Human Rights Abuses in Ethiopia PRESS RELEASE - November/December 1997, No. 20 |
| The Oromia Support Group is a
non-political organisation which campaigns for the
international recognition of the extent of human rights
abuses and lack of freedom in Ethiopia. OSG calls upon
western governments, businesses and institutions to
withdraw support from the Ethiopian government until it
abides by its constitution which guarantees human rights
and self-determination for all peoples of Ethiopia. OSG has now reported 2,316 extra-judicial killings and 606 disappearances of civilians suspected of supporting groups opposing the government. Most of these have been Oromo people. Scores of thousands of civilians have been imprisoned. Torture and rape of prisoners is commonplace, especially in secret detention centres, whose existence is denied by the government. |
| Wave of oppression
in W. Showa Following small scale military activity by the OLF around Jeldu (Gojo) in W.Showa, in July, there was a security clampdown. The market was shut and all movement of people prohibited. Oromo farmers and businessmen from Jeldu and Ambo (80km to the south) faced detention, torture and disappearance. For example, Mrs Elfnesh Huluqaa and Mrs Mulu Negash, both Ambo restaurant owners in their mid-forties, 55 year old Mrs Gadisse Minta, mother of five, Ashebir Honcho, Sime Qumbii, aged 55, and Capt. Diribssa Mossissa, in his sixties, both farmers from Wedessa, near Ambo, and Kebede Bulbula, farmer from Goromti, near Ambo, were detained and tortured. Ashebir Honcho, a teacher, has a paralysed right hand because of torture. Haile Mariam Deressa, Dejene Deressa, farmers in Megno Rogee Kebele, Enchini, 65 km northwest of Addis Ababa, and all of the adults living in their houses were taken on September 17th. They have disappeared. Their children and livestock were left without supervision. The crackdown then spread to Addis Ababa. Agessa Lemmessa, 40 year old Akaki Oil factory employee, was taken with his wife, Sagitu Dirbaba, and her sister, Misganee Dirbaba, from his house, No. 643, Woreda 19, Kebele 27, by Tigrean men in a British-donated Land Rover on 27th September. Four children were left without adult supervision. Dinka Bekele, teacher at Yehibrat Chibbo primary school, and Mulugeta Kussa, an employee of Showa Bakery, who both lived at the same house, were also taken from their work places. The house was searched and nothing found. The five adults remain held without warrant or court appearance in Maikelawi Special Investigation Centre in Addis Ababa. Family visits are not allowed. Street killings by police in Addis Ababa Addis Ababa Police Commission announced on 9th October that at 8.00 pm the previous day "during a shoot-out between the police and illegal armed men . . . , three of the armed men were killed and two apprehended while one policeman was wounded". The men were killed "because they refused to give themselves up". Eye-witness reports to URJII newspaper and the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) state that the three men, Terefe Qumbii, 43 yr old father of four and director of properties and services at the Oromia High Court, and his relatives, Capt. Gudissa Annisa and Tesfaye Kumsissa, a 20 yr old street vendor, were abducted by police after leaving a local grocery/bar and shot in cold blood. None were armed. Armed security men were reported in the area prior to the killings. Capt. Gudissa Annisa was shot at 8.15pm, close to the Yoseph restaurant, near the Vatican bridge. At the same time, two plain clothed security men restrained Tesfaye Kumsissa across the road, opposite Anwar grocery. Despite his pleas of innocence, he was shot with a volley of bullets to the chest, while under restraint. The body of Capt. Gudissa was dragged to that of Tesfaye, where it was photographed by uniformed police later. Terefe Qumbii had reached the gate of his house when he was abducted at 8.15 pm. His mother-in-law was told by two plain clothed security men, who dragged him into their vehicle, to get back inside the house. His body was found with a single shot to the forehead, a few hundred metres from the 2nd Police Station. In the same operation, Haile-Mariam Chala, a carpenter in his fifties, and one other person were taken immediately on leaving the grocery/bar and have disappeared. Government radio and television announced that Tesfaye Kumsissa, a youngster with no military training, had masterminded the July military operation by the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in Jeldu, W.Showa, and had been helped by the other two who were murdered. He was supposed to be in charge of Capt. Gudissa, a man with extensive military experience. Inquiries at the Police Hospital found no evidence of treatment given to the policeman who was said by the media to have been wounded. Crackdown on Press and Oromo organisations URJII, an independent newspaper written by Oromo, reported some of the above. Their political correspondent, Moti Biyya, also known as Gemechu Melka, has been in detention since September 22nd. On October 16th, the Acting Editor-in-Chief, Solomon Namarra, and his assistant, Tesfaye Dheressa, were taken from the URJII office. They were initially held incommunicado, but are now known to be in Maikelawi. Garoma Bekele, until 8 months ago General Manager of URJII and now General Secretary of the Human Rights League, was taken from his office at 11.00 am on 27th October. On 5th November, the Ethiopian Federal Police Bureau announced the capture of three persons whom they claim were responsible for explosions in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa earlier this year. The police alleged that Rashid Hussein, Gaddisa Abara and Ashenafi Birru were OLF members. Their names are not known to OLF officials and the OLF strongly denies any involvement with the explosions. The three are still being held incommunicado in Maikelawi Special Investigation Centre (Central Investigation Bureau) in Addis Ababa. Up to 100 Oromo in Addis Ababa were detained between 4th and 16th November on the