THE CANADIAN PRESS
By JIM BRONSKILL
Monday, July 27, 2008

At one point last September, Ottawa looked into whether Makhtal would be freed by Ethiopian authorities as part of the African country's milliennium celebrations — a notion that quickly fizzled.

Hundreds of pages of records released to The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act chronicle a trail of frustrated efforts by foreign affairs officials to assist the former Toronto man languishing behind bars in Addis Ababa for a year and a half.

A candid departmental assessment of recent upheaval in Ethiopia underscores the challenges: "Post-electoral violence, judicial processes that did not fully respect due process, and regional or ethnic exclusion in the political system have not been good for Ethiopian politics," say "talking points" prepared for Makhtal's case.

Consular officials recently met with him in prison for the first time. He has not been allowed to see a lawyer and there is continuing confusion over why he is being detained.

Makhtal, a Canadian citizen born in Ethiopia, settled in Canada as a refugee and later moved to Kenya, opening a used-clothing business. He was working in Somalia when Ethiopian troops invaded in late 2006. Makhtal fled back to Kenya, but was detained along with several others at the Kenya-Somalia border.

There have been suggestions Makhtal is of interest to the Ethiopian government due to his grandfather's involvement in a separatist group in the country's Ogaden region.

New York-based organization Human Rights Watch says Makhtal was among 34 people deported to Somalia from Kenya in 2007. He was then shipped to Ethiopia.

Officially, the foreign affairs department says Ethiopia has not advised it of any charges against Makhtal.

"Through a trusted intermediary, we have been able to verify Mr. Makhtal's well-being on several occasions," a briefing note said last November.

Source: The Canadian Press, July 27, 2008

Qaran @ 8/3/2008 11:02 AM EST  Jijiga man: You sound as a typical Ethiopian because of your hatred toward Somalis, but you have to thank the Somalis as they gave you an opportunity that Ethiopians never dream (a freedom to post your idea), I suggest you to use it this opportunity wisely and post your ideas without following your emotions .  It is sad that you don’t know what is happening in Ethiopia and how the bloody dictator doesn’t give fair trail to the thousands people in jails. You seem that you were brain washed by Melez’s idea which says that Somalia will never allow the starving Ethiopia to receive world food donations through its ports. But my friend you forgot that we Somalis are very generous and will never allow someone to starve in our backyards. You better think on how to feed the most starving and poorest people on earth (Ethiopians), instead of blindly supporting the Tigre bloody dictator, who is used as a hammer-head and when they (Western) reach their interest, he (Melez) will be dumped. But Somalia will always be on your bread corridor (Indian Ocean and Red Sea) as you always rely on foreign donations to feed your starving people. I think you have to go back to the dictionary to understand what a terrorist means and stop imitating the Western politicians who know what a terror means but use it to promote their own interest. You as an Ethiopian, you have no idea where your destiny will end up if you don’t stop following these terror notions.

jijiga man @ 8/3/2008 2:18 AM EST  The problem with foreign meida is that they believe fabricated stories from diaspora somalis who make a living out of lying.Its time these western media outlets investigate stories rather than accepting on the cheap made up lies from somalis.If they did their homework and investigated it, then, they will find that this man put himself in the position he finds himself today.We don't have to feel sorry for individuals who have blood in their hands and have consistently engaged in rogue and underground activities.Makhtal was a well-known ONLF operative and was the chief arms smuggler for this terrorist organization.He deserves and I hope he spends the rest of his life behind bar.