Ambo Protests: A Personal Account

By Jennifer Prestholdt, Human rights lawyer, Wife and Mother of three.

May 26, 2014 | The Advocates Post

Jennifer Prestholdt.

Please read and share this eyewitness account! The government has control over media and telecommunications in Ethiopia and has been largely successful so far in keeping the story of the student protests quiet. Two brave Peace Corps volunteers who were stationed for 1 1/2 years in Ambo but left this week because of the violence have asked for our help in spreading the truth about what is happening.

This account of events in the Oromia town of Ambo–events which began exactly one month ago, on April 25–was originally posted on the blog Jen & Josh in Ethiopia: A Chronicle of Our Peace Corps Experience.

Disclaimer:  We are no longer Peace Corps Volunteers, and the following is a personal story, not a news report, and does not reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, the Ethiopian Government, or the people of Ambo.

Large truck overturned during the protests

Friday, April 25th, the protests began in Ambo. We heard the sounds of a big crowd gathering at the university, walking east, yelling and chanting. The single paved road in town was barricaded, and traffic was diverted around the outskirts of town.

“What is going on?” we asked a group of high school boys.

“Oh, the students are angry. They have some problem,” they responded.

We called some friends at the university, who were able to explain further. Apparently, there are expansion plans for Addis Ababa, which would displace poor Oromo farmers and considerably shrink the size of the Oromia region. Justifiably, many Oromo people were upset. The Ethiopian Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech, press, and assembly, so demonstrations started across Oromia, mainly in towns with universities. Some of the protests turned violent.

Barricade on main road in Ambo

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were quiet, somewhat normal days in the town of Ambo. However, in other parts of Ethiopia, journalists and bloggers were arrested and thrown in jail.

Tuesday morning, the protests resumed. Friends in town called us to warn us not to go into work and not to leave our compound. Apparently there were protests at the preparatory school and the federal police were in town. We stayed home all day, listening to the sounds of the protests, denying to ourselves that the ‘pop, pop, pop’ we heard in the afternoon was gunfire. That night, the government-run news station reported that there was a misunderstanding between Oromo university students and the government. Other online reports said that the protestors were defending the Oromo’s right to their land.

Wednesday morning, the protests resumed, and our friends emphasized NOT to leave the house and NOT to answer our front gate. This time, we heard sirens. Ambo only has one ambulance – no police cars or fire trucks – and it wasn’t the normal noise. Again, we heard the ‘pop, pop, pop,’ every few minutes. We poked our heads out of the compound gate and talked to our neighbor, who confirmed that they were, in fact, gun shots. Neighbors said the federal police had already shot and killed demonstrators who were participating in the protest. As we were finishing our conversation, a group of at least 30 adults ran past, glancing nervously behind themselves as they ran.

Main road in Ambo, cars & buildings being burned

“Maalif fiigtu? (Why are you running?)” I shouted.

“Poliisii as dhufu! (The police are coming here!)” a man responded, ducking behind a corner.

An hour later, we headed to the nearest store to stock up on phone cards so we could put minutes on our cell phones and data on our internet device. The storekeeper is a tough older lady who doesn’t tolerate any nonsense.

“Maal taate? (What happened?)” we asked.

She paused, looking down at her hands, her eyes welling with tears.

“Hara’aa….sirrii miti, (Today…..is not right)” she said, fighting back tears.

Ironically, as we sat at home, listening to gunshots all day long, John Kerry was visiting Ethiopia, a mere 2 hours away in Addis Ababa, to encourage democratic development.

Around 3pm, while the sounds of the protests were far on the east side of town, we heard gunshots so close to our house that we both ducked reflexively. An hour later, we talked to a young man who said, numbly, “I carried their bodies from their compound to the clinic.” Our two young neighbors – university students – had been hunted down by the federal police and killed in their home while the protest was on the opposite side of town.

One of several vehicles burned during the protests

Other friends told us other violent stories of what was going on in town, including an incident at a bank. Apparently, students attempted to enter the bank, and one was shot by the police. Not being armed with weapons, protesters retaliated against the shooter by hanging him.

Another friend told us about 2 students who were shot and killed by the federal police in front of a primary school…again, far away from the protest.

