Ethiopia: Multiple arrests in major crackdown on government critics

The Ethiopian government is tightening its suffocating grip on freedom of expression in a major crackdown which has seen the arrest of numerous independent, critical and opposition voices over the last two days, said Amnesty International.

Six members of an independent blogger and activist group and a freelance journalist were arrested yesterday 25 April. Another journalist was arrested this morning. Meanwhile 20 members of the political opposition Semayawi (Blue) party have been arrested since Thursday.

"These arrests appear to be yet another alarming round up of opposition or independent voices" said Claire Beston, Ethiopia researcher at Amnesty International.

"This is part of a long trend of arrests and harassment of human rights defenders, activists, journalists and political opponents in Ethiopia."

Six members of the independent blogger and activist group ‘Zone 9’ were arrested on 25 April in Addis Ababa. Group members Befeqadu Hailu, Atnaf Berahane, Mahlet Fantahun, Zelalem Kiberet, Natnael Feleke and Abel Wabela were arrested from their offices or in the street on Friday afternoon. All six were first taken to their homes, which were searched, and then taken to the infamous Federal Police Crime Investigation Sector ‘Maikelawi’, where political prisoners are held in pre-trial, and sometimes arbitrary, detention.

At around the same time on Friday afternoon freelance journalist Tesfalem Waldyes was also arrested. His home was also searched before he was taken to Maikelawi. Another freelance journalist and friend of the Zone 9 group, Edom Kasaye, was arrested on the morning of Saturday 26 April. She was accompanied by police to her home, which was searched, and then taken to Maikelawi.

"The detainees must be immediately released unless they are charged with a recognisable criminal offence" said Claire Beston.

"They must also be given immediate access to their families and lawyers."

The detainees are being held incommunicado. Family members of those arrested reportedly went to Maikelawi on the morning of Saturday 26 April, and were told they could leave food for the detainees, but they were not permitted to see them.

The Zone 9 group had temporarily suspended their activities over the last six months after what they say was a significant increase in surveillance and harassment of their members. On 23 April the group announced via social media that they were returning to their blogging and activism. The arrests came two days later.

It is not known what prompted Waldyes’ arrest, but he is well known as a journalist writing independent commentary on political issues. 

In further arrests, the political opposition party, the Semayawi (Blue) Party, says that during 24 and 25 April more than 20 of its members were arrested. The party was arranging to hold a demonstration on Sunday 27 April. They had provided the requisite notification to Addis Ababa administration, and had reportedly received permission.

The arrested party members, which include the Vice Chairman of the party, are reported to be in detention in a number of police stations around the city, including Kazanchis 6th, Gulele and Yeka police stations.

The Chairman of the party, Yilkil Getnet, was also reportedly arrested, but was released late on Friday night.

Over the last year, the Semayawi party has staged several demonstrations, which have witnessed the arrests and temporary detention of organisers and demonstrators on a number of occasions.

In March, seven female members of the Semayawi Party were arrested during a run to mark International Women’s Day in Addis Ababa, after chanting slogans including “We need freedom! Free political prisoners! We need justice! Freedom! Don’t divide us!” The women were released without charge after ten days in detention. 

“With still a year to go before the general elections, the Ethiopian government is closing any remaining holes in its iron grip on freedom of speech, opinion and thought in the country” said Claire Beston. 

=>amnestyinternational

ETHIOPIA: OPPOSITION LEADERS DENIED MEDICAL TREATMENT

Amnesty International

URGENT ACTION

OPPOSITION LEADERS DENIED MEDICAL TREATMENT

Olbana Lelisa and Bekele Gerba are being denied medical treatment. The two men, political opposition leaders and prisoners of conscience, are reported to be ill in Kaliti prison, Ethiopia. Olbana Lelisa’s friends believe his condition may be life-threatening.

Several months ago Olbana Lelisa and Bekele Gerba were moved from Ziway prison south of Addis Ababa, to Kaliti prison on the outskirts of the capital city, reportedly after a doctor in Ziway referred the two men for hospital treatment. However, since the transfer, the men have been denied access to a hospital. It is not clear what is wrong with the two men as they have not access to a full diagnosis.

Olbana Lelisa and Bekele Gerba were arrested in August 2011, within days of meeting with Amnesty International staff. They were charged with crimes against the state based on alleged support for the proscribed group the Oromo Liberation Front – a charge regularly used to silence members of ethnic Oromo political opposition parties. After a trial marred by irregularities, they were both convicted in November 2012. In a subsequent sentencing hearing Bekele Gerba was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment and Olbana Lelisa was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment. Both sentences were later reduced on appeal to 3 years and 7 months, and 11 years respectively. Amnesty International considers the two men prisoners of conscience, imprisoned because of their legitimate and peaceful political activity, and should be immediately and unconditionally released.