pretext that they were supporting the three alleged bombers. Among the detained persons were board members of the Matcha / Tulama Association, a 34 yr old officially recognised Oromo welfare organisation, and the Human Rights League, a recently established legal non-governmental organisation committed to human rights education. Most of the detainees were taken between 4th and 6th November and were held incommunicado at Maikelawi until a judge ordered access to family, lawyers and medical care on 24th November. Among them are a disabled amputee, several elderly men requiring regular medical care, and at least three women. The elders were engaged in reviving and strengthening traditional Oromo conflict resolution practices, and had neither the inclination nor the ability to engage in or support terrorist activities. Hussein Abdi, a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, is being held in unofficial cells in Menelik Palace, notorious for torture and disappearance. Torture is also commonly reported by recent detainees at Maikelawi, where most of the prisoners are being held. Beyene Belissa, about 50 and father of five, was detained on 5th November. He is a disabled amputee. When government forces abducted him, they terrorised his wife and children and destroyed his spare artificial leg, reportedly in anger at not finding weapons or incriminating documents in his house. Until the court ruling on 24th November, he was denied the use of his operational limb or walking stick and was unable to take care of his bodily needs. Beyene Belissa was a government employee during the Dergue administration. Since recovering from the accident which crippled him in 1991, he has worked for the Ethiopian Telecommunications Agency. He is married to a Tigrean lady and has never had any contact with the OLF. Beyene Abdi is a 72 yr old Oromo elder on the eleven-man Oromo Elders Committee. He is a board member of the Human Rights League and the Matcha / Tulama Association. He is also Board Chairman of URJII, a pro-Oromo, independent newspaper in Addis Ababa. He was a teacher and then parliamentarian under Haile Selassie, before studying law and becoming a Judge in the High and, later, Supreme Court for the last 5-6 years of the military dictatorship. In an interview with the predecessor of the German Ambassador in Addis, he said that he represented no organisation except the Oromo Elders Committee. Although a prominent Oromo nationalist, he has not engaged in OLF activity since the OLF were part of the TGE, from 1991-1992. Beyene Abdi was taken from his home on 5th November. Five family members were held in his house, "terrorised and forbidden to talk" for 48 hrs after his abduction. His daughter was denied access during this period. Addisu Beyene was Executive Director of the Oromo Relief Association, until its illegal closure by the government in 1995, and remains a board member of the Human Rights League. He was detained on 13th November. He had spent 4-5 yrs in prison during the Dergue regime. He was imprisoned then for his membership of MEISON, the All Ethiopian Socialist Movement, and has never belonged to the OLF. Indeed, he was elected to be Executive Director of ORA not only because of his previous experience with CIDA, the Canadian International Development Agency, but partly because of his lack of connection with the OLF. (ORA was careful to distance itself from the OLF, after it was declared illegal, because it knew any association would bring about closure of ORA.) Addisu Beyene was the victim of a suspected assassination attempt by poisoning in March 1996 (See OSG Press Release, June/July 1996). Tilahun Hirpassa, a board member of the Human Rights League and the Matcha / Tulama Association and former ORA official, was in the first wave of November detentions. He is in poor health following his being previously detained and tortured by EPRDF government soldiers from 1992-1993. He was recovering from chest surgery when abducted. The following members of the Matcha / Tulama Association are also known to be detained: Haji Sahlu Kebte (also board member of Human Rights
League) The above information was obtained from informants in Addis Ababa, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch/Africa, Ethiopian Human Rights Council and close relatives or close associates of the victims, living in the USA. Sources of Information for following accounts 1. Clandestine Human Rights Group A, Addis Ababa, November 1997. 2. Interview with daughter of victim, seeking asylum in USA, 16.11.97 3. Interview with acquaintance of victims, living in exile in Kenya,16.11.97 4. Clandestine Human Rights Group B, Addis Ababa, 8.10.97 and 27.11.97 5. Ethiopian Human Rights Council, Special Report 19, Addis Ababa, 1.12.97 6. Correspondence from brother of victim, living in Canada, 10.11.97 7. URJII newspaper, Addis Ababa, 19.8.97 8. URJII newspaper, Addis Ababa, 23.9.97 9. URJII newspaper, Addis Ababa, 9.9.97 10. Correspondence from relative of victim, living in USA, 1.11.97 11. Interview with close associate of victims, living in exile in USA, June 1997. 12. Letter from son of victim, living in exile in the Netherlands, 10.11.97 13. Interview with victim, living in exile in Sudan, 5.11.97 14. Letter from close associate of victim, living in exile in Djibouti, 24.11.97 15. Letter from acquaintance of victims, living in exile in Kenya, 26.10.97 16. Interview with victim, living in exile in Sudan, 6.11.97 18. Interview with victim, seeking asylum in USA, 8.11.97 19. Correspondence from victim, living in exile in Kenya, 29.10.97 Translations of URJII newspaper by Montreal Oromo Community ADDIS ABABA AND CENTRAL OROMIA REGION Killings Girma Bakele was taken on 17.7.97 from his home in Werqe Seka village, Dandi subdistrict, W.Showa. He was taken to the Special Investigation Centre in Maikelawi, Addis Ababa. His dead body was found in Werqe Seka on 20.7.97. (1) Wayecha Demisse Lemecha was reported killed in Buraayu village, west of Addis Ababa on 26.6.97. his body was found on the main road in Buraayu. (1) Disappearances