Human Rights Abuses in Ethiopia
PRESS RELEASE - January/February 1998, No. 21
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 2,349 extra-judicial killings and 621 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.
CONTENTS
Abubaker
Hamza disappears again
Asylum
seeker commits suicide in London
Secret Underground Prison in Harar holds
'Disappeared'
Addis Ababa and Central Oromia region
- Killings
- Disappearances
- Imprisonment
- Charges of conspiracy and another wave of
arrests
Eastern Oromia Region
- Killings
- Disappearances
- Imprisonment, torture, etc.
Western Oromia Region
- Disappearances
- Imprisonments
Southern Oromia Region
- Killing
Southern Peoples Region
- Killings
Amhara Region
- Disappearances
- Killings
Djibouti
- Refoulement of Oromo Refugees
- Imprisonments
- Threat of Refoulement
N. Yemen - Detention of Refugees
Refoulement - N. Somaliland
Threat
of refoulement from Ethiopia to Tunisia
Press - Arrests and Closures
Harassment
in Norway
US State Department Country Report 1997
Abubaker Hamza Disappears Again
The disappearance in 1996 of Abubaker Hamza was reported in OSG Press Release, Aug/Sept 1996. He disappeared after being taken from his workplace, the Taiwan market in Dire Dawa, E. Hararge, by uniformed men on 2 July. He was released nearly one year later, on 2 June 1997 (see Press Release Oct/Nov 1997).
On 6 December, Abubaker and his brother Ziyad were detained and have subsequently disappeared. The following account was given by their brother in Canada.
Soon after Abubaker was released [on 2 June 1997], the government security forces began to visit him in his house everyday and he was told to work for them as an informant on people suspected of supporting the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). He was also told not to talk to anyone about his kidnapping and the location of the detention centres in which he was held, as well as the many hundred Oromo prisoners he met in prison. He was forced to report his daily activities at least three times a week in person to the security forces.
He went to Addis Ababa for medical treatment for torture injuries in early August 1997. However, soon after he left, the security forces began visiting and harassing our family in Dire Dawa and our 85 year old father was jailed for several days so he can bring Abubaker back to them. . . Our father was released on condition that he must stop us from campaigning for what happened to Abubaker and other human rights violation in our home land Oromia.
He was detained for the second time on 25 October 1997 in Addis Ababa. Abubaker was severely beaten and lost two teeth. He was released on 20 November 1997, again weak from torture and malnutrition, and told to return to Dire Dawa as soon as possible.
On 6 December 1997, as the whole family, including Abubaker, were about to leave for their country home for a holiday, seven were detained at the train station and later taken to Dire Dawa maximum security prison. As well as Abubaker, Azhar Hamza (local businessman), Khalid Azhar Hamza (aged 12), Ziyad Hamza, Hakim Hamza and Afdal Hashim (cousin) were detained.
Five were released without charge on condition that they should not ask any questions. Abubaker and Ziyad Hamza were taken to an unknown detention centre and their whereabouts remain unknown to our family. From 6-16 December, the government security forces has searched our family homes every day without court warrant and took several personal letters . . . that have no political content.
To-date, there has been no information on the location of Abubaker or Ziyad. The family have repeatedly and categorically denied any involvement with the OLF.
Persecuted in Ethiopia:
Asylum Seeker Commits Suicide in London
Tafesse Workalemahu was 26 when he arrived in Britain on 4 June 1994, where he immediately claimed asylum. He was informed by the Immigration Department that he did not qualify for asylum after being interviewed. He committed suicide on the Victoria line at Finsbury Park Underground Station on 11 September 1997.
The following is the account of the family persecution in Ethiopia, leading to his and his brother's arrival in the UK. The testimony is given by Tafesse's brother:
After my father was taken by the authorities I was forced to flee Ethiopia. . . My father used to attend many functions in support of the Oromo Homeland . . . concerts where musical entertainment and food were provided. . . At other times, he would go to meetings which he did not tell us about. In early March 1994, my father was arrested. Three men came to our door and I opened the door for them. The men were carrying guns and dressed in plain clothes. They asked to speak to my father. They entered the house and spoke to my father in the living room. . . They took my father away in a state car . . . We waited for my father to return, but he did not return home.
The following morning . . . my uncle contacted the police station and asked them to assist us. The police simply responded that they did not know what was happening, they tried to scare my uncle and were very rough in their manner. Two days after my father's arrest, [the same] three men came to our house. . . This time, they pushed my mother around and asked her to give them the money and the guns that 'your husband has hidden'. They asked my brother and I the same questions
. . . they humiliated us by ordering us to kneel down and bow in front of them. They threatened to kill us if we didn't disclose where the guns and the money were. They then proceeded to beat us with the butt of their guns. They continued to beat us for what seemed to be a very long time. After beating us and searching the house, the men left saying they would be back again. . .
We tried to gather information that might help us find our father . . . despite our efforts, we were unable to trace him. The three men returned to our house every three to four days. Each time they searched the house and beat us as they had on the first occasion. On every occasion, they would leave by threatening us saying 'We will be back again'.
Owing to these visits we lived in fear of their return, and fear of further torture and humiliation. Furthermore, when we went out we were followed everywhere. . .
My uncle contacted the local police station to find out what happened to my father . . . the police just responded that they did not know where he was and failed to assist us any further with the investigation. A month after my father's arrest, the fear for our father and ourselves set in deeper. . . we decided to leave our home and seek safety outside Ethiopia.
He and his brother travelled to Sudan. After two months in Sudan we received a letter from my mother informing us that my father had died. She was kicked out of our home and it was not safe for us to come back.
