Dear
government of Ethiopia,
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
For Mr. Meles,
GAW