Mohamed Fayissa, a leather trader in his fifties, House No. 528, Kebele 25, Woreda 03, Addis Ababa, became an OLF member in 1988, when his father's property and business were taken by the Dergue. When the OLF were a legal part of the TGE, he collected funds and helped in organising events. In May 1992 he was taken by government forces and held for a few days, reportedly at the Kebele 25 office. His family were then told he had escaped. He has not been seen since. His wife, Sanya Mareyu, was repeatedly detained, while security forces waited for her husband's return from working in Wallega province. She spent 3 months at the Kebele prison from January 1992 and was detained overnight, threatened and interrogated 15-20 times in all before she fled Addis Ababa in 1993. (2) Yohannes Magarssa, 34, a health worker with the Oromo Relief Association in the past, was abducted in mid-1992 from Wolde-Giorgis bridge in Addis Ababa. His whereabouts remain unknown. (3) Marge Dhufera, is reported to have disappeared in Addis Ababa on 7.8.97. (1) Warku Legesse disappeared in Addis Ababa after being seen to be chased by police on 4.10.97. (1) Zerihun Kinati Deressa, 37 yr old contract worker, of Woreda 10, Kebele 03, Addis Ababa, was abducted by armed plain clothed men and uniformed police in front of a small bar in Woreda 10, Kebele 02, on 17.10.97, about 6.15 pm. His whereabouts are unknown since he was driven off in a car with a private number plate. (1) Mulatu Qene'a Berkessa, of House No. 871, Kebele 35, Woreda 8, Addis Ababa, father of three and ex-employee of Ethiopian Airlines is reported disappeared since 6.11.97, when he failed to return home after accompanying his children to school. (1,4,5) Tadele Biru Tolessa, a 19 yr old from Woreda 4, Kebele 38, Addis Ababa, was taken by plain clothed security men when walking to church on 4.11.97. (1,4) Capt. Bekele Regassa, Woreda 23, Kebele 13, Addis Ababa, disappeared on his way to work on 11.11.97. (1,4) Aboubaker Hamza, 33 yr old trader from Dire Dawa, was "disappeared" for twelve months from July 1996. After his release, he lived in Addis Ababa, where he received treatment for wounds inflicted under torture. He has again been detained from September, but his location is unknown. (6) Imprisonment, Torture, etc. Mr Gutu Tujuba is a farmer in Dandi Kebele, W.Showa. On the 15th of April 1997, a government militiaman took him from his home to the Kebele office. After protesting that he should not be paying land tax, he was assaulted with a cane by Mr Birhanu Bono, one of the officials. After running home, he was dragged from his house and beaten severely by nine militiamen and shot in the leg. His assailants left him for dead. After he recovered, he sought legal redress but was warned by the local authorities to keep quiet. Officials threatened him by saying "if we had finished you then, you would not have caused all this trouble by going up and down to the various levels of authority, You had better keep quiet". Afraid for his life, Mr Gutu has left his house and is staying with relatives. (7) The following farmers from Tafki village, 30km southwest of Addis Ababa, were detained on June 2nd for refusing to join the government party, the EPRDF. They are being held in Sabeta Police Station: Dadhi Wordofa, Teshome Dadhi, Mara Gada, Dimecha Benya, Bichassa Biralu, Disasa Moroda, Dinkecha Terefa, Neja Ahmed, Sizahanyi Regassa, Girma Lema, Fikadu Gabire, Abayinesh Bakele, Tatek Tesfaye, Yidine Kachew. (1) Also being held at Sabeta Police Station on suspicion of supporting the OLF are: From Bonde village - Damera Bakele, Desasa Ido, Dirike Ido, Bizu Kelecho, From Kebero Finchala village - Mr Alemu, Mr Hailu From Geja Misira village - Desalegn Legese, Mr Dareje From Konkotoma - Legese Hordofa, Teshome Legesse and Mengistu Itibusa, from Kelecha Gada village, Mr Leta, from Jini Jima, Eshetu Asefa, from Kehiro Boro, Angassa Magarsa, from Dabali Andode. (1) Ashabir Oncho, from Ambo, W.Showa, was reported in November to have been detained after his release on bail. He now has paralysis of his arms following the arm-tying torture. (1,4) It was reported on 23.9.97 that the following were detained in Jeldu, W.Showa, while visiting relatives: Gizaw Benti, his wife Bulo Yiman, Teka Benti, Leta Degefa, his wife Desta Benti, Teressa Ifa, his wife Mulu, Bedhassa Setegn and Buzuneh Bonssa. (8) Alemayehu Ketemma, a building contractor with Tigrean competition (SATCON) over construction in Gambella zone, living in Ambo, W.Showa, was detained on 29.9.97. (4) Banti Kenno, head of a family of 5 and a teacher at Umar Samatar secondary school in Addis Ababa was detained at 1st Police Station after being taken from his home in Woreda 12, Kebele 07. Reported November 1997. (1) Lammessa Garoma Rare, an Oromo language teacher at the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus Joint Language School in Makanisa, Addis Ababa, from Kebele 11, Woreda 8, in the capital, was invited to a meal with Asefa Beyene, a government security man from Dembi Dollo, Wallega, on 14.9.97. He was told by Asefa Beyene to look outside the restaurant for a third person. When he went outside, he was met by armed security men and taken away. His whereabouts were unknown until he appeared in court on two weeks later. (5,8) Tekle Qinati and his relative, Getachew Lema/Beqele, were taken from Tekle's house in Woreda 7, Kebele 17, Addis Ababa, on 27.9.97 and their whereabouts were unknown until they appeared in the Federal First Instance Court on 24.11.97. (1,5) EASTERN OROMIA REGION Killings The following from Delo and Mana Woreda, Bale, were reported on 19.8.97 to have died following torture: Ibrahim Mohammed Kemal Omar (7) Ms Shuru Ahmed, 60 yr old mother of 8 and a retail trader in Robe, Bale, was shot dead in her home at 9.00pm on 28.8.97 by government forces.The government claim that the killing was a mistake, despite forces surrounding her residence. It was also reported that the government claimed to have found an OLF flag in the house.Three of the children, Mamush, Jemal Fuad and Anuwar Ahmed have not been