Our favorite restaurant/gym, damaged

Wednesday night, we slept fitfully, listening to the sounds of the federal police coming around our neighborhood. They were yelling over a bullhorn in Amharic, which we didn’t understand, but was later translated for us: “Stay inside your compound tonight and tomorrow.”

Thursday, the bus station was closed and there weren’t any cars on the roads. That morning, a Peace Corps driver finally came to get us, looking terrified as he pulled up quickly to our house. We had to stop at the police station to get permission to leave town. While waiting at the station, we saw at least 50 people brought into the station at gunpoint, some from the backs of military trucks and many from a bus. Inside the police compound, there were hundreds of demonstrators overflowing the capacity of the prison, many of them visibly beaten and injured. After the U.S. Embassy requested our release, we headed out of town. The entire east side of town, starting from the bus station, was damaged. A bank, hotel, café, and many cars were damaged or burned. Our driver swerved to avoid the charred remains of vehicles sitting in the middle of the street.

We couldn’t help but shed tears at the sight of our beloved, damaged town.

To read more from the authors, visit their blog, Jen & Josh in Ethiopia: A Chronicle of Our Peace Corps Experience.

More posts about the crisis in Ethiopia:

Oromo Diaspora Mobilizes to Shine Spotlight on Student Protests in Ethiopia

Ethiopian Government Faces Grilling at UN

“Little Oromia” Unites to Advocate for Justice and Human Rights in Ethiopia

Diaspora Speaks for Deliberately Silenced Oromos; Ethiopian Government Responds to UN Review

Source: The Advocates Post

http://ayyaantuu.com/horn-of-africa-news/oromia/ambo-protests-a-personal-account/

Ethiopia: Worrisome Situations in Detention Centres

HRLHA – Urgent Action

May 24, 2014

For Immediate Release

While kidnappings and/or extra-judicial arrests and detentions have continued particularly around academic institutions in different parts of the regional state of Oromia in Ethiopia, disturbing and worrisome reports are coming out of detention centres where the Oromo students arrested in the past two weeks are being held.

According to HRLHA correspondents in Nakamte, Wollega Province in western Oromia, there have been cases of tortures of varying levels as well as detainees being taken away in the middle of the night to unknown destinations for unknown reasons. Fifty (50) detainees, including thirteen females, were taken away at one time alone; and their whereabouts were not known. In relation to tortures, the reports indicate that some of the detainees are isolated from others and held in separate rooms handcuffed and legs tied together with their hands on the their backs. There were ten students subjected to this particular situation, among whom were Std. Tesfaye Tuffa (male) and Std. Bontu Hailu (female). Although not confirmed at this point, there were also eight students who were screened out in order to be transferred to a detention or investigation office at the federal level; and these include:

1. Chalaa Fekaduu Gashe (high school student),
2. Chalaa Fekaduu Raajoo (high school student),
3. Nimoonaa Kebede (Wollega University 5th year law student),
4. Moi Bon Misganuu (Wollega University, student),
5. Abdii Gaddisaa (high school student),
6. Abel Dagim (high school student),
7. Qalbessa Getachew (high school student),
8. Mulgeta Gemechu (high school student),
9. Edosa Namara Dheressa, Civil Engineering, Wallaga University

In the meantime, reports indicate that kidnappings and/or extra-judicial arrests and detentions have continued in different parts of the regional state of Oromia, particularly in Hararge/Haromaya, West Showa, and West Wollega, all in relation to the protests that have been going on in the Regional State of Oromia in opposition to the newly introduced master plan to expand the Capital City of Addis Ababa/Finfinne in all directions by displacing the local Oromo residents. The following are among the hundreds of the most recent cases of kidnappings, arrests and detentions:

1) Edosa Namara Deressa – Wollega University (Civil Engineering)
2) Walabuma Dabale -Adama University, West Showa,
3) Ebisa Dale -Adama University
4) Ganamo Kurke -Adama University
5) Liban Taressa – Adama University
6) Adam Godana -Adama University
7) Bodana (last name not obtained) – Adama University