Statement from victim, seeking asylum in London, 9.1.98
Secret Underground Prison in Harar holds 'Disappeared'
The following were held in 1997 in Qalad Amba Military Camp, W. Harar, E. Hararge. They are being held incommunicado and their relatives believe them to have disappeared. They have not been reported previously by OSG:
Ahmed Abdulla, Nuradin Abdurahman, Hassan Ahmed, Ahmed Arab, Ahmed (Boku), Moti Gurmu, Mohamed Habib, Ahmed Humza, Mohamed Hassen Ibrahim (Yemen citizen), Ahmed Ibro, Tamiru Banti Lata, Abdul-Aziz Mohamed, Ahmed Nur, Ibrahim Ousmane, Umer Ousmane, Haji Mohamed Sham, Muhadin Sheka, Hassan Ahmed Siyo, Ahmed-Tiqa, Abdul-Wahab Sheik Ousman Qawe, Umer-Qurta, Irko, Safiya, Taha and Yusuf.
The centre has dark underground narrow cells, some of which are only able to accommodate 4 people, despite 8 people being put together. The cells have no openings to let in enough air and the temperature is mostly 45 degrees centigrade. We were allowed out for 10 minutes in a day during which we used to go to toilet and wash our faces. We were not allowed to meet with prisoners in other cells. There were about 10 such underground cells.
We were provided with leftovers of soldiers' food most of the times. Illnesses due to malnutrition were very common. There was no treatment in case of illness. There were many prisoners above us in ground level cells. Some of the prisoners were females. They were imprisoned in the same cell as the males. 98% of the detainees were Oromo. No human rights group or organisations, like ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross], have access to this detention centre. I doubt whether they are aware of its existence because it is working under the guise of a military camp. The whereabouts of all the prisoners were unknown to their families. The centre is among many destinations of disappearances'.
Letter from informant, Hararge, Ethiopia. 12.10.97
Addis Ababa And Central Oromia Region
Zelalem Melese, House No. 258, Kebele 52, Woreda 20, was killed at 8.00 pm on 19 January 1997. He had been waiting for a taxi with his brothers and sisters, when he noticed local youths quarreling. To avoid involvement, he started to run away but was shot in the chest and killed by an armed guard. The incident occurred in front of the Mimo Pastry bakery.
Gosaye Mahteme, House No. 13, Kebele 08, Woreda 16, was killed on 30 April 1997, in the early hours of the morning. His wife had given birth the previous evening and after taking her some food, he drove to his cousin's home. He died from gunfire aimed at the rear of his car by guards working for Mr Abadi Zemuy. Nobody has been arrested for the killing.
Mamush Tekalign, 20, House No. 453, Kebele 23, Woreda 05, was shot and killed near his home by policemen on 24 May 1997.
Ristu Gebre, Kebele 13, Woreda 23, was shot in the head by a soldier in Kebele 12, Woreda 23 on 12 October 1997 at 11 pm.
(1) The Human Rights Situation in Ethiopia, Twelfth Report, Ethiopian Human Rights Council, Addis Ababa, November 1997
Shifferaw Kifle Degfe, 20, House No. 688, Kebele 09, Woreda 23, was killed by police on 12 October 1997. He was an 11th grade student at Nefas Silk Secondary school. He was walking with three of his friends around the Abbatoir area when one of the policemen instructed them to stop. The boys were afraid and tried to disperse. Shifferaw was shot dead by one of the policemen. His body was then taken to Menelik hospital and the other boys were detained and released a few days later. The family of Shifferaw went to the Police Station No. 20 to report the disappearance of their son, only to be informed that he had been killed and that they could collect the body from the hospital.
(2) URJII newpaper, Addis Ababa, 31.10.97
On 9th January 1998, Ethiopian police shot dead a Sudanese refugee and wounded another in Addis Ababa during an attempt to move a group of refugees to camps outside the city, a UN official said.
Refugees unwilling to be shifted stoned police officers and injured two during the operation, added Peter Kessler, the spokesman in Nairobi for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Kessler declared that the UNHCR is very disturbed and concerned about the way the round-up was conducted. We deplore violence, he stated.
(3) AFP Press Agency, Nairobi, Kenya, 13.1.98
Bekele Abebe, 40 and father of 14, from Ambo, W. Showa, disappeared in Addis Ababa in December 1995. His disappearance was mistakenly reported in OSG Sept/Oct Press Release 1997, as having occurred in December 1996. Further information about his disappearance has been sent by his cousin.
He was an employee of the Schools Administrative office, West Showa Zone, until 1991. He became an active member of the OLF during its legal participation in the Transitional Government. Just after the withdrawal of the OLF from the Transitional Government in 1992, Bekele's house was searched repeatedly. The family was interrogated and beaten. He escaped and hid with relatives in the countryside. Government security forces regularly searched the house looking for him and interrogating and beating his family members to tell them where Bekele was hiding. He stayed hidden, but became ill and had to go to Addis Ababa for medication in 1993. He received treatment and stayed with friends until December 1995. Despite enquiries, his whereabouts remain unknown and his family are left without support and supervision.
(4) Correspondence from cousin of victim, seeking asylum in Germany, 21.1.98
Bekele Mekonnen Rabo, founder, General Manager and Board Secretary of Bilisuma Fine Arts, Publication and Advertising Association, disappeared from his home on 13 November 1997. URJII, an independent Oromo newspaper, was published by Bilisuma Fine Arts.
His disappearance is suspected to be related to his critical articles and reports of clashes between the OLF and government soldiers in October 1997, which were published in URJII. Prior to his disappearance, he had been detained for one month in the 6th Police Station at Kasa Inchis, Addis Ababa.
(5) Correspondence from acquaintance of victim, exiled in Djibouti, 30.12. 97
Mulu Ambaw, Kebele 02, Woreda 16, Addis Ababa, was apprehended by security forces while walking home on 2.5.97. He was a close friend of Assefa Maru who was killed six days later (see May/June 1997 Press Release). Since Mulu was abducted, his whereabouts are unknown.
Tekle Qinatti, House No. 121, Kebele 17, Woreda 7, and his guest, Getachew Beqele, disappeared from Tekle's home on 27 September 1997 at 10.00 pm.
(1) v.s.
Mulatu Qeneaa Berkessa, father of three, House No. 871, Kebele 35, Woreda 8, recently expelled from his job with Ethiopian Airlines, was abducted by security men after walking his children to school in Addis Ababa on 6.11.97. His whereabouts are unknown since that date.
(1) v.s.
