to play with him, and she told me that she wants to tell our dad that she loves him and she wants to hear him say that he loves her.
I know that most of you have children and I know that you all want to be there to protect your son or daughter. But think of how your life would be or how your children's life would be if they grew up with out a father. Imagine seeing their mom crying every night because she misses her husband. I know that when you get home from work you hug your children and tell them you love them. But we didn't have that. I know that you put your children in to bed at night and show them you are always going to be there for them, but we didn't have that. My sister and I are just children and we have suffered long enough, why for should we have to live without a father. We deserve a loving father for in our lives, we deserve our father to show us protection and to love us the same way you love your children.
I am writing this letter to ask you to please release our dad so we can live a life with a loving father and so he can be there when my sister and I grow up. During the Ethiopian millennium we heard that many prisoners were going to be released and we were hoping that our father would be one of them. But when we heard that he was not going to be released, we were very sad and very confused. Our dad has suffered enough and so have we, so please release him. I know that he has spent his adult years fighting with most of you for the Ethiopians. But he has been in prison for more than eleven years. When I think about his life it makes me sad, so please release him so we can be a family again.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Blen Tamrat Layne
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Congratulations Blen for the release of your father!!! I feel the pain of being raised w/o dad.
But please don't forget to remind your father that it was all a punishment for what he did on Ethiopian People(specifically Amhara). He is still responsible for the 1990's brutless slaughtering of the Amhara. Shame on him. I want to see how he would pay back for that.
Congratulations again!!
December 18th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Tamirat join EPPF and do not waste time. That is the only way you can show the ppl of ethiopia your inocence if you are.
December 18th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
If Tamerat stands against weyane when he realsed we dont mind. However, if Tamerat stays the same as he used to be 12 years ago. He was one of the most racist and criminal person along the other members of weyane, so we will put him back in jail for the crime he comitted when ethiopia liberated.
We would not forget tamerat's anti amahra propaganda that had been a cause for the masscare of many tousands of amahars in arba gugu, bedeno and other oromia regions.
Anyway, i dont care about one racist and criminal person tamerat who had commited many crimes along the other weyane crimianal groups. Tamerat had also robbed so much ethiopian treasury that his wife and kids are now enjoying in North America, a money that beleongs to millions of poor ethiopians.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Blen,
I don't mean to be mean to you but you should know the truth. As #3 comment tells it, the money that helped your mom, you and your sisters to escape to rich country and enjoy is the Money your father stole from the poor Ethiopian people. Remember, your father and Melese were living in a jungle walking barefoot, wearing worn out kahki shorts and use to drink suger disolved in water because they had no food to eat. They got rich after they seized power at a gun point and by stealing money from Ethiopian people.
I know truth hurt, it is the truth and you should ask your father why he stole money from Ethiopian poor people and why he used his power that he illegally obtained to abuse, kill and put Ethiopian people in jail?
Ask him does his friend Meles respect human rights in Ethiopia?
December 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I don't want to be rude and I won't since you have no hand in whatever your father was involved in but i want to congratulate you on your father's freedom and wish you a very successful life as an Ethiopian not as the descendant of the party your father served before, you can always redeem poor Ethiopian citizens abused by the woyanne regime your father belonged to. Stay with your innocent spotless mind, and make it up for Ethiopians, that is when you will feel that you have personally freed your father's wrong doing, it will be like freeing him from prison, standout and speak for your fellow Ethiopians. As far as I am concerned, your father maybe physically free but not morally yet.
Thank you and Merry Christmas
December 21st, 2008 at 12:02 am
Dear Blen,
I would, foremost, like to congratulate you for the release of your father six years ahead. You are by now 16. Imagine how old you would be if it were after 6 years yet… you would be 22. That is the most important thing.
As an Ethiopian HERO, relevant credits should be forwarded to your father too. But, you should be reliefed for the florishing DEMOCRACY in our country.
Dear Blen,
My father was a soldier of the DERG regime. I have many friends whose fathers were coleagues of my father. Most of the times, they blindly pronounce hatred on the present government. But, your father and his coleagues have really done fantastic job for Ethiopians except for the mistakes by your father later on.
So, never get confused by the improper comments from thoose individuals who used to loot the Ethiopian peopls' treasury by the name of ESEPA. They were the LORDS and the general public were PEASANTS.
Dear Blen,
This time, farmers are being AWARDED for the good job for themselves,… and this was the AIM of your father, though he made the mistake later.
I wish you happy moments for the reunited family,
Merry X-mas
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:11 am
Dear Blen congradulation!!!
Please!!!!
It is not fair to comment,,,,, with out firm evidence about her father.
December 26th, 2008 at 6:21 am