As of August 17, 2020, Oromia Media Network (OMN) has reported about the illness of activist Jawar Mohammed, who has been under Federal Police custody since July 01, 2020, just a day after the murder of artist Hachalu Hundessa. Other Medias such as BBC Amharic and VOA Afan Oromo have also confirmed about the illness of Mr. Jawar by interviewing his lawyer.
| Jawar Mohammed |
Soon after this news was heard, a peaceful protest demanding urgent medical treatment for Mr. Jawar was erupted in some parts of Oromia region. Hundreds of youth [Qeerroo and Qarree] turned out to street in some towns of South East and East Oromia to express their sympathy for Mr. Jawar and to urge the government to provide him urgent medication. HRLHA has confirmed that the protesters were expressing their grievance peacefully and in compliance with COVID- 19 prevention protocols issued by the government. Nevertheless, the police mercilessly shot live bullet at the protesters resulting into loss of lives and sever wounds especially in the towns of Shashamane, Dodola and Awaday. HRLHA has received report of one death and dozens of injuries from Shashamane town alone on August 17, 2020.
The protest continued on August 18, 2020 escalating to the majority of main towns in Oromia. The protesters further demanded the release of all political prisoners and PM Abiy Ahmed to leave power soon. Even though the demonstration was peaceful, severe police brutality has been committed against peaceful protesters. Especially, the causality occurred in Eastern and a Southeastern part of Oromia is very dismaying. According to HRLHA’s source, more than twenty peaceful demonstrators including a ten-year-old girl were brutally murdered and many others harshly wounded by a live bullet shot from government security forces. Shockingly, a husband named Shieh Umar Tawil and his nursing wife were shot and killed in their house in Gadab-Asasa, West Arsi zone of Oromia. Their infant child was died soon, according to HRLHA’s source. HRLHA is still receiving reports that killings, injury, and mass arrest has been continued in several towns such as Dire-Dawa, Haramaya, Harar, Ciro, Dangaggo, Asabot, Dodola, Wabe, Shashamane and Asasa. HRLHA is extremely concerned about the atrocities committed by government security forces against peaceful protesters in the Oromia region in the past two days.
It is highly disappointing that the government is repeatedly taking measures of suppressing descent voices, which apparently is a manifestation of dictatorship. In the past week alone, the government security force used a lethal force, which claimed several lives of peaceful protesters in Wolaita zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Regional State.
Amnesty International on August 14, 2020 has reported the death of at least 16 people following protests against the arrest of regional representatives, association leaders and activists by the Ethiopian security forces in the Wolaytta area of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region ( RNNPS).
The Right to Peaceful Demonstration is one of the fundamental human rights and freedoms recognized by Ethiopia. This right, along with Freedom of Assembly and Petition, isenshrined under Article 30 the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The right to protest is also guaranteed by the Resolution No. 25/38 adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on April 11, 2014. The Resolution, among others, provides:
States have the responsibility, including in the context of peaceful protests, to promote and protect human rights and to prevent human rights violations, including extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearances and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and calls upon States to avoid the abuse of criminal and civil proceedings or threats of such acts at all times.
It was to be recalled that thousands of peoples especially member of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), including official parties members have been arbitrarily arrested and languishing in several official and secret detention centers. Different international human rights organizations, among others, Amnesty International, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples and Organization (UNPO) Human Rights Watch have reported that prominent opposition figures were held for months without charge.
As of writing this report, HRLHA has confirmed the killing of seventeen (17) civilians in Awaday town of East Hararge until August 19, 2020 alone.
The HRLHA has gathered several photographs of heinous scenes of atrocities committed by government security forces in the past three days, most of which are bloodstained that we found unscrupulous to attach herewith. Even so, we cannot skip without posting two most heartbreaking scenes shown as follows.