traced since the death of their mother. The remaining children are left destitue and are forced into dispersion. Her husband, 70 yr old Kedir Geso, died following torture in Agarfa camp in 1992-3. (1,9) Ahmed Abdurahman Suguya, father of nine, was taken from his home, in Chalanko, E.Hararge, in the middle of the night by Tigrean soldiers, in 1994. He was detained at Qumutu village detention centre and tortured, receiving damage to his kidneys. After a prolonged illness, he died at the end of October 1997. (10) Secret Underground Prison in Harar holds "Disappeared" About 30 Oromo traders and professionals are being held in a secret underground centre in Qalad Dhamba Military Camp in W.Harar, Hararge. Several of those detained have disappeared, but their names are not known. The following have disappeared but are believed to be held in Qalad Dhamba: Ali Ahmed, 25, Kebele Higher 20, Woreda 4, Dire Dawa, E.Hararge, held since November/December 1996 Abdulqadir Umar, 30, 2nd year engineering student at Addis Ababa university, originally from Galamso, W.Hararge, was abducted from a bus checkpoint in Adama, while on his way home from Addis, in October 1996 Aliyi, (father's name unknown), 45, father of 6, merchant, was taken by plain clothed security men from the Taiwan market in Dire Dawa, one day in mid-1996. He was from Kebele H20, Woreda 4, Dire Dawa. Ahmed, (father's name unknown), also from Kebele H20, Woreda 4, Dire Dawa, a father of 5, in his forties, was taken at night by military men who surrounded his house, in mid-1996. Abdulrazak Ahmed, from the same Kebele in Dire Dawa, driver and father of 7, in his late thirties, was arrested at his house, together with a guest, in April 1997. He had been held without charge for 5 days in 1995. His wife has been unable to locate him, but he is rumoured to be in Qalad Dhamba. Adadir Sheik Abdulwahab and Nasir, (father's name unknown) are also "disappeared" and believed to be held in Qalad Dhamba. (11) Imprisonment, torture, etc The following victims of detention and torture are from Bale zone, Delo and Mana Woreda. They were reported on 19.8.97 to be detained for supporting the OLF: Guta Berak- wounded Hassen Gela- emasculated from torture Ms Kedo Haji Hussen - 8 months pregnant. Abdulhakim Kedir - tortured Ahmed Haji Kedir, 15, Awel Kedir - tortured Mamu Haji Kedir, 13, Abduro Ibrahim- hands paralysed due to torture Hassen Ibrahim- emasculated from torture Abduro Haji Tahir- hands paralysed due to torture Bedru Mohammed - tortured Hassen Nasir Tahir Shufa - tortured Amin Abdul-Wahab, 13, (7) Abdella Ahmed Teso, 57, of House No.796, Keftenya 4, Kebele 21, Dire Dawa, was a long term employee of the Municipal Council in Dire Dawa. He was arrested on 3rd July 1997 from his home in front of his family by uniformed government soldiers. Three days after he was arrested, the family discovered that he had been detained in a prison in Grawa, which is 100km from Dire Dawa. Three days after his arrest, a person saw him in the prison and informed the family. The reason for his detention was suspicion by the government that he supported the OLF. On the same day as his arrest, a further 20 prominent Oromos were also arrested and detained. He was detained illegally in Dire Dawa from 19.2.97 to 26.6.97, but was at liberty for only one week before being taken again. (12) Shabe Sheko, famous Oromo female vocalist, was detained in Goba, Bale last year and was visited there by the US Ambassador, H.E. David Shinn. The Supreme Court of Oromia granted her bail of 3000 Birr in July. She was released briefly before being re-arrested and taken to the 2nd Police Station. (1,9) WESTERN OROMIA REGION Killings Mr Tafa, 29, merchant, was arrested and taken to Awura military camp in Mendi in September 1996. He was tortured for 5 days and then shot. His body was discovered by people from the area. (13) Disappearances Hamba Imana, 32, ex-clinic administrator with the Oromo Relief Association in Begi, was abducted in April 1994, while travelling by bus to Wallega from Addis Ababa. He was picked up in Bakko between Ambo and Nekempte, 250km west of Addis Ababa. Soon after his abduction, he was traced to the Army Headquarters in Jimma, but later the trace was lost. His whereabouts remain unknown. (3) Amanu Joba Torben, a high school teacher from July 1987 until September 1990, was accused of supporting the OLF. He was arrested around Jimma and tortured while in prison, from where he managed to escape. In September 1993, he appeared in Gimbi, Wallega, trying to make business in order to support his wife and three children. After two weeks, he was caught by government security forces and taken away. His whereabouts are unknown. However, his wife is constantly being called to the police station and asked where Amanu has gone. (14) The following disappearances are reported from Kebele 01, Mendi, Wallega, in September 1996: Barnabass Adam, 20, Student Tamene Disissa, 45, Merchant Ms Ayantu Ebissa, 26, Student Aberra Gurmessa, 30, Merchant Memaboru Kanno, 33, Merchant Ms Masserat Kebede, 25, Student Gamachisse Likassa, 34, Teacher Teferi Mossisa, 42, Priest Addamu Nyarru, 55, Priest Gamachisse Oligirra, 35, Merchant Ms Martha Tadessa, 27, Bar Lady Teferi Wadajo, 32, Merchant Tesfaye Waltaji, 35, Tailor Teferi Ygazu, 35, Merchant (13) Imprisonment, torture etc. The following 28 people have been held without charge or warrant in Metu Police Station, Illubabor, for 3-5 years. From Gori village, Asosa: Adam Gurmessa, Milko Galat, Girma Yamane, Habtamu Qanaa, Dagim Magarsa, From Chora: Kadir Galmessa From Dariimu: Warfine Asfaw, Merzamil Kalifa, Mabirate Kabada, Abdu Salam, Hamal Abdul Zama, Hamza Kedir, Girma Birhanu, Mohamed Gudata, Hasan Qanoo, Araga Yadata From Badale: Mitiku Gudata, Indashaw Seekoo, Asrat Korsa, Abara Taye, Fikadu Gamta, Teferi Gudata, Temesgen Degefa, Asefa Supha, Mitiku Mamo, Bediche Yadata, Taye Bagalee, Teshome Ragassa (1) Sharif Ahmed was a political cadre for the OLF during the Dergue and the Transitional period. He was detained in Didhessa concentration camp in 1992 and was released in 1993. He was again captured in Chanqa in 1995 and taken to Kebele 03 office in Dembi Dollo. There he was badly tortured, resulting in parts of his body being paralysed. (15) Zakaris Tariku Taye, a 31yr old merchant from Mendi was imprisoned and tortured for 3 months in prisons in Mendi and Gimbi. He was first detained in Mendi, Birgede military centre by EPRDF solidiers on the 9.9.96, accused of being an OLF supporter. Throughout his 3 month detention, he was kept in isolation. On the same day as his arrest, his father, Tariko Taye, 52, was taken from his home at 10.30 pm and held for 15 days. On the 2nd and 4th days of detention, "I was placed upside down with my hands and feet tied together. 