HRLHA’s Press Release
October 14, 2020
The HRLHA Urges PM Abiy’s Government Should Immediately Stop Unlawful Incarceration and Persecution of Political Dissents!
Background
The human rights record of the State of Ethiopia is exceedingly deteriorating from time to time under PM Abiy Ahmed’s administration. The political transition of the country that was much projected initially to bring about lasting peace and democratization is now off track. The tension between the PM Abiy led Prosperity Party (PP) and the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) on the one hand and the dominant oppositions namely the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP) and Baldaras for Democracy on the other hand has already become beyond repair. The HRLHA has been documenting and reporting human rights abuses that have been committed in Ethiopia in general and Oromia region in particular for over the past one year. In order to understand the depth of gross violations of human rights in Ethiopia over the past few years, one may refer to recent press releases of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and succeeding reports of international human rights organizations such as the Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ).
Especially, the human rights situation unfolding in Oromia Regional State since the assassination of the famous Oromo resistance singer Hachalu Hundessa is getting worse. Hundreds of peaceful protesters brutally massacred. The latest incident of this kind is the extrajudicial killings of two peaceful protesters namely Awol Abdurro, an 18 years old boy, a resident of Robe town, Bale Zone, and Mrs. Bontu Jawar, a pregnant woman, resident of East Hararge Zone, Kombolcha district on October 11, 2020. HRLHA has confirmed that a live bullet shot by the Oromia Special Force committed both killings. Thousands of political dissents arbitrarily arrested and languishing in different known and secret prisons for several months without any charge. Police defiance to execute court order has become common. Several suspects have been denied release after executing necessary bail bond ordered by the court. The most recent illustrative cases include the case of Lidetu Ayalew, Abdi Regasa et al, Dawit Abdeta et al etc who have been facing unlawful detention by Oromia Police without charge regardless of bail guaranteed by court.
The most contested postponement of the sixth national election for undefined period has also exacerbated the hitherto weak security situation of the country. It is against this backdrop that some political parties took the position that the incumbent government of Abiy Ahmed is no more legitimate as its five-year term of office has already been lapsed on October 05, 2020. The two vanguard Oromo national opposition parties, OLF and OFC, are respectively urging for the establishment of the ‘Transitional Government’ and ‘National Dialogue’ than rushing to election, which they believe will be neither successful nor resolve deep-rooted socio-economic and political complications of the country.
What happened at the residence of H.E. Dawud Ibsa?
On October 12, 2020, afternoon at about 2.00pm, Mr. Dawud Ibsa started giving a media brief the formation of the ‘National Transitional Government of Oromia’ proposed by OLF. The audiences include supporters and members of the organization as well as invited guests that comprises of elders, community representatives, religious leaders, and qeerroos and qarrees [youth] and journalists reporting the meeting. A few minutes later, government security men arrived and interrupted the meeting. They ordered journalists to leave the residence. Immediately they arrested and took the journalists away. The two journalists of Voice of Oromo Liberation (VOL) arrested were Wako Nole and Ibssa Gaddisa. Four other persons arrested with the journalists were Abba Bilisumma, Bikila Amanu, Dasso Birhanu and Wagayyo Nuguse.
More than dozens of Audiences of the media brief were ordered to remain in house. Hundreds of men-in-uniform soon surrounded the Mr. Dawud’s residence. Entry into and exist out of the compound has been totally banned. Yesterday, October 13, 2020, early in the morning, four elders who spent the night in the house were decided to leave the compound but abducted and taken away soon they left the compound’s gate. These elders are Alamayehu Diro, Diriubi Damuse, Sorsa Dabala and Melese Damboba. The rest audiences and invited guests of the media brief have been trapped in the house without any lawful ground.
Current Situation at Mr. Dawud’s Residence
The HRLHA has confirmed that the local community could not help captives restrained at Mr. Dawud’s house until this morning, Oct. 14, 2020. Nor families of the captives did anything. Government soldiers are there enclosing the compound of the residence. Consequently, the captives were in a dire situation for more than 60 hours. They are in need of urgent humanitarian aid. HRLHA is gravely concerned about the threatening situation of Mr. Dawud Ibsa and persons unlawfully restrained with him. HRLHA believes that such a measure taken by the government is no less than the conduct of a bandit taking some groups or someone hostage in demand of a certain benefit or interest. It entails unlawful deprivation of liberty, which in turn amounts to a violation of the right to liberty and freedom of expression, among others, guaranteed under the FDRE Constitution and international treaties ratified by Ethiopia.
Recommendation
The HRLHA would like to urge strongly the Government of Ethiopia:
- Stop house arrest of Mr. Dawud and release those persons whose liberty was deprived unlawfully at Mr. Dawud’s residence, some of which were now taken to a detention camp located at a specific place called ‘Tor-Hayiloch’ in the South West of Addis Ababa.
- Allow access to humanitarian aid for all persons especially elders who are in a dire situation at Mr. Dawud’s residence due to deprivation of their liberty.
- Remove military force surrounding the residence of Mr. Dawud Ibsa and harassing the local community.
- Hold accountable security members who conducted the arrest of elders and journalists arbitrarily at Mr. Dawud’s house.
- Unconditionally release all political prisoners, activists, and journalists; stop the persecution of political dissents and oppositions, and resort to sustained and all-inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders to bring about lasting peace and democratization of the country.
Copied to-
- 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
- Regional Office of Higher Commission for Human Rights [EARO]
Regional Office
Regional Office
Tel. (251 11) 544 3105
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: ecainfo@uneca.org
- International Committee of the Red Cross
19 Avenue de la paix
1202 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 734 60 01