(6) Clandestine Human Rights Organisation B, Addis Ababa, 27.11.97
Lema Hunde, a firewood salesman, was abducted by police immediately on his release from prison, 19 December 1997. He and Lt. Gobenti Binegdi were accused of trying to hijack an aeroplane in Dire Dawa on 2 August 1994 and sentenced to three years imprisonment. However, the supreme court ruled on their appeal that they had served adequate time and ordered their release. As Lema was leaving the prison gate, security men took him to an unknown destination. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Muktar Usman Sheik, 20, folk-singer in the Gada band, House No. 677, Kebele 2, Woreda 10, was abducted from his home by plain-clothed gunmen on 3 February 1998. He had been previously detained and tortured in Addis Ababa from 1992-1993. His health has been poor since being tortured and following his release he was harassed and followed by security men. Despite family efforts, his whereabouts are unknown.
(8) Correspondence from brother of victim, exiled in Minneapolis, USA, February 1998
(9) Urgent Action 57/98, Amnesty International, London, 20.2.98
On 5 February the following were detained in the continuing crackdown on Oromo in the capital and their whereabouts were unknown at the time of going to press. Only a short time has passed since their abduction and they have not been included in the total number of known disappearances quoted by OSG:
Mr Ademe, employee of ODANABI private enterprise
Tesfaye Daba
Alemayehu Dirro, employee of Hunde (NGO)
Mr Essayas, independent cameraman
On or about 9 February the following were detained, mostly from their homes, and their location is unknown:
Gerbaba Afeffa
Abebe Abashu, singer
Amsalu Amente
Getachew Amente
Capt. Aberra Beyene, ex-army officer
Urgessa Buli
Melaku Qinati Dheressa
Kumela Diriba
Ashenafi Duressa
Tamrat Gemeda, Editor of Seife Nebelbal newspaper
Daba Gutema, ex army officer
Alamu Kana, auditor
Fikru Magarssa
Gemechu Mamo
Tesfaye Mangaqaa
Dawit Mekonnen, folk-singer in Gada band
Mohamed Sheekaa, folk-singer in Bilisuma band
Waqgari Tarfassa
Bekele Tefera, laboratory technician, Pasteur clinic
Tesfaye Mekonnen Terfaa
Mulugeta Tirfessa, taken initially to 1st Police Station
Mr Totobba, guitarist in Bilisuma Band
Tesfaye Wakene
Tesfaye Waqjirra
Hundessa Waqwaya, translater and part-time journalist for URJII newspaper, disabled
(9) v.s.
(10) Clandestine Human Rights Organisation B, Addis Ababa, 13.2.98
Gini Mussa, a 39 yr old house wife and mother, was taken from her home in Cherkos Awraja by 'Tigrean men' on 1 October 1997 at 7.30 pm. The house was searched and nothing found. She was held without warrant or court appearance in region 14 police station, Arat Kilo, for two months. Since then, she has been held in Maikelawi Central Investigation Centre in the capital. Her own child and six of her sister's orphaned children are left without care.
(11) Correspondence from niece of victim, seeking asylum in Germany, 12.1.98
Charges of conspiracy and another wave of arrests
The 31 Oromos, arrested in October and November 1997, were charged in late January with armed conspiracy in accordance with articles 32 and 252 of the Ethiopian Constitution. Included are:
Beyene Abdi,
Hussein Abdi, Macha/Tulama Association office manager and former Ministry of Foriegn Affairs
employee, transferred from cells at Menelik II palace
Addisu Beyene, executive director of the Oromo Relief Association
Garuma Bekele, general secretary of the Human Rights League
Beyene Belissa, an amputee
Gadissa Boltosa
Zewde Chamada
Tesfaye Deressa, assistant chief editor of URJII
Adugna Fitee
Tilahun Hirpassa,
Adam Hassen
Haji Sahlu Kafte
Gabissa Lamessa, Save the Children Fund accountant
Solomon Namarra, acting chief editor of URJII
Mohamed Wayu
Hailu Tarfassa Tasso, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus hostel manager
All 31 have been moved from Maikelawai Central Investigation Centre to Karchalee prison in Addis Ababa.
Beyene Abdi, Garuma Bekele, Beyene Belissa, Hussein Abdi, Haji Sahlu Kafte, Gabissa Lemessa, Tilahun Hirpassa, Zewde Chamada, Gadissa Boltosa and Addisu Beyene are all Board Members of the Human Rights League and believed by Amnesty International to be prisoners of conscience.
Charged with them are:
Rabin Hussen Yusuf
Gadisa Abera and
Ashenafi Biru, the three 'self-confessed OLF terrorists'
Tolera Tadesse
Kedir Ismael Hassen
Nasir Ibrahim
Mohamed Abdurahman
Zerihun Bekelcha
Tekle Kinate
Agasa Lemmessa
Misgine Diriba
Seratu Diriba
Adem Musa
Abdella Haji
Feyera Beyene
Tsegeye Kebede
Adugna Tafa
If convicted, they face between 5 yrs in prison and the death penalty.
(10) v.s.
(12) Urgent Action, AI Index AFR 25/04/98, Amnesty International, London, 16.2.98
Another wave of arrests has occurred recently in Addis Ababa. On 30 January, over 15 Oromo were arrested from their houses and work places. The following were interrogated, warned to be 'distant from OLF activities' and then released, that day or the next:
Haile Mariam Motti, employee of a government owned enterprise
Abdela Sulle, businessman
Geremew Negari
Kuma Dida, employee of the International Labour Organisation
Mr Abosse
Arega Qixxattaa, businessman
Bekele Gemeda, employee of the Ethiopian Airlines
The release of the following two detainees is not confirmed:
Kebede Aaggaa, thread factory employee
Tesfaye Bekele, employee of Ethiopian Telecommunications Agency
(10) v.s.