5 TPLF solidiers beat me all over my body with sticks, guns; placed a pistol in my mouth, kicked my head and testicles and after about one hour, I lost consciousness . . . on the 12th of September at 12midnight, they came again and kicked me in the testicles at which point I collapsed. For a month I was dizzy and suffered from pain when passing water". In November, he was transfered toYihadik military station, Kebele 02, Gimbi, where he was beaten by TPLF soldiers with guns and questioned 3 times a day for 22 consecutive days. He escaped from Yihadik in late December 1996. (13) Yasin Abdissa, 28, was a farmer in Kober, Begi, Wallega. He was a strong supporter of the OLF during the charter period, where he provide money, food and collected money from the people for the OLF. During June 1991, the EPRDF and the OLF began fighting, causing he, his family and other people to leave the area and hide in the forest.There they stayed for two days when they were discovered by the EPRDF. They were all imprisoned on 23.6.91, in Tarko military camp in Begi, but Yasin had become separated from his family. He was questioned for 24 hours by 3 TPLF soldiers about the OLF and was intimidated, beaten with sticks and kicked. During this time they said, "Tell us that you are a member of the OLF" and accused him of only speaking Tigrigna and Amharic, but not Oromo. Yasin says "They were trying to prove and say that I was not an Oromo". On 25.6.91, he was transfered to Didhessa concentration camp where he remained for 7 months. After his release, he returned to Begi in February 1992, staying in the area for two years, changing living places regularly and hiding mainly in the forest Whilst hiding, he was fed by agricultural nomads and families from the lowlands areas. However, in March 1994, he was caught by an EPRDF patrol in Jimbila, near Begi and arrested. Again he was imprisoned in Begi military camp and questioned about the OLF. He remained in prison for 5 days and was questioned every night for 4 hours and for 2 hours during the afternooons. Although he shared a cell with 7 people, no-one was permitted to talk. He says "Such actions resulted in you being tortured or killed, we were all scared". After his release, he returned to Kober in Begi, where he was warned by the EPRDF not to move from the town. He stayed with his family for a year and planned his escape to Sudan. In March 1995 he escaped from the town and moved with a friend towards the Gibba river in Begi zone, where he was caught by EPRDF patrols. He was questioned and accused of being an OLF supporter, then put under a tree to wait until the soldiers had finished eating. He says "As I watched them eating, I tried to quietly sneak away, but I was seen and immediately shot in the right leg. I lay still and they left thinking that they had killed me". I was found by a farmer who took me into his home and looked after me for 3 months. In June he went to Ya'iah, a large mosque, in Begi province and stayed there until January 1997. He then made his way with merchants to Sudan via Yabus. The bullet was removed from his leg in Khartoum. He is left with a marked limp. (16) Tesfaye Ayana, 33 yr old father of four, ex-soldier and farmer of Boji Dermaji district, Gimbi, Wallega, was detained on about 1.4.97 in Gimbi prison. Mail containing money from abroad had been intercepted and Tesfaye was interrogated and told the money was for OLF support. He was told that he will not be released unless he gives information about the OLF. He knows nothing of OLF activity. He is not allowed visitors. People are "scared of being taken themselves". (17) Musa Mohamed, a Nigerian passport holder, has been held in Nekemte police station since 30.6.97, on suspicion of being a Sudanese agent. (1) More than one thousand detainees are reported to be held in Agaro Police Station in Jimma region. Detainees since 10.9.97 include: Teko Abasaro, Seyifu Aba Kanno, Kedir Aba Buligu, Amin Aba Dula, Abdela Aba Ware, Abdu Aba Ware, Mifitahi Aba Mechaa, Nebiso Aba Fiita, Tejani Abaclii, Simman Aba Machaa. (1) SOUTHERN OROMIA REGION Imprisonment, torture A 37 yr old father of eight gave the following verbatim account of his detention and torture. He is from Asella, Arsi, and was a government employee until sacked without reason in August 1995. He wished to remain anonymous, in order to protect his family. "Three weeks after I was sacked, I was sitting with my children when uniformed armed soldiers knocked at my door, at about 9.30pm. [26.8.95] Three came in and two stayed outside. They tied my hands behind my back and threw me to the floor. They beat me with rifle butts and kicked me, asking 'Where are the OLF documents you have? We know you've been supporting the OLF. Where is your gun? Who are the OLF members in this town?' They took me to Asella police station where I was held in a cell with at least 20 others. At midnight, they took me to an office. They asked me the same questions but I had no information. 'You will tell', they said. I was taken to another room where they tied my arms tightly behind my back and beat me with rifle butts and leather belts for about an hour. This happened every night for four nights. 