He was the face of the struggle against EPRDF in '97. He was loved by all. Meles and his goons failed answer to most of his sharply worded factual accusations. He was untouchable. He had such convincing rhetoric and a simple charisma. He was the one Addis Ababans rallied behind. After Qinijit won the elections and EPRDF refused to surrender power and stormed Addis Ababa with tanks and trucks full of Age'azi red-hat soldiers, Lidetu caved in. At the climax of the struggle, while Addis Ababan youth burned tires and sang "Jah Yasteseryal!" at the top of their lungs and died by the hundreds, while most of his mates were imprisoned for refusing to back down (professor Mesfin Wolde-mariam), while his comrades were sentenced to death in absentia and took up armed struggled in Eritrea's deserts (Ginbot 7 led by professor Birhanu Nega and Andargachew Tsige), Lidetu betrayed the cause. He caved in because of the money he was offered by EPRDF. He then began a car dealership subsidized by the TPLF's bribe money and backed down from the political scene till 2 years ago, when Abiy came to power. He is nothing but a TPLF puppet, shamelessly defending the murderous group he once fought fiercely against. Everyone but him stood till the end against EPRDF, enduring arrest, exile and death. That is why those who remember the day of Ginbot 7, 1997/May 15, 2005 and its aftermath will not forgive Lidetu.