Name of other detainees arrested May 15-17, 2014,

	Partial Detainees in Wallagga, May 16, 2014
No		Name	Gender		Occupation/Grade		Place /Town
1		Robel Qanno		M	Worker	Mandii
2		Gammachis Hambisaa		M	Employee	Mandii,
3		Bokaa Hundeessaa		M		Mandii
4		Bacaa Kebede		M		Mandi
5		Fiqiru Wadajo		M	Businessman	Mandi
6		Eyob Kumara		M	Businessman	Mandi
7		Raji Abbaya		M	10	Mandi
8		Dabaloo Tolosaa		M	10	Mandi
9		Surra Chali		M	12	Mandi
10		Ebisaa Saqqata			12	Mandi
Haromaya University
1		Nimona Chali		M	Oromo language	Haromaya
2		Magarsaa Baqqalaa		M	Oromo language	Haromaya
3		Firayad		M	Teacher	Haromaya
4		Girmaa		M		Haromaya
West Shawa, Ambo
1		Getachew Qajela		M		Ambo Town
2		Alemu Megerssa		M	8	Ambo Town
3		Debisa Birru		M	-	Ambo
4		Getacho Birruu		M	Previous  Kaliti detainee	Ambo
5		Tamire Chala		M	office worker	Ambo
Arrested on May 16, 2014					Wallagga University
1		Abbabu Tafa		M	student	Nekemt
2		Galata Kumerra		M	student	Nekemt
3		Gammachuu Butuna		M	student	Nekemt
4		Gammachuu Fikadu		M	student	Nekemt
5		Getachew Fikadu		M	student	Nekemt
6		Gutaaa Galana		M	student	Nekemt
7		Lammessa Balay		M	student	Nekemt
8		Mokonoon Abarra		M	student	Nekemt
9		Mokonon Asaffaa		M	student	Nekemt
10		Mul’isaa Tafarra		M	student	Nekemt
11		Nazib Jibril		M	student	Nekemt
12		Shimalis Chaffe		M	student	Nekemt
13		Sofia Kadir		M	student	Nekemt
Arrested on May 16, 2014, West Wallaga Gulisso District
1		Abdii Mokonon		M	10th grade	Gullisoo
2		Chalaa Raggasa		M	Bussinessman	Ayiraa
3		Damee Daddafa		M	Bussinessman	Ayiraa
4		Daawit Tola		M	Bussinessman	Gullisoo
5		Dirriba Gaja’a		M	student	Ayiraa
6		Dirriba Tasfa		M	7th grade	Gullisoo
7		Ebba Kaniiba		M	8th grade	Gullisoo
8		Efirem Qana’a		M	student	Ayiraa
9		Fikadu Gari		M	Farmer	Gullisoo
10		Gammachu Tasisa		M	Businessman	Gullisoo
11		Gammaachuu Wakjira		M	Government employee	Gullisoo
12		Getane Adaba		M	Farmer	Ayiraa
13		Getacho Oljira		M	Farmer	Ayiraa
14		Girma Mulatu		M	10th grade	Gullisoo
13		Hunduma Awetu		M	Teacher	Ayiraa
16		Jifara Busuna		M	student	Gullisoo
17		Lalisa Indale		M	9th grade	Gullisoo
18		Lijalem Immana		M	Adminstrator	Gullisoo
19		Malaku Aaga		M	Teacher	Ayiraa
20		Milkessa Samu’el		M	student	Ayiraa
21		Mulatu Cawaqa		M	Farmer	Gullisoo
22		Obsa Getane		M	10th grade	Gullisoo
23		Obsa Raggasa		M	9th grade	Gullisoo
24		Qabana Hika		M	Teacher	Ayiraa
25		Qanani Daniel		M	7th grade	Gullisoo
26		Toleraa Wakuma		M	student	Ayiraa
27		Wande Nagasa		M	Businessman	Gullisoo
28		Yaaed Dheressa		M	Teacher	Ayiraa

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) is highly concerned about the life-threatening situations in the detention centres where those young Oromos were held, and the safety and wellbeing of those who were taken to unknown destinations. Therefore, HRLHA calls upon the Ethiopian Government to abide by all international human rights instruments that it has signed, and refrain from subjecting the young detainees to such harsh situations. It also calls upon all local, regional, and international human rights organizations including UN Human Rights Council, humanitarian, and diplomatic agencies to put pressure on the Ethiopian Government so that it

1. Unconditionally releases the Oromo students who were detained in the past two and three weeks simply because the attempted to exercise some of their fundamental rights in a peaceful and absolutely non-violent manner.
2. Stop killing,  arresting and abducting Oromo nationals
3. To form an independent committee from civilians for investigation and Prosecution of the killing and torturing crimes.