Yadesa Bedassa, student
Ademe Gebre-Senbet, Nebe Transport Co. manager
Sori Kitila, university student
Isayas Negatu, photographer
Muktar Osman, folk-singer in Gada band
Amsalu Taye, employee of Oda company
Ms Tejitu Tucho, businesswoman
Alemayehu Umatta, journalist with the official Barissa Oromo language newspaper
The above named are among 'scores' of Oromo arrested in early February, according to Amnesty International. Arrests are continuing, write Amnesty International, which fears for their safety in view of continuing reports of torture, 'disappearance' and extrajudicial executions of OLF suspects.
There are reports that some have been taken to prisons in Zeway and Nazareth (in South and West Showa, respectively) or to Holeta Police Academy
(9) v.s.
27 others detained in early February are being kept in unknown place(s); see Disappearances, above.
Kamar Kassim was arrested on 10 March 1994 and suspected of being an OLF spy. He was severely tortured and died in Galamso prison (W. Hararge) on 14 June 1994.
Faisal Kamar, his son, was detained at Galamso on 10 February 1994 and was killed after two months detention.
(13) Statement from of Faisal's brother (Kamar's son), exiled in Djibouti, 5.11.97
Mohamed Abdul Karim Roba and Abdulaziz Ibrahim Aliyyi were shot dead by EPRDF security while walking on the streets of Dire Dawa, E. Hararge, on 5 February 1995.
(14) Statement from eye-witness, friend of Abdulaziz and nephew of Mohamed, exiled in Djibouti, 5.11.97
Adem Shebo, of Qalad Amba, in Woreda 3, Kebele 11, Harar, E. Hararge, was killed when three official men, on the pretext of apprehending a suspect, knocked and entered his house on 10 May 1997 at 10 pm. They tied his hands behind his back and took him to a place about a hundred meters from his home, where they shot him.
Shewa Mebrat Bogale, 30, House No. 1065, Kebele 23, Woreda 4, Dire Dawa, E. Hararge, was shot dead at 7.10 pm, 15 November 1997, by a soldier on a motorbike. He was on his way home from teaching at Sunday school in St. Michael's church.
(1) v.s.
Ismael Abdi Roba, Kombolcha, E. Hararge, was taken by government forces on 7 January 1995. His Toyota truck, cruiser and other family property were 'confiscated' at the time of his abduction and disappearance. His wife and 5 children have been left with no assistance.
(14) v.s., also brother of Ismael
Abubaker Hamza and Ziyad Hamza disappeared after being transferred to an unknown detention centre. They were detained in Dire Dawa maximum security prison, E. Hararge, on 6.12.97 and transferred a few days later. (see p. 2)
Ahmed Kamar Kassim, born in Galamso, W. Hararge, in 1972, wrote from exile in Djibouti about his detention, the death following torture of his father and the killing of his older brother (see above). In 1994, 'government police' arrested large numbers of Oromo suspected of supporting the OLF, following local clashes between them and government forces.
He explains My older brother, Faisal Kamar and I were kidnapped on 10 February 1994 and after two months detention, they killed my brother. I stayed in detention in Galamso police station for 1 year and four months where I was tortured. On 10 March, my father, Kamar Kassim was arrested and suspected of being an OLF spy. He was severely tortured and died in Galamso prison on 14 June 1994.
In July 1995, Ahmed and two others escaped during an attack on the prison by the OLF and fled by train and foot to Djibouti.
(13) v.s.
Anwar Abdi Roba, 25 yr old merchant, from Kombolcha, E. Hararge, wrote from exile in Djibouti of his detention in Harar Central Prison for five weeks from mid-July 1994.
He wrote After much harassment, they started to interrogate me about my connection with the OLF. When I denied all questions, they tortured me. The family were harassed. His elder brother had to pay 3000 Birr as a bribe to get Anwar released. He returned to Kombolcha, but a week after his release, he was re-captured by TPLF militia and detained in Kombolcha police station. He escaped in October with 170 other prisoners following an action by the OLF. He was present when two of his friends, walking in a street with him in Dire Dawa, were shot dead by government forces (see above). He arrived in Djibouti in February 1995.
(14) v.s.
Girma Mengistu Abebe, born in Nekemte in 1967, was a member of the Oromo Liberation Front until its withdrawal from the Transitional Government in 1992. Along with between 25-40,00 other Oromo, suspected of supporting the OLF, he was detained in 1992. He was held at one of the largest concentration camps, at Hurso, Hararge province. He was 'severely tortured' there and was not released with the majority of detainees in 1993. He was last reported to be in a weak condition in Hurso in 1994. Despite efforts of his aged mother, his whereabaouts are unknown and he is feared dead.
(16) Correspondence from uncle of victim, exiled in Djibouti, 12.12.97
Merge Dhufera Sobir, aged 29, born in Xenqi, Mendi, Wollega, disappeared on 20 August 1997, on her way from Mendi to Addis Ababa. Following the withdrawal of the OLF from the Transitional Government in 1992, Merge was detained in Didessa concentration camp for 10 months. She had been an active advocate of the OLF for several years and was repeatedly harassed after her release. She was travelling to Addis Ababa to avoid this harassment when she disappeared.
(17) Correspondence from acquaintance of victim, exiled in Djibouti, 30.12. 97
On 8 December 1997, the following people were arrested in Jimma town, Illubabor, allegedly for suspicion of supporting the OLF:
Aberra Rumicho, educational materials officer
Berhanu Galata, pharmacy owner
Debele Hunde, Ethiopian Red Cross Society official and teacher training college registrar
Hailu Banti, director, Pestalozzi children's project
Ms Hirut Letta, relative of an Oromo Liberation Front leader in Exile
Negasso Wakjira, pharmacy employee.
At present the six are being held incommunicado in Jimma. Their arrests are seen as a continuation of the EPRDF government's clampdown on Oromo intellectuals and businessmen, following arrests of prominent members of the Oromo community in Addis Ababa in October and November of last year.
(18) Urgent Action 397/97, Amnesty International, London, 18.12.97
Yesunew Teferra, 30 yr old employee of the Ethiopian Electric Light and Power Authority at the Melka Wakena Hydro-Electric Power station, House No.201, Kebele 14, Woreda 1, Asela, Arsi, was shot dead at his home by policemen, who claimed to be looking for an escaped prisoner, on 4.12.96.
(1) v.s.