'Is it better to die or tell your secrets and go home', they said. Then I was sent to Bilate concentration camp with four others. After 4-5 days I was put in a narrow dark room on my own for nine months. For about six months I was beaten every few days. I was often not allowed to go out to the toilet or given a bucket to use. I became sick with stomach pains and vomiting blood. I couldn't even eat the small bread I was given every day. Following a visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross I was taken to Awassa and told to go home. I was never charged or appeared in court. I was not given any papers." Shortly after his release, he was warned by a friend, a government employee, that he was on a "wanted" list. He therefore fled the country and now seeks asylum in the USA. His legs bore many scars. "They get angry if you don't know the answers", he said. (18) Testimony of torture The following statement was given by interview in the USA on 18.8.97. The interviewee, a young lady in her twenties, wished to remain anonymous. "My problems with the EPRDF began in August 1992. I was repeatedly detained and mistreated by the government forces because of my political activity and on suspicion that I was an accomplice to my father's cause. My father was active in the Oromo Liberation Front . . . At the end of July 1992, I was arrested at work by 3 EPRDF solidiers and taken to the 3rd Police Station, where I was asked whether I was a member of the OLF and whether my father was holding meetings in his house. I was also asked the names of friends. During the interrogation, I was accused of being an OLF member. When I said that was not so, they said that I was lying. The beating lasted three hours. I was left unconscious lying on the floor with a bleeding nose. I regained consciousnesst the next morning. It was very cold and I shouted for help. A policeman took me to a police clinic in the compound where the bleeding from my nose was stopped. I was kept at the police station for 4 weeks and questioned every few days for 1-3 hrs by Colonel Getachew and his collegues. Every time I was questioned by one or two people, I was beaten and they threatened to shoot me. Sometimes they put a pistol to my head, other times the pistol was laid on the table in front of me. They said 'If we want to, we could kill you'. On the fourth week, I was released with stern warnings not to involve myself in any more politics. I was told to report to Kebele . . . office every week and had to tell them my movements and sign documents . . . I was repeatedly summoned to the kebele office and asked about my day to day activities and if I was in contact with the OLF. Every time I was warned that I would be re-arrested and that I would not be able to walk from prison alive. On 29.1.93, I and my mother were arrested in the evening by plain-clothed EPRDF security agents. They knocked at the door and on opening the door, they immediately grabbed us and chained our hands together. We were taken to the second police station, at the end of Churchill road, where I was taken into a separate room. I was asked about a trip that I had made a few weeks previously to Asella in Arsi . . .I was slapped, punched and kicked by the boots of the officers. I remained in detention for 5 weeks, during which time I was interrogated for 1-2 hours every few days and beaten every time. Again they threatened to kill me . . . On my release, I had to report to Kebele . . . office as before. On May 20th 1994, I was taken from work by TPLF soldiers to Maikelawi.. Again I was interrogated about my involvement with the OLF. Tesfaye Afferesew, the local official, came and accused me of inciting people in my area and work place against the EPRDF. He was the man in charge and had full authority to do as he liked. One night he came to my cell and tried to rape me. He hit me with an iron bar and wounded my face. I said 'You had better kill me'. He struggled with me for 20 minutes before leaving. I was later treated in the Black Lion hospital and had my right upper eyelid repaired by surgery. I was interrogated every 5-6 days by this man and 3 of his Tigrean colleagues. One time the questioning took 10 hours. However, normally it lasted 1-3 hours and I was beaten every time and whipped with electric cable. The interrogations and torture took place in a large underground room. They used to plunge my head into bad smelling water, (which was in a hole in the floor), and hold me there until I nearly drowned. Most of the time I was vomiting from the bad smell. I was realeased after 3 months, but re-arrested on my way home from work, near to the Ambassador theatre, in February 1995. I was arrested by uniformed Tigreans in an American Jeep and taken to Maikelawi where I remained for one week. I was again interrogated, but this time about my colleagues at work. I was thrown to the ground and hurt my back. I also had blood in my urine. I was questioned only once for about 3 hours and remained in detention for 6-7 days. I was then admitted to Zewdaitu hospital for 3 weeks. In mid-March 1996, I was arrested from home and taken to Maikelawi where I remained for two weeks. I was interropgated every day for 1-3 hours in the underground room. I thought that I was going to be killed. I was threatened with a pistol, immersed in the water, whipped with the cable and beaten naked by the same people as before. I was questioned and warned not to talk about the death of a colleague. In between my arrests, I had to report to Kebele . . . every week. I was also telephoned every 1-2 weeks at work and questioned. I eventually secured an American visa for 10,000 birr and left the country." PRESS The detention of three URJII journalists and Garoma Bekele, who was General Manager of URJII until 8 months ago, was reported in the first section of this Press Release. Three journalists from Ethiop newspaper have also been detained since 16.9.97. Their names are Sisay Agena, publisher, Theodros Kassa, editor, and Tesfa Tesebe, associate editor. Editors Tamirat Sarbessa and Earedew Demissee, and associate editor Admassu Tesfaye, of Wonchef newspaper were detained on 16 and 28.10.97. Getachew Teffera, associate editor of Agere newspaper was also taken on 28.10.97. Reporters for Keyte newspaper, Nega Tariku and Wondwasson Melese, and for Tame Fekir newspaper, Andualem Mohamed, have been in detention since 3.9.97. Newspaper vendor and distributor, Fekadu Mateme was arrested on 27.10.97. Tolera Tessema, Mada Walabu magazine, has been held in Addis central prison since May. Also being held there are Abay Hailu, Walefer newspaper, abducted in February, Sisay Negussie, Agare newspaper, held since March, and Samson Seyoum, Tekuami newspaper, who has been in the central prison for two years. No less than 14 journalists are released on bail. (1,7) VILLAGISATION PROGRAM A clandestine group of human rights activists from Ethiopia, based elsewhere in the Horn of Africa have written to OSG (17.8.97) with the following information. A current policy of grouping people in artificial villages, similar to the Dergue policy of villagisation, is resulting in immense hardship. 