Silencing the Zone9 by hook or crook

May 20, 2014

by Hindessa Abdul

It has been over three weeks since close to a dozen journalists and bloggers were arrested, most of whom members of the blogging collective known as Zone 9. Their site, hosted in Google’s Blogger platform, was launched two years ago with a catching motto “We blog because we care.” They coined the name after a visit to the Zone 8 of the Kaliti prison, where a fellow journalist, Reeyot Alemu, is serving a five year sentence. Zone 9 is a metaphor to say the rest of the populace is also in jail but in a different cell block. No surprises, their page was blocked within weeks of its launch.

Abel Wabela, Asmamaw W/Giorigis, Atnaf Berhane, Befekadu Hailu, Edom Kassaye, Mahlet Fantahun, Natnael Feleke, Tesfalem Weldyes, Zelalem Kebret have been locked up in the notorious Maekelawi in the north of Addis, where the tradition of torture is well alive andkicking.The bloggers were public servants,university professors,information technology professionals, full time journalists so on and so forth.

As it has become absurdly the norm, police had detained then started to investigate the alleged crimes, dashing the hopes of a speedy trial. So far the broad allegations are: working with a foreign organization that claim to be human rights group; conspiring to incite violence via the social media. An advisor to the Prime Minister put it as “criminal activities” without delving into specifics. Police have requested more time to investigate. The courts have no problem granting the wishes of the police at the expense of the detainees.

Some papers that came out in the last couple of days said, weeks after the arrest nobody knows the reason for their detention. However piecing together the words of police and close associates of the ruling party , there are clues to indicate where this thing is going to end up.

The dots

At the beginning of April, security officials detained Patrick Mutahi, a Kenyan national and a staff of Article 19 – a London based rights group working for the defense of freedom of expression — at the Bole International Airport. His earlier visits to the country (said to be five times) have been closely monitored.

Ironically Patrick’s travel to Ethiopia was related to a training on security and safety. Talking of safety, media watchdog groups train journalists in various skills. In recent years, with governments filtering the web, the subject of circumnavigating censorship; concealing the location from where blogs are posted have gained traction. Back in the early days of Internet filtering, the Paris based Reporters without Borders produced a famous manual called Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-dissidents to help protect journalists in otherwise unfriendly political systems.

While Patrick was deported back to his country after a day in custody, his cell phone was confiscated, leaving behind a trove of information.

Enter HRW

In March of this year Human Rights Watch published a report on the state of surveillance in Ethiopia. The 100 page report entitled: ‘They Know Everything We Do: Telecom and Internet Surveillance in Ethiopia’ explains how security officials willy-nilly eavesdrop on the phone conversation of citizens. Here is a witness telling his encounter in the report:

“After some time I got arrested and detained. They had a list of people I had spoken with. They said to me, “You called person x and you spoke about y.” They showed me the list—there were three pages of contacts—it had the time and date, phone number, my name, and the name of the person I was talking with. “All your activities are monitored with government. We even record your voice so you cannot deny. We even know you sent an email to an OLF [Oromo Liberation Front] member.” I said nothing.”

Hence, the call log in Patrick’s phone will reveal all the individuals he had contacted. No matter what the conversations, it would be construed in a way that justifies the government’s paranoia.

TPLF insiders

A day after the detention of most of the suspects, Mimi Sebhatu, a close confidant of the Meles-Azeb family went on to her radio station and said the suspects had contact with Article 19. Mimi may have an inside knowledge not least because of her association with the inner circle as to her family’s history in the lucrative security business in the country.

In the closed court appearance police told the judges that some of the suspects travelled to Kenya and have received money and training from a human rights group. Police stopped short of mentioning who the rights group was.

TPLF run online media in North America are having a field day attacking Article 19 and the bloggers. They call the group “a neo-liberal extremist organization for hire, created for the sole reason of overthrowing democratically elected governments.” And the bloggers are guilty even before they are formally charged. “It’s a criminal act to make Addis Ababa turn into Ukraine’s Kiev for the sake of money, by working with the likes of ‘Article 19’ Eritrea and Egypt,” opined one.

So there should be no doubt as to what the charges will be associated with. The insiders have told us in no uncertain terms that it is all about Article 19. We, surly, will stay tuned.