The following were reported killed in Gedeo Zone:
Fasika Maleqo, 30, Michellie Kebele, Wenago Woreda, was shot on 7 January 1992 on the Michellie road by a member of the defence force. He was returning home from the market.
Worku Beko, 33, Temtecha Kebele, Wenago Woreda, was shot on 15 January 1992 when standing watching soldiers patrolling the area. One soldier turned and shot him.
Cheko Berecho, 56, Temtecha Kebele,Wenago Woreda was killed on the 15 January 1992 by a soldier, who was searching his house.
Yomi Gemedi, 58, Michellie Kebele, Wenago Woreda was shot on 11 January 1992 at 3.00 pm by a soldier, who was searching his house.
Kifle Andeno, and Dergu Erdolo were killed by police officers and Ageze Tumisso was seriously injured on 26 February 1997 when attending a Peasant Association meeting at Witte Deqeye, Gurage. There was a heated dispute during which the participants complained of not being able to discuss the issue of absorbing Forqosse Peasant Association into Gurage Administrative Zone. The chief of police ordered his officers to fire at the crowd, after preventing the participants leaving the building.
(1) v.s.
Taye Bayafers, resident of South Gonder Administrative Zone, and
Feleqe Tesfaw, resident of Fartta Woreda, Guwastt Giorgis PA, were taken away from their homes by government soldiers on 27 May 1995 at 8 pm.
Getinet Misikir, South Gondar Administrative Zone, Istie town, Kebele 02, was taken form his home at 9 pm the previous evening.
(1) v.s.
Zelalem Ijigu, was killed on the 15 January 1997, following his arrest for supposedly being against land redistribution in the Amhara region. He was killed at Aja Fasiledes, in Woreda town, South Gonder Administrative Zone.
Asres Tuhar, 30, was returning to Addis Ababa by bus, having visited his family in Dejen, when he was shot in the head on 10 October 1997 by a member of the defence force. The bus was being searched at a check point when a soldier opened fire at the bus, killing Asres.
Girma Getie, of Shina Teklehaimanot PA in Fogera Woreda, south Gondar, was killed on his way home on 6 November 1997 at 10 pm by a policeman.
(1) v.s.
Refoulement of Oromo refugees to Ethiopia.
At least eight Oromo refugees were arrested on 14 January by the Djibouti police and handed over to the Ethiopian government on 18 January 1998. They are:
Ibrahim Ali Omar, alias Ibrahim Boshari, chairman of the Oromo Community in Djibouti
Hassan Ali, alias Hassan Mohamed, a disabled farmer
Abdulwasi Aliyi Yusuf, alias Abdalla Ali
Murad Ahmed Murad, alias Mustafa Salah/Sahali Warsama, farmer
Mohamed Yusuf, alias Mohamed Dheera
Sheik Mussa Hassan, alias Mousa Su'ala, Islamic religious leader
Obsa Cafa
Ms Ibsitu Kamar
Ibrahim Ali Omar was a successful businessman with several fruit shops and had lived in Djibouti since 1979. He was abducted from his house, No. 3 (or 103), 3rd Avenue, Quartier A, Djiboutiville, on Wednesday 14 January at 4.30 pm local time. Hassan Ali, Abdulwasi Aliyi Yusuf, Murad Ahmed Murad and Mohamed Yusuf were all guests in Ibrahim's house at the time of the arrests. The five were taken by civilian Djibouti policemen and kept for four days in Palteau prison. They were handed over to Ethiopian 'policemen' who escorted them back to Ethiopia in a Toyota landcruiser on Sunday 18 January at 8 am local time.
Sheik Mussa was also abducted on 14 January, from the 2nd Avenue Mosque, and was subject to refoulement along with the others.
Obsa Cafa, and Ibsitu Kamar were also reported to have been forcibly repatriated at the same time, but no details of their abduction are known.
All are being held incommunicado at unknown location(s) in Ethiopia. It is rumoured that they are being held in Dire Dawa, E. Hararge.
Ibrahim Ali Omar and Ibsitu Kamar were recognised refugees and Sheik Musa, Mourad Ahmed and Mohamed Yusuf had applied for refugee status and were known to the UNHCR office in Djibouti. The UNHCR office in Djibouti was informed immediately when the abductions occurred and unsuccessful efforts were made by UNHCR to prevent the refoulement of the detainees. UNHCR officials were denied access to the detainees.
The arrests are part of a security agreement between Djibouti and Ethiopia made in June/July 1997 to return each other's opponents and refugees, contravening the 1951 UN Convention concerning refugees and the Ethiopian constitution.
(19) v.s.
(20) Telephone conversation with close associate of victim, Atlanta, Georgia, 18.1.98
(21) Correspondence from acquaintance of victims, exiled in Djibouti, 27.1.98
Report of further forced repatriations
The following was received by letter from Djibouti:
In the beginning of the new year around 100 refugees started a journey by 4 small boats from Djibouti port to Ayu, a port near Tajoura [on the other side of the Gulf of Tajoura from Djibouti port, within Djibouti territory]. Each boat was carrying 25 people. They were working illegally. The reason for evacuation of the refugees were the bitter problem they faced and [the] expensive standard of living. After a week['s] stay in Ayu, all of them were arrested [and] brought back to Djibouti and expelled back to Ethiopia by train.
During this period, one small boat and a ship were captured. The owner of the ship, an Afar named Nassiru Mohamed, was hidden. The captain and all the crew members were arrested and detained in 'Gabot' prison.
Among the deported Oromos (all originally from Wollo) -
Abdela Haji
Sultan Hassan
Umar Kasim
Ayisha Umar Seko (female)
Awha Ahimed (female)
Mohamed Saied Aliyyi
Taha Umar
Sahada Umar (female)
Ahimed Hassan Sarbado
Most of the refugees in this incident were expelled on 8 January 1998 back to Ethiopia. Their heads were shaved and painted.
(21) Correspondence from acquaintance of victims, exiled in Djibouti, 27.1.98.