| Nahila Ibsa (Left): a ten-year-old girl who was ruthlessly shot by a live bullet by police on August 18, 2020 at Awaday town, East Hararge of Oromia Regional State. Nahili was died there and then. The photograph in the lft shows the protesters carrying Nahili’s body. According to HRLHA’s was a bystander and she did not even took part in the protest. |
| Shieh Umar Tawil andhis Wife’s corpus (Right): The photograph was taken just immediately before the burial event while prayer was made according to local Oromo tradition. |
Partial List of Persons Killed from August 17 to 19, 2020
| No. | Full Name | Place of the Killings (Zone and town) |
| Tahir Amin | East Hararge, Awaday | |
| Fize Abdisa | East Hararge, Awaday | |
| Nabila Aliyi (Ibsa) | East Hararge, Awaday | |
| Nuredin Abduljabar | East Hararge, Asabot | |
| Murtasa Aliyi | East Hararge, Asabot | |
| Mhadi Jamal | East Hararge, Asabot | |
| Akame Jamal | East Hararge, Fadis | |
| Fund Abdurahim | East Hararge, Kombolcha | |
| Abdi Safi | East Hararge, Kombolcha | |
| Munir Ziyad | East Hararge, Kombolcha | |
| Mhadi Umar | East Hararge, Dire Tiyara | |
| Farid Abdi | East Hararge, Dire Tiyara | |
| Ibsa Abdi | East Hararge, Haramaya | |
| Shade Ebrahim | East Hararge, Watar | |
| Jamal Abdi | East Hararge, Dangaggo | |
| Mustafa Shira | West Arsi, Dodola | |
| Sanane Hussien | West Arsi, Asasa | |
| Abdurhim Amin | West Arsi, Asasa | |
| Shieh Umar Tawil | West Arsi, Asasa | |
| Ramadan Kedir | Bale, Wabe | |
| Kuriso Bariso | Bale, Wabe | |
| Kindnessa Yuyya | East Hararge, Haramaya | |
| Afendi Mohammad | West Hararge, Chiro | |
| Jamal Abdi | East Hararge, Dangaggo | |
| Mu’aze Mansur | East Hararge, Awaday | |
| Nure Awol | East Hararge, Matakasha | |
| Asante Aliyi | East Hararge, Matakasha | |
| Saada Taha | East Hararge, Matakasha | |
| Dahabo Ismael | West Hararge, Chiro | |
| Falmata Dasta | West Arsi, Shashamane | |
| Hamdiya Mohammad | East Hararge, Awaday | |
| Khalifa Kacha | East Hararge, Awaday | |
| Ahmednur Musa | East Hararge, Awaday | |
| Faamii Mahammad | East Hararge, Langey | |
| Kadiiroo Abdullaa | East Hararge, Langey |
Recommendations:
The HRLHA highly urges the Government of Ethiopia to:
- Urgently allow Activist Jawar Mohammed an access to private Medical Doctor and Lawyer; and ensure the safety of all other prisoners from COVID- 19.
- Allow an independent and impartial investigation into human rights violations committed against peaceful protesters in the last two days (August 17 and 18, 2020) in Eastern and Southeastern parts of Oromia in particular and atrocities committed following Artist Hachalu’s murder in general.
- Stop politically motivated detentions and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained officials, members and supporters of opposition political parties languishing in different official and secret detention centers.
- Pull back military to camp especially the Oromia Special Police who have been perpetrating wicked atrocities against political dissenters and innocent civilians
Copied to:
- H.E. Abiy Ahmed Ali (PhD)
Prime Minister, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Tel.: +251 111 226 767
Fax: +251 111 226 292
P.O.Box: 1031 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: info@pmo.gov.et
Lorenzo Te’azaz Road
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Her Excellency W/ro Meaza Ashenafi
President of the Federal Supreme Court, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Tel/ስልክ:-0111553400
Po Box /ፖ.ሳ.ቁ:-6166
Fax/ፋክስ:-0111550278/0111565583
Toll Free/ነጻ ስልክ 992
Email: fscpublicrelation@gmail.com
Sidist Kilo Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Avenue Appia 20 1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Email: hrhinfo@who.int
- His Excellency Daniel Bekele (PhD),
Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission
Tel. (251 11) 550 4135
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: Daniel.bekele@outlook.com
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais Wilson
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Postal address:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais des Nations CH-1211
Geneva 10, Switzerland
- The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District
Western Region P.O. Box 673 Banjul
The Gambia
Tel: (220) 441 05 05, 441 05 06
Fax: (220) 441 05 04
E-mail: au-banjul@africa-union.org, africancommission@yahoo.com
- The Office of Higher Commission for Human Rights
Regional Office
Regional Office
Tel. (251 11) 544 3105
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: ecainfo@uneca.org