1. Settlements are established where there is no water or firewood. 2. There is a shortage of pasture areas for livestock to graze and people are not permitted to take their animals further afield. As a result large cattle populations are concentrating in small areas that creates soil erosion from overgrazing. 3. Families are suffering from severe overcrowding and lack of shelter as they were not allowed time to build their homes. 4. Crops are either burned in the fields or whilst in store, effectively forcing people to move to the re-settled areas. 5. Villages and settled areas are guarded by armed TPLF/EPRDF militia, who intimidate, harass, imprison and kill people. These are common occurrences. KENYA Zabida Soukar Haji Ali, 30, mother of 4, lived as a refugee in Djibouti until the change of government in Ethiopia in 1991. Her husband was a retailer and shopowner in Dire Dawa. She writes from exile in Kenya. "We became involved in supporting the OLF morally and by fund-raising . . . I helped by organising an Oromo Women's Association. However, the situation did not last and I was forced to flee my country to Kenya in 1993 because of EPRDF persecution. After the OLF withdrew from the transitional government in July 1992, the EPRDF abducted my husband, Mr Johar Umer Abdullah, at 9.30 pm on 3rd July 1993. They came to the house, broke down the door and arrested my husband. However, before they arrested him, he was in the toilet and could hear what was being said. He jumped through the window, climbed over the fence and ran away. The militia searched the house and on failing to find him, left but returned at midnight. Again my husband was not at home. The following day they returned at a time when my husband was in the house. He was immediately arrested and taken away. That was the last I saw of him. His whereabouts remain unknown today. On 17th July, the EPRDF militia came to my house and asked the whereabouts of my husband, following his escape from prison. I was interrogated, but could give no information. Unfortunately, they did not believe me and consequently, I was arrested and taken to an un-authorized detention centre. Before reaching the centre, the militia brutally beat me with sticks, gun butts and fists. They twisted my arm behind my back, tying it with a rope. They then threw me on the ground, causing injuries to my face and the loss of my teeth. I was then put in a dark cell and further tortured. The next day, I was handed over and was accused of being a prime member of the OLF, moreover, one of their agents on a secret mission. They asked me the relation I had with the OLF and whether I was supporting them. I informed them that I had no relations with the OLF and that I did not know the whereabouts of my husband.They insisted that if I carried on refusing to tell them, then I would be punished. After the interrogation, I was kept in a dark cell where I was intimidated and badly treated. I was raped by army personnel which caused a womb infection from repeated rapes. They threatened to kill me at gun point. I was eventually released on 1st September 1993. On 5th September, whilst attending a funeral gathering at my cousin's house, EPRDF militia came looking for me at my house. They returned many times to find me, but could not. As revenge, they started beating my family. My son, Sadiq, who was hiding behind a door, tried to run away, however, he was shot in the leg. He made his way to a nearby house and asked for me. I then learnt that my eldest son had been shot and that my sisters children, Safiya and Ahmed Yasin had been killed and my property looted. After my son had received medical treatment, I had no alternative but to flee the country and seek safety in Kenya, as I could not continue to live in fear. I arrived in Kenya on 17th September 1993. Today I remain a refugee in Kenya. (19) Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers report on Ethiopia - "Attacks on Justice" The Geneva-based organisation, the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, which is a part of the International Commission of Jurists, included a ten page report on Ethiopia in their report Attacks on Justice. The report covers January 1996 to February 1997, and was released in August. The following extracts are taken directly from the report. In "1991, the EPRDF . . . dismissed qualified jurists who were thought to be associated with the Dergue regime . . . Some of the new judges had only six months training; in one case, a biology teacher was appointed head of the Public Prosecutors Office of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region. Subsequently, the Government failed to establish the federal courts or appoint sufficient judges . . . Federal Courts did not begin to function until May 1996. Judges in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa were told they had no jurisdiction to hear cases because they had been appointed by the previous administration . . . These courts were virtually paralysed. the inevitable result of these measures was an enormous backlog of cases; in 1995, there were thousands of detainees being held without charge. In the beginning of 1996, the