The following five people are detained following their refoulement from Ethiopia last year:
Mohamed Kadamy Youssouf, representative of the opposition Front pour la Restauration de l'Unité et de la Démocratie (FRUD)
Aicha Dabale Ahmed (f), relief agency worker and wife of the above
Ali Mohamed Maki Houmed, FRUD military commander
Mohamed Daoud Chehem, former political prisoner
Kamil Mohamed Ahmed ('Kabir'), FRUD political official.
Some nine other Afar opponents of the Djibouti government are reported to have been detained in Ethiopia in November 1997, some of them tortured, and then handed over to Djibouti and detained - in addition to the five named above, they are also under judicial investigation.
(22) Urgent Action 310/97, Amnesty International, London, 28.11.97
A prisoner who managed to escape and flee to Djibouti, informed the Oromo community that the EPRDF security men had given the following names to Djibouti security personnel and are planning to arrest and deport them to Ethiopia:
Tofik Hassan Ali
Seifu Mohammed (or Mumme)
Adam (Odaa)
Iliyas Dagale
Muluka Amee
Ibrahim German
Sharif Youssuf
Ibrahim Youssuf
Mahamed Sa'id
(23) Correspondence from acquaintance of victims, exiled in Djibouti, 12.2.98
Informants in Djibouti believe the following to be at special risk of abduction and refoulement back to Ethiopia:
Mustafa Yasen Hassan, 37, born in Jimma in Illubabor, despite having UNHCR protection in Djibouti, has been threatened with deportation to Ethiopia by the Djibouti authorities. OSG mentioned him in Press Release May/June 1997.
After he and his father were harassed and detained by the Dergue he had fled to Djibouti. He returned to Ethiopia after the change in government in 1991 but, fleeing from 'political violence' he returned to Djibouti in July 1992. Meanwhile the TPLF had arrested his sister and raped her. After a short time, Mustafa was employed by the Oromo Relief Association branch office in Djibouti until the closure of the office in June 1995, at the request of the Ethiopian government.
He was then arrested by the Djibouti National Security forces (SDS) and detained for 12 days. He spent 8 days in the national security office and after being handed to the immigration department, was kept for a further 4 days in Balaskomanyo police station. During his detention he was 'mistreated, tortured and terrorised' by the Djibouti security men who threatened to deliver him to the Ethiopian government. He was then taken to Nagad deportation camp, an area away from the town where detainees are imprisoned.
He was asked to tell them what his mission and role had been in Ethiopia. He was released following an appeal by an International Human Rights group and diplomatic pressure. Following his application to UNHCR, he was given protection. However, given the Ethio-Djibouti security alliance and agreement regarding the deportation of refugees to the Ethiopian government, Mustafa still remains at high risk of being deported.
(17) v.s.
Abdela Kemal Mohamed, father of three, born in Jimma, Illubabor, W. Oromia Region, was persecuted by the previous Ethiopian regime and fled to Djibouti for the first time in 1990. He returned to Hararge but within six months of the OLF leaving government, he was again harassed, accused of OLF membership and detained on two occasions. He fled to Djibouti again, when sought by security forces in Kombolcha, E. Hararge.
(24) Statement taken from victim, exiled in Djibouti, 30.12. 97
Northern Yemen - Detention of refugees
Last year about 700 Ethiopian refugees were arrested and detained in Tehiz police station. According to a report from one of the refugees, 415 were Oromo. Nearly 500, including 286 Oromo, returned to Ethiopia voluntarily. 129 Oromo refused.
Names of some of the 129 were:
Yesuf Mohamed, [originally from] Wollo
Mohamed Nur (Harar)
Hassan Umar Hassan (Wollo)
Hassan Mohamed (Wollo)
Jemal Arsi (Arsi)
Siraj Kasim (Arsi)
Ahimed Saied (Wollo)
Abdulaziz (Harar)
Sheik Jihad (Jimma)
Sheik Abdurazaq (Jimma)
Indris Abdu (Showa)
Mohamed Darra (Wollo)
Sheik Ebrahim (Jimma).
The 129 Oromo and about 100 others who refused to be repatriated were detained. They were harshly treated and insulted. Two Afar refugees were killed by Yemen policemen while on board ship.
Medical treatment was restricted to 10 prisoners per day. Food consisted of four small pieces of bread (kudame) and two cups of tea per day. Ten of the detainees died of malnutrition in the detention camp. The refugees had been kept there for 4-12 months by the end of 1997.
(21) v.s.
In December 1997 Ethiopian soldiers infiltrated Borama, a town of Northern Somaliland, kidnapped seven Oromo and deported them back to Ethiopia.
Four were reported to be registered refugees with UNHCR. Their location in Ethiopia is not known. They include:
Hassan Abdaela Abdurahaman (Jimma)
Biya Mohamed Abba Warri (Jimma)
Ali Abba Warri (Jimma)
Tahile Birbir Tola (Wollega)
Abduljabar Tola Torb
(21) v.s.
Threat of Refoulement from Ethiopia to Tunisia
A couple from Tunisia and their four children have been threatened by the Ethiopian Government with refoulement:
Amour Ben Bechir Jemi'i, aged 40
Ribah Bent Djalassi (f), aged 37
Ben Omar, aged 12
Fatima, aged 10
Hajer, aged 5
Intiffar, aged 2
The family fled from Tunisia in 1990 and were considered refugees by UNHCR in Algeria in 1991. They arrived in Ethiopia in 1993. Amour Ben Bechir Jemi'i was arrested in Addis Ababa in mid-December 1997 where he is currently being detained, although the reason for his arrest is not known. In December 1991, Amour was reportedly sentenced in absentia in Tunisia to four years imprisonment for allegedly being a member of al-Nahda, a non-violent political party.
Two weeks after Amour's arrest, his wife was asked to sign a form agreeing to return to Tunisia or to leave for Eritrea or Egypt. She refused fearing that she would be returned to Tunisia from those countries. For protection purposes, she has been staying in the UNHCR compound in Addis Ababa. There has been no response to calls on the Ethiopian government to justify the refoulement.