Hailemariam Desalegn again at odds with TPLF on oromo protests

By Staff

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is once again at odds with the powerful TPLF branch of EPRDF ruling party, according to sources connected to his adminstration. This time the dispute is on government response to Oromo protests in Oromia region, according to a journalist of an English weekly paper who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

Hailemariam, an ethnic Welayta native, does not have the military background and the political power that former Tigrayan Prime Minister Meles zenawi had. Meles was the executive head of the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) for over thirty years. Even though various ethnic groups are well represented inside the Ethiopian military, most of the top executive positions are held by Tigrayans. Some reports claim that around 70 percent of the country’s top generals and military leaders are still ethnic Tigrayan today, even though Tigrayans makeup only 6 percent of the Ethiopian population.

The Govt source said TPLF military chiefs wanted to stop the peaceful Oromo student protest early before it turned into riots, but there was “lack of leadership and policy from Arat Kilo,” (refering to the Menelik Palace were the PM resides. )

Despite their small numbers in the country, Hailemariam’s ethnic Welaytas are said to have significant presence in the mid-level positions in the army and federal force. However, TPLF’s military heads complain that Hailemariam portrays a “soft leader” image and the police has been overstretched with nonstop demonstrations for months. They say the public is emboldened to take their angers to the streets since Meles died. Since 2013, millions of Muslim Ethiopians have been protesting in the cities while the “legal opposition” groups have also organized various protests, sometimes without permit. But the recent Oromo protests have irritated the TPLF military authorities the most, as some OPDO (another EPRDF branch) members have provided covert support.

The source said Hailemariam’s chances of being re-elected to lead EPRDF ruling party are slim. Hailemariam has also been under American pressure to deliver a peace deal in South Sudan, though some TPLF army officials are suspicious of the Sudanese opposition.

TPLF military chiefs claimed South Sudan peace deals signed in Addis Ababa are symbolic but meaningless on the ground because the rebel leader Riek Machar does not have full control of opposition fighters.

Source: SP

ናይሮቢ ላይ ፍንዳታ ደረሰ

MAY 17, 2014 LEAVE A COMMENT

ኬንያ ናይሮቢ ውስጥ ዛሬ ብዙ ሕይወት ያጠፋና ሌላም ጉዳት ያደረሰ ከባድ ፍንዳታ ደርሷል፡፡
አሜሪካና እንግሊዝ ሰሞኑን ለዜጎቻቸው የጉዞ ማስጠንቀቂያ ያወጡ ሲሆን ግን የናይሮቢ ባለሥልጣናት ግን ይህንን እርምጃቸውን ወቅሰው መግለጫ አውጥተዋል፡፡ 

በኬንያ የኢትዮጵያ ኤምባሲ ስድስት መቶ ኢትዮጵያዊያንን ወደ ሃገር መመለሱን አስታውቋል፡፡
በሌላ በኩል ደግሞ ኬንያ ውስጥ በስደተኞች ላይ እየተካሄደ ያለው ከበባና ማሳደድ አያያዝ እንደሚያሳስባቸው አንድ የዩናይትድ ስቴትስ የውጭ ጉዳይ ረዳት ሚኒስትር ሊንዳ ቶማስ-ግሪንፊልድ ገልፀዋል፡፡
ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለ ኢትዮጵያዊያኑ ወደ ሃገር እንዲመለሱ የሚደረገው በግዴታ ነው የሚሉ ኬንያ ውስጥ የሚገኙ ስደተኞች አሉ፡፡

Ethiopians March in Grand Island to Protest Students Killed in Africa

May 16, 2014, Nebraska (NTV ABC News) – More than 50 protesters took to the streets of Grand Island, to march against the killings of students in Ethiopia.
The Associated Press reports at least 11 students were killed in violent clashes with Ethiopian police recently.
Ethnic Oromo people have marched in cities across the world, including Grand Island.
Oromo is the largest state in Ethiopia, and there is a movement there to declare independence.
The march in Grand Island went from the Federal Building to City Hall, and attracted the attention of police. There was some confusion about the march, and Police Chief Steve Lamken advised city staff the marchers had the right to protest, as long as they didn’t block traffic or block the doors at City Hall.
Leaders in the local Oromo community in Grand Island said they wanted to draw attention to the plight of their people. Similar protests around the world have used social media to mobilize, especially Twitter, where they have been branded as the #OromoProtests.
Stay with NTV for more on the protest.
Source: NTV ABC News