Please write immediately in Amharic, English or your own language:

Urging that Olbana Lelisa and Bekele Gerba are given immediate and unrestricted access to a hospital for diagnosis and treatment, and that they are permitted to remain in hospital until the treatment is concluded;

Expressing concern that Olbana Lelisa and Bekele Gerba, as well as other prisoners, are denied medical treatment during imprisonment;

Expressing concern that the men were arrested and prosecuted for exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression, in belonging to political opposition parties, and urging that they are immediately released.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 6 JUNE 2014 TO:

Minister of Justice
Berhanu Hailu
Ministry of Justice,
PO Box 1370,
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
Fax: +251 11 5517755

Salutation: Dear Minister

Minister of Federal Affairs
D. Shiferaw Teklemariam
Ministry of Federal Affairs
P.O.Box 5718
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: shiferawtmm@yahoo.com

Salutation: Dear Minister
And copies to:

Prime Minister
His Excellency Hailemariam Desalegn
Office of the Prime Minister,
PO Box 1031,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fax: +251 11 552030 (keep trying)

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:

Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the first update of UA 263/11. Further information: http://amnesty.org/en/library/info/AFR25/007/2011/en

URGENT ACTION

OPPOSITION LEADERS DENIED MEDICAL TREATMENT

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Olbana Lelisa was a party official in the Oromo Peoples’ Congress (OPC) party when he was arrested. Bekele Gerba was deputy chairman of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) party and an English teacher at Addis Ababa University. Both men had met with Amnesty International delegates just days before their arrests. The Amnesty International delegation was expelled from the country on the same day that Olbana and Bekele were arrested. During pre-trial interrogation both were questioned about their meetings with Amnesty International.

During their trial, around May 2012, Olbana complained to the court that he has been attacked by a violent fellow prisoner who had been placed in his cell. The court took no action on his complaint.

The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners provide that “Sick prisoners who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals.”

Since the arrests of Bekele and Olbana, the OFDM and OPC parties have merged to form the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC). The OFC reported that another member – Mohamed Negashi, an OPC candidate in Dire Dawa during the 2005 elections, died of unexplained causes in detention in early 2014. His wife was denied access to his corpse for burial.

The OFC further reported that in March 2014 two young OFC activists were shot dead by police in Ginmir town, Oromia region. Seifu Oda, a 33 year old father of two, was reportedly taken from his home and shot in the mouth by police. The following day during protests about the killing, Seifu’s friend Abdi Bilya also an OFC supporter, was also reportedly shot dead.

The Ethiopian government is extremely hostile to dissent. Members of opposition parties and independent journalists are regularly harassed, arrested and prosecuted.

Large numbers of ethnic Oromos are regularly arrested on the accusation of supporting the Oromo Liberation Front. This includes many members and supporters of Oromo political opposition parties, and other people from all walks of life. These arrests are based on an actual or imputed opposition to the government.

In early 2011 – the year that Olbana and Bekele were arrested – hundreds of members of Oromo opposition parties were arrested, apparently as a result of the government’s fear that the Middle East and North Africa style uprisings would spread to Ethiopia. Large numbers of students from universities across the Oromia region were arrested during the same period.

The OFDM and OPC parties told Amnesty International that a number of their members arrested in March and April 2011 subsequently disappeared, leading to concerns that these individuals were being held in arbitrary detention.

Name: Olbana Lelisa, Bekele Gerba

Gender m/f: m

Further information on UA: 263/11 Index: AFR 25/001/2014 Issue Date: 25 April 2014

=>ayyaantuu

BREAKING NEWS – #OromoFDG2014 – PHOTOS – April 26, 2014: Oromo Students Nonviolent Movement at Wallaggaa University Against Eviction of Oromo Farmers from Finfinnee Surrounding and Expansion of Addis Ababa

(April 26, 2014) – Oromo students’ nonviolent protests are underway at Wallaggaa University against the plan (called the Addis Ababa Master Plan) to evict millions of Oromo farmers and dispossess them of their land in Oromian districts surrounding Finfinnee under the pretext of the “urban development of Addis Ababa.”

According to published data, under the current TPLF regime, Addis Ababa has expanded by ~400% since 1991 (from ~13,763.3-ha in 1991 to ~52,706.2-ha in 2014 – see data here); even though the Oromiyaa Region is a federally constituted state, it continues to be annexed by the Habesha government of Addis Ababa.

Political analysts have stated recently that the current Addis Ababa Master Plan will potentially divide the Oromiyaa Region into two by the proposed plan’s annexation of Central Oromiyaa by Addis Ababa, and the subsequent eviction of the Oromo farming communities in Central Oromiyaa under the pretext of “industrial zones.” There are at least 8 industrial zones all over Oromiyaa, such as the Malka Jebdu area under the Dire Dawa Industrial Zone, the Ambo Industrial Zone, the Chinese-owned Bishoftu Eastern Industrial Zone – which is slated to extend all the way to Asella in Arsi Zone of Oromiyaa in the coming few years.

Remix – Jaafar Yusuuf’s Song on Finfinnee Remixed with the April 24 Oromo Peaceful Rally in HaramayaAgainst the “Addis Ababa Master Plan” to Evict Millions of Oromos from Their Land Around Finfinnee, and Against the Unabated Political Imprisonment of Oromos

Shukri Jamal – Abbaan Lafaa Dhabe Lafasaa / Vidiyoo: OroMP3.com

=>gadaa