(25) Urgent Action 11/98, Amnesty International, London, 15.1.98
Dawit Kebede, publisher and editor of Fiameta was detained at Woreda 8 Police Station from 10-20 December 1996. He was accused of violating the Press Law and released on bail. He was again arrested from his home by two plain clothed security men on 2 January at 8 am. He is being held at Woreda 23 police station. He was detained because Fiameta was reporting that the police were abducting and torturing suspects in Woreda 24 Kebele 16.
(7) v.s.
Further to the arrests on 16 October 1997 of URJII newspaper staff, two more have been arrested.
Waqshum Bacha, deputy manager and Alemu Tolessa, acting deputy editor were arrested on 22 December 1997 and are currently being held in Maikelawi Special Investigation Centre. Although they have appeared in court and been remanded in custody for two weeks, there have been no charges brought and no reason given for their arrest.
(26) Urgent Action follow up AFR 25/01/98, Amnesty International, London, 8.1.98
(27) External release, further information, AI Index AFR 25/05/98, Amnesty International,
London, 20.2.98
Four members of the editorial staff of Tobia, Biru Tsegaye, (Chief Editor) Goshu Mogas, Taye Belachew and Anteneh Merid, were arrested on 16 January. Five hours later Tobia's head offices went up in flames. The fire brigade arrived only after the entire premises and computer database had been destroyed. Tobia is a weekly newspaper and monthly magazine of the Amhara opposition.
(9) v.s.
(28) Africa Confidential , Vol 39 No 2, p.3, London, 23.1.98
(29) Urgent Action 56/98, Amnesty International, London, 20.2.98
Kifle Mulat, of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association, was arrested on 11 February for refusing to amend a press release listing imprisoned journalists. Two days earlier he was threatened by police to remove the names of Garoma Bekele (ex-URJII General Manager and Board Member of the Human Rights League), Solomon Namarra and Tesfaye Deressa (Acting and Assistant Chief Editors of URJII) from the list.
The three URJII staff are not being charged under the Press Law. They are accused of conspiracy and face between five years' imprisonment and death, if convicted. Amnesty International believes the three are prisoners of conscience.
Both URJII and Tobiya have been stripped of their editorial and managerial staff and have shut down as a result.
According to Amnesty International, other journalists arrested in the last few weeks and among 25 currently in detention are:
Alemayehu Kifle, Zegabi
Lulu Kebede, Neqa
Mukenil Shebo, Beza
Tamrat Gemeda, Seife Nebelbal
None have been charged although some have appeared in court. They are reported to be denied family visits. Amnesty International is concerned that they may be held for long periods without charge or trial, or may be unfairly tried.
Over 200 journalists of Ethiopia's private press have been detained under the 1992 Press Law . . . for articles which police claimed were defamatory or 'incitement of conflict between people'. In fact they were imprisoned because the articles were critical of the government. . .
Prison conditions in Ethiopia are poor with long delays in obtaining hospital treatment. Abay Hailu
of Wolafen newspaper, arrested in March 1997, died of pneumonia in custody on 9 February 1998 - he had been in the prison clinic for two months before being admitted to hospital five days before his death.
(27, 29) v.s.
After exposing human rights abuses in Ethiopia to a Norwegian newspaper, an Oromo living in Norway became a victim of verbal threats from an anonymous caller. He submitted a translation of an interview conducted by OSG in Sagalee Haaraa. No.15, of Mr Aregawi Berhe, the former leader of the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front, to his local newspaper. It was published on 20 February 1997.
He explains, The same evening, I got a telephone call from an unnamed man with a hot temper and with a threatening voice. He said that I have been writing about Ethiopia and Eritrea and that upset him very much. He demanded that I should not ever write more at all and then hung up the telephone. I am not sure where the voice came from. He spoke a broken Norwegian language. His accent sounded like a man from Tigray or Eritrea. There is no Ethiopian Embassy in Norway, but there may be Meles' agents in Norway.
(29) Correspondence from victim, exiled in Norway, 3.1.98
Department of State Ethiopia Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1997
The US Department of State Ethiopia Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1997 was released on January 30. Apart from some unavoidable admissions of the most blatant violations of human rights the report is once again a conciliatory, misleading document.
It admits that the federal Government has significant difficulty protecting constitutional rights at the local level, especially when local authorities are unwilling or unable to do so. Local administrative, police, and judicial systems remain weak in many regions. . .
Despite increased professional training during the year, some local officials and members of the security forces committed human rights abuses. . . Despite promises by the Government to improve its human rights practices, serious problems remain. . . Security forces sometimes beat or mistreated detainees, and arbitrarily arrested and detained citizens. Prisons are seriously overcrowded, and prolonged pretrial detention remains a problem. . . The law regarding search warrants is widely ignored
. . . The Government restricts freedom of the press and continued to detain or imprison journalists. . .
Governmental transparency . . . remains limited. . .
In practice, and especially in outlying regions, authorities often detain persons without a warrant, frequently do not charge them within 48 hours, and - if persons are released on bail - never recall them to court. Nationwide, thousands of criminal suspects remained in detention without charge or trial at year's end. . . Federal and regional authorities arrested and detained hundreds of persons without charge or trial for activities allegedly in support of armed opposition groups.
These critical comments give the semblance of objectivity but in reality they grossly understate the extent of human rights violations in Ethiopia. The overall tone of the report is heavily biased toward supporting the Ethiopian government. Some of the statements gainsay much that has been published by reputable NGOs and is straightforward misrepresentation of the facts. Other assertions are misleading because of the language used or because material available from reputable sources is simply ignored.
The introduction includes The Government sought to enhance transparency and accountability by continuing to publish . . . several detailed reports on officials who were arrested or dismissed for abuse of authority, corruption, and violations of human rights. Details of only the indictment of two EPRDF Members of Parliament for war crimes and the arrest of Tamrat Layne were in the substantive part of the report - hardly justification for such strong support in view of the fact that State Department officials have told OSG personally that the government is difficult to work with, and that it lacks transparency and accountability.