የጅቡቲ መንግስት 30 ስደተኞችን ለኢትዮጵያ የጸጥታ ሃይሎች አሳልፎ ሰጠ

May 14, 2014

ግንቦት ፮ (ስድስት)ቀን ፳፻፮ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :-የአገሪቱ መንግስት ከኢትዮጵያ የጸጥታ ሃይሎች ጋር በመተባበር ያሰራቸውን ስደተኞች ከፍተኛ ስቃይ ወደ ሚፈጸምበት ጅጅጋ እስር ቤት መውሰዱን የኦጋዴን ነጻ አውጭ ግንባር አስታውቋል።

ግንባሩ እንዳለው እርምጃው የተወሰደው የኦጋዴን ተወላጅ የዳያስፖራ አባላት በኦሮሞ ተማሪዎች ላይ የደረሰውን ጭካኔ የተሞላበት እርምጃ ካወገዙ በሁዋላ ነው።

የወለጋ ዩኒቨርስቲ ተማሪዎች በፖሊሶች ተደበደቡ

የወለጋ ዩኒቨርስቲ ተማሪዎች በፖሊሶች ተደበደቡ
May 14, 2014
ግንቦት ፮ (ስድስት)ቀን ፳፻፮ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :-መንግስት በቁጥጥር ስር ያዋላቸው ጓደኞቻቸው እንዲፈቱላቸው በሰላማዊ መንገድ ጥያቄያቸውን ሲያቀርቡ የነበሩ የወለጋ ዩኒቨርስቲ ተማሪዎች፣ ወደ ግቢው ዘልቀው በገቡ የፌደራል ፖሊስ አባላት ሲደበደቡ መዋላቸውን ተማሪዎች እና የአካባቢው ነዋሪዎች ለኢሳት ተናግረዋል። 

የግቢው ተማሪዎች ጥያቄያቸውን ሰላማዊ በሆነ መንገድ በማቅረብ ላይ ሳሉ፣ የፌደራል ፖሊስ አባላት ወደ ውስጥ ሰብረው በመግባትና የጪስ ቦንብ በመወርወር ተማሪውን በሰደፍና በዱላ መደብደባቸውን ተማሪዎች ገልጸዋል።

ተማሪው እንደሚለው በመቶዎች የሚቆጠሩ ተማሪዎች ቆስለው ወደ ሆስፒታል ተወስደዋል። በብዙ መቶዎች የሚቆጠሩት ደግሞ ታፍሰው ደዴሳ ወታደራዊ ማሰልጠኛ ካምፕ ወደሚገኝ እስር ቤት መጋዛቸውን ገልጿል።

በወለጋ የሁሉም አካባቢ ተማሪዎች በአንድነት ድምጻቸውን ሲያሰሙ መዋላቸውን አክሎ ገልጿል

በሌላ ዜና ደግሞ ከአዳማ ዩኒቨርስቲ 5 ተማሪዎች ተይዘው መታሰራቸውን ለኢሳት የደረሰው መረጃ ያመለክታል።

የደህንነት ሃይሎች ወደ ግቢ በመግባት ከ20 በላይ ተማሪዎችን ይዘው የወሰዱ ቢሆንም፣ 5 ተማሪዎችን አስቀርተው ሌሎችን መልቀቃቸው ታውቋል። ከ20 በላይ የድሬዳዋ ዩኒቨርስቲ ተማሪዎች መታሰራቸውን መዘገባችን ይታወሳል።

በሌላ ዜና ደግሞ በጊምቢ እና በምእራብ ወለጋ የሚኖሩ ከሌሎች አካባቢ የመጡ ሰዎች መረጋጋት መጀመራቸውን ለኢሳት ገልጸዋል

የኢህአዴግ መንግስት ከአዲስ አበባ ማስተር ፕላን ጋር በተያያዘ በኦሮምያ ክልል የተነሳውን ተቃውሞ የትኩረት አቅጣጫ ለማስለወጥ የተለያዩ አሉባልታዎችን የሚነዙ ካድሬዎችን ማሰማራቱን ኢሳት በተደጋጋሚ መዘገቡ ይታወሳል።

ETHIOPIA: AUTHORITIES MUST PROVIDE JUSTICE FOR SCORES OF PROTESTERS KILLED, INJURED AND ARRESTED IN OROMIA

13 May 2014

Amnesty International condemns the use of excessive force by security forces against peaceful protesters in a number of locations across the Oromia region during the last two weeks, which has resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of people including students and children. Many hundreds of protesters are reported to have been arbitrarily arrested, and are being detained incommunicado and without charge. Detainees are at risk of torture.

