A young girl, Monalisa, was assaulted by an Ethiopian soldier, and got badly hurt trying to defend her honor. Monalisa was interviewed three times, by the BBC, by Al Jazeera and by Tigray TV, in that order, and gave three different stories.
In her first spontaneous interview with the BBC, from a field hospital, she told in great detail how she was assaulted by an Ethiopian soldier, how she defended her honor, how she got badly hurt in the process, and how Eritreans soldiers saved her life. She told her story at such length, who said what to whom, in a very credible way. Among other things, she describes a very touching conversation between her grand dad and the Eritrean platoon leader who saved her life, and how the Eritrean platoon leader called an Ethiopian commander, berated him and told him they have to come to take her to the hospital for medical care.
To Al Jazeera, from a hospital bed in Mekelle, the poor girl changed her story, and told that it was Eritrean soldiers who assaulted her.
In the third interview to Tigray TV, from home after being discharged from the hospital, she retracted what she told Al Jazeera, basically retold the story she told BBC, and said that it was 'Sister Abeba, the wife of Professor Kindiya" who instructed her to blame Eritrea for political purposes, during her interview with Al Jazeera.
The innocent girl, once no longer under duress from 'Sister Abeba, the wife of professor Kindiya*, corrected her story and recanted the false accusations she had made on those who saved her life.
Eritrea has to give a medal to Monalisa for her bravery and honesty, for telling the truth despite the enormous pressure put on her by politicians.