The standard paragraph on how the 1995 elections were generally free and fair is included as usual. However, most opposition groups chose to boycott the elections, despite a widespread finding that opposition participation was possible. As pointed out by the Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights in their critique of State Department Country Reports for 1995, this unattributed statement flies in the face of published accounts by independent observers, such as Terence Lyons of the Brookings Institution and even leaked findings of the Donor Election Unit, chaired by the then British ambassador. In noting the failure of foreign governments to promote dialogue and political reconciliation between the Government and several key opposition groups no mention was made of the exasperation of German mediators at the intransigence of the TPLF in the last round of attempted talks in October 1997.
There were unconfirmed reports of extrajudicial killings by government security forces; however, the very high numbers claimed by human rights activists and ethnically based NGOs, could not be substantiated. This implies that reports were exaggerated, whereas the literal meaning is that US embassy staff did not investigate reports of killings.
The death of OLF sympathizer Wako Tola in police custody apparently of natural causes and the street killing of Assefa Maru, who security officials suspected was a member of a terrorist organization were reported. Police officials reported that Assefa Maru was shot while trying to resist arrest. These imply belief that the two were legitimate terrorist targets and are a disgraceful distortion of the truth. Eye-witnesses saw that Assefa Maru was unarmed and had no chance to escape.
On October 8, Addis Ababa police killed three men who were allegedly involved in an OLF attack in July; reportedly, the victims were resisting arrest. Again, the implication is that the three unarmed men were OLF fighters. Again, eye-witness accounts available to the US embassy were ignored.
There were no confirmed reports, but numerous unsubstantiated reports, of alleged disappearances. This is grossly and, presumably, deliberately misleading. The US embassy has received evidence of disappearances from OSG. The disappearance and re-appearance a year later of Abubaker Hamza is a case which could easily have been confirmed, had the embassy had the will to do so. His recent re-disappearance has been reported to Ambassador Shinn. The UN Centre for Human Rights in Geneva has accepted reports of disappearance and other abuses. UN information is ignored in the State Department report.
There were numerous credible reports that security officials sometimes beat or mistreated detainees. The word 'torture' is not mentioned and the impression is given that even 'mistreatment' is limited rather than routine. Rape does not appear to be a problem implies that it does not happen in prisons.
The atrocious prison conditions, the regularity of detention in unofficial centres and the brutality experienced by detainees in these centres is similarly glossed over in the report. It claims that only 7000 are in detention and that none are political prisoners although admitting that federal and regional authorities arrested and detained hundreds of persons without charge or trial for activities allegedly in support of armed opposition groups. Addis-based human rights groups estimate 100,000 detainees. The OLF has a much more significant political presence than a military one, yet there were no reports of political prisoners.
Security forces arrested and held these persons incommunicado for several days or weeks. In this way, the report concedes that disappearances do occur - albeit not permanently. Like most of the phrases quoted, this statement has been included in every report since 1995.
Detention for political reasons, torture, disappearance, rape and extrajudicial killing are reported by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch/Africa. Their reports, like the information available at the UN, are ignored by the State Department report.
The report implies belief when reporting Ethiopian police allegations that the OLF were responsible for grenade attacks in Addis Ababa and three murders. It reports as fact Radical Ahmara groups, the OLF, and the Islamic extremist group Al'Ittihad Al'Islamia were responsible for a number of grenade attacks, bombings, shootings, and ambushes that killed and injured a number of persons. This not only blames the OLF for terrorist acts, without attribution or substantiation, but emotively links the OLF with attacks, bombings, shootings, killing and injury.
The assertion the private press is active and flourishing. Many publications are unprofessional and print inaccurate and untrue articles does not reflect the Committee to Protect Journalists' report and omits to mention that Ethiopia has detained more journalists than any other country in Africa for each of the last four years.
The assertion contradicts a statement later in the report that As a result of poor management, market forces, and government enforcement of the Press Law, only about 20 weekly newspapers appear regularly. Even here, the report attempts to steer blame away from the government.
Foreign journalists continued to operate freely and often wrote articles critical of government policies. Here there is a failure to mention the expulsion of a BBC and Guardian reporter in summer 1997.
Delegations from Human Rights Watch/Africa, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters sans Frontieres, Amnesty International, Education International, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, and various international labor organizations all visited during the year. Representatives from these organizations held substantive discussions with a number of senior government officials, including Prime Minister Meles. Officials of the Federal Security Authority have generally been responsive to requests for information from the diplomatic community. This implies that all is well. A glance at any of the reports written by these NGOs would show otherwise. Again, this is grossly misleading.
In commenting on the wave of arrests of Oromo in October and November 1997, the report again implies that those arrested were supporting the OLF. The report separately states A total of 31 OLF activists were arraigned on various terrorism and illegal weapons possession charges . . . Although the OLF is an illegal organization, due to its refusal to renounce violence and accept the Constitution, simple membership is not necessarily cause for arrest. It is ludicrous to accept this labelling of members of the Macha/Tulama Association and the Human Rights League, without question. As for the safety of being an OLF member, the thousands of reports received by OSG, all of which are communicated to the US Embassy in Addis, show unequivocally that not only a suspicion of membership of the OLF but being closely related to such a suspect is enough to result in detention, torture, disappearance or extrajudicial killing. Amnesty International Urgent Action, 18/98, on 20.1.98, stated 'In Ethiopia there is a pattern of widespread detention, torture, disappearances and extrajudicial executions of suspected OLF supporters'.
According to both the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and foreign diplomats, the Government treats asylum seekers fairly and cooperates with the UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations in assisting refugees and returning citizens. . . There were no reports of forced expulsion of individuals having a valid claim to refugee status. The refoulement of 14 Afar opponents to Djibouti in 1997 is reported by Amnesty International, but not mentioned in the State Department report.
The shooting dead of a Sudanese refugee and the wounding of another, in Addis Ababa on 9 January 1998 by Ethiopian police, should be mentioned in the report for 1998. UNHCR deplored the violence which accompanied the removal of 1,500 Sudanese refugees to a designated camp outside the capital.
Unless the State Department applies standard criteria to its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, uses objective language, refers to UN and NGO material and uses UN treaties and conventions as yardsticks, the reports will continue to lack credibility.