The Ethiopian government must immediately instruct the security forces to cease using deadly force against peaceful protesters, and to release any person who has been arrested solely because of their involvement in peaceful protests. These incidents must be urgently and properly investigated, and suspected perpetrators should be prosecuted in effective trial proceedings.

Since late April, protests have taken place in many universities and towns across the Oromia region over the ‘Addis Ababa Integrated Development Master Plan’ – a plan from the central government to expand the capital, Addis Ababa, into parts of Oromia – the region which surrounds the city. The government says the master plan for expansion would bring city services to remote areas. However, the protesters, and many other Oromos, the ethnic group that makes up the significant majority of the population of Oromia regional state, fear that the move will be detrimental to the interests of Oromo farmers, and will lead to large scale evictions to make way for land leasing or sale. Many Oromos also consider the move to be in violation of the Constitutionally-guaranteed protection of the ‘special interests’ of the Oromia state.

Numerous reports from witnesses, local residents and other sources indicate that the security forces have responded with excessive force against peaceful protesters. Forces comprised of the federal police and military special forces known as ‘Agazi’, have fired live ammunition at unarmed protesters in a number of locations including in Wallega and Madawalabu universities and Ambo and Guder towns, resulting in deaths in each location.

One witness told Amnesty International that on the third day of protest in Guder town, near Ambo, the security forces were waiting for the protesters and opened fire when they arrived. She said five people were killed in front of her. A source in Robe town, the location of Madawalabu University, told Amnesty International that 11 bodies had been seen in a hospital in the town. Another witness said they had seen five bodies in Ambo hospital.

There are major restrictions on independent journalism and human rights monitoring organizations in Ethiopia as well as on exchange of information. Because of these restrictions, in conjunction with the number of incidents that occurred in the last two weeks, it is not possible to establish the exact number of those who have been killed. The government acknowledged that three students had died at Madawalabu University, and five persons had died in Ambo town, but did not state the cause of death. Numbers of deaths reported by witnesses and residents within Oromia are significantly higher. Investigations into these incidents must include the establishment of comprehensive numbers of people killed and injured in all incidents.

According to eye-witness reports received by Amnesty International, of those who were killed some people, including students and children, died instantly during protests, while some died subsequently in hospitals as a result of their injuries. Children as young as 11 years old were among the dead. Students and teachers constitute the majority of those killed and injured.

Protesters were also reportedly beaten up during and after protests, resulting in scores of injuries in locations including Ambo, Jimma, Nekempte, Wallega, Dembi Dollo, Robe town, Madawalabu, and Haromaya.

Hundreds of people have been arrested across many locations. The main Oromo opposition party, the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) which has been collecting information from its members throughout the region, believes those arrested may total several thousand. Witnesses told Amnesty International that in many cases the arrests took place after the protesters had dispersed. Security forces have conducted house to house searches in many locations in the region, for students and others who may have been involved. New arrests continue to be reported. A small number of people have been released, but most of those arrested remain in incommunicado detention, in many cases in unknown locations. The OFC also reports that two of its members were arrested in Ambo because they had spoken to a Voice of America reporter about events in the town.

Hundreds of those arrested have been taken to unofficial places of detention including Senkele police training camp. One local resident, whose nephew was shot dead during the Ambo protests, told Amnesty International that detainees in Senkele have been prevented from seeing their families or receiving food from them. Military camps in Oromia have regularly been used to detain thousands of actual or perceived government opponents. Detention in military camps is almost always arbitrary – detainees are not charged or taken to a court for the duration of their detention, which in some cases has lasted for many years. In the majority of cases, detainees in military camps have no access to lawyers or to their families for the duration of their detention. Amnesty International has received countless reports of torture being widespread in military camps. The organization fears that the recent detainees are at serious risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

There is a very high security force presence in towns across the region in recent days, including in university campuses. Witnesses in several locations say that classes have been suspended in the universities. Amnesty International has heard from other locations, where classes have continued or resumed, that attendance registers are being taken for every class, with serious repercussions threatened for those not present.