Government dealt the judiciary an almost fatal blow by dismissing at least 336 judges . . . [76 names are given in the report] It was also reported that at least 270 judges were dismissed from the Oromia Region Courts . . . Meles Zenawi reportedly alleged that the judges were dismissed because they were corrupt and peddlers of justice . . . [T]hese judges may have not have been dealt with fairly given the composition of the Federal Judicial Administration Council (FJAC) which has jurisdiction to remove judges . . . [A]ll members of the FJAC are, in reality, political appointees . . . Compounding the questionable independence of the FJAC, is the vagueness of the grounds for removal which further puts into question the fairness of the dismissal of these judges . . . There is no provision requiring a full hearing before a judge is removed by the FJAC. This is contrary to the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary . . . The absence of such a provision combined with the vagueness of the grounds for removal prima facie permits the FJAC, acting in concert with the Council of Peoples' Representatives, to dismiss judges by simply alleging incompetence or bias. The massive dismissal exacerbated the already immense burden on the courts. It also necessitated the merging of several courts: in the province of Addis Ababa alone, the previous 62 Woreda (District) Court benches and the 12 High Court benches were reduced to just 12, although they were already unable to process the outstanding cases with their previous numbers. Over 35,000 of the cases to be heard by the Woreda Courts and thousands of other cases before the High Courts were transferred to the five First Instance Courts . . . On 9 February 1997, the President of the First Instance Court, Judge Getachew Mihretu, reported that about six thousand cases were pending before the First Instance Court and that the number of cases the judges were hearing each day had increased from approximately 60 to a number between 200 and 500. . . . Prime Minister Zenawi . . . asked people to wait until the candidates studying law at the Civil Service College graduated. It was reported that of those dismissed in 1996, 37 had LL.B degrees and 21 a diploma in law, likely making them more qualified than those who will graduate from the Civil Service College. In any event the independence of the new graduates has already been placed in doubt by reports that claim the College has been established to train supporters of the Government. Human Rights Watch / Africa ETHIOPIA: The Curtailment of Rights December 1997 The latest report from the respected Human Rights Watch/Africa (HRW) is the outcome of two field missions to Ethiopia in June 1996 and July 1997. It examines the human rights record of Ethiopia under the EPRDF/TPLF, and holds the government accountable to its own official standards on democracy and human rights. The report confirms the appalling record of the government in ensuring political, legal and human rights in the country and publishes recommendations to the Ethiopian government and the International Community to encourage observance of the constitution and international human rights instruments. The HRW report says that the political landscape in Ethiopia remains overwhelmingly dominated by the EPRDF. The limits and controls drawn by the EPRDF effectively restrict the democratic principles enshrined in the constitutional and legal reforms drawn up under the Transitional Government. It says that the EPRDF has dominated the political system with bureaucratic and legal obstacles, and the harassment of political officials. HRW confirms that reports from the early periods of the transition about political harassment and killings of opposition group members and supporters were later corroborated by independent observers and concludes that ‘The boycott by opposition parties only confirmed the accession of the EPRDF and its affiliates to a position of virtual dominance of the political process’. The internal political purges and related detentions of the EPRDF are examined in detail. The repeated subjection of senior government officials to gingamas or ‘assessment sessions’ where subordinates report on their bosses inevitably leads to the dismissal or detention of officials unsympathetic to the EPRDF. The report cites the OPDO purge of 250 district officials and the detention of eighty others in April and the detention of the top four officials of Gambella’s regional council on such grounds as being ‘anti-people’, ‘corrupt’ or being seen as sympathetic to opposition movements. Freedom of association was severely curtailed as activists loyal to the government targeted the Ethiopian Teachers Association and the Confederation of Ethiopian Trades Unions, the two largest labour organisations. Subsequent clampdowns on independent organisations such as EHRCO, the Ogaden Human Rights Committee are described in detail and the report criticises the delays in setting up the newly founded Human Rights League. The report also records the ‘virtual paralysis’ of the judiciary after its own political purges and restructuring, which leaves victims of abuse with no opportunity to defend themselves. It sets out how the alienation of many Ethiopians from their government has been exacerbated by the muzzling of the press: ‘by the routine use of detention and imprisonment, and the imposition of prohibitive fines and bail amounts on journalists and editors’. There is criticism for Ethiopia’s partners in the international community on their poor response to the situation. The West has given mixed signals; tending to present Ethiopia as a model of economic reform and a strategically for the stabilisation of the region. This approach has led to firm aid commitments and far less resolve on improvements in human rights. Five years under this strategic alliance have left the international community with no forum to present their queries about abuses, and their appeals are rarely answered. Recommendations to the Ethiopian Government
Recommendations to the International Community
|