Today, April 9, is a scar on the conscience of a nation. On this day, Battee Urgessaa—a voice that stood unflinching for our people—was extinguished by the order of Abiy Ahmed. Not in battle. Not by accident. By command.
Batte was no warlord, no enemy of peace. He was a champion of the downtrodden, and for that—for the audacity of speaking truth when silence was safer—he was gunned down.
Together with Battee, we remember hundreds of thousands of sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, dreamers and dissenters who were dragged from their homes, and gunned down by Abiy Ahmed for the unforgivable offense of holding a different political belief.
Today, we remember. Not with empty tears, but with unwavering certainty that justice will be served. For Battee. For the hundreds of thousands. For the millions. For every home violated and every voice buried. Justice will be served. It is only a matter of time.