Amnesty International has also received several reports that in a number of locations throughout the region local residents are being beaten and in some cases, arrested by the police, ostensibly to intimidate them against taking part in further protests. Police are also threatening parents to control their children. One witness told Amnesty International that one man who went to collect his son’s body, who had been shot dead during a protest, was severely beaten by security forces telling him he should have taught his son some discipline.

The OFC says the response of the security forces has fuelled further protests as the colleagues, parents and community members of those killed and injured have joined in further protests against the brutality of the security forces. In some locations anger at the actions of the security forces has resulted in burning of cars and damage to property.

The Ethiopian authorities regularly suppress peaceful protests, which has often included the use of excessive force against protesters. The Oromos have long felt discriminated against by successive governments. The current government is hostile to all dissent. However, this hostility often manifests most fiercely in the Oromia region, where signs of dissent are looked for and suppressed even more brutally than in other parts of the country. Scores of Oromos are regularly arrested based on their actual or suspected opposition to the government.

The recent events are highly reminiscent of events in 2004 when months of protests broke out across the Oromia region and in Addis Ababa by college and school students demonstrating against a federal government decision to transfer the regional state capital from Addis Ababa to Adama (also known as Nazret), a town 100 kilometres south-east of Addis Ababa. The transfer was perceived to be against Oromo interests. Police used live ammunition in some incidents to disperse demonstrators, killing several students and wounding many others, which led to further protests. Hundreds of students were arrested and detained for periods ranging from several days to several months, without charge or trial. Many were severely beaten when police dispersed protests or in detention. Subsequently hundreds were expelled or suspended from university and many suffered long-term repercussions such as repeated arrest based on the residual suspicion of holding dissenting opinions.

The events of the last two weeks in Oromia demonstrate that there has been no improvement in Ethiopia’s policing practices in the last decade, and that very serious concerns remain about the willingness of the Ethiopian security forces to use excessive force against peaceful protesters. These events also show that major restrictions remain on the ability of peaceful protesters to express grievances or make political points in Ethiopia. The environment for peaceful protest, freedom of expression and political participation has worsened over the last decade.

The recent events in Oromia fall at a time when the local population and interested parties internationally, are starting to look towards the general elections in May 2015. The aftermath of the disputed 2005 elections also saw excessive use of force against peaceful protesters during widespread demonstrations against the alleged rigging of the election by the ruling EPRDF party. Security forces opened fire on protesters in Addis Ababa resulting in the deaths of more than 180 people. The recent events bode very ill for the run up to the 2015 elections, still a year away. Unless substantial reforms are urgently initiated, Amnesty International is concerned that the run up to the elections will be characterised by further serious violations of human rights.

Amnesty International urges the Ethiopian authorities to immediately and publicly instruct the security forces to cease using excessive force against peaceful protesters in Oromia. While some of the recent protests in Oromia are reported to have seen incidents of violence, including destruction of property, the use of force, including lethal force, by security forces must comply with human rights standards at all times in order to protect the right to life. Amnesty International urges that any police response to further protests must comply with international requirements of necessity and proportionality in the use of force, in line with the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. These principles state that law enforcement may use only such force as is necessary and proportionate to maintain public order, and may only intentionally use lethal force if strictly necessary to protect human life.

Thorough investigations which are credible and impartial must urgently take place into allegations of excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, and the torture of protesters and other members of local communities in Oromia, and where admissible evidence of crimes is found, suspected perpetrators should be prosecuted in effective trial proceedings that meet international standards.

All persons arrested solely because of their participation in peaceful protests must be immediately and unconditionally released. Amnesty International urges that no-one suffers any violation or denial of their human rights as a result of their involvement in peaceful protests including any suspension or termination of their education.

Finally, Amnesty International urges the Ethiopian government to respect all Ethiopians’ right to peacefully protest, as guaranteed under the Ethiopian Constitution and in accordance with Ethiopia’s international legal obligations, including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The government should immediately remove all restrictions on free and open political participation, including restrictions on the independent media, civil society and political opposition parties.