Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia

Archives for 2015

The Ethiopian government continues targeting outspoken activists and peaceful protestors

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30 December 2015

In the last few weeks the Ethiopian authority arrests thousands of peaceful protestors in Oromia region and few in the capital, Addis Ababa. On its resent report, AHRE expressed its concern about the ongoing mass arrest in Ethiopia and demands for the immediate release of the two journalists, Getachew Sheferawu and Fekadu Mirkana who were arrested in relation with the protest in Ethiopia’s Oromia region.

AHRE resocial mediaceived today a confirmed report that the young political activist and former Public Relation of Blue Party, Yonatan Teressa was arrested on 29 December 2015. Teressa was active member of the party and he became a public figure since May 2015 General Election. He was also a well-known activist on Social Medias with his regular updates and critiques on the political and human rights situation in Ethiopia. Particularly, in the process of the 2015 election and on the recent protests in Oromia region, Teressa was sharing information to the rest of the world using his Facebook and twitter accounts by posting videos and pictures of those killed and wounded protestors who have been targeted and brutally attacked by the Ethiopian authority.

AHRE asks the Ethiopian government for the immediate release of all political prisoners including Yonatan Teresse.

Urgent Action! Ethiopia arrests two Journalists and Human Rights activist

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25 December 2015

In the last five days Ethiopia arrests two journalists in relation with the ongoing mass protest in Oromia region. Journalist Fekadu Mirkana, who works for the state-run broadcaster radio and tv, was arrested at his Addis Ababa home on 19 December 2015.[1] According to CPJ and AHRE’s sources, Fikadu’s arrest linked with his reports on Oromia Radio and TV that covered protests against the controversial master plan to Journalist Fekadu Mirkanaexpand the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. AHRE received reports that 85 protesters have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested during the protest in Ethiopia’s Oromia region.

On its report that has been released on 18 December 2015, Human Rights Watch reported that police and military forces have fired on demonstrations, killing at least 75 protestors and wounding many others.[2]

AHRE also received a report today about the arrest of another journalist and human rights activist, Getachew Shiferaw. Shiferaw was arrested today, 25 December 2015 from his home by security forces while he was preparing to go to his work. A political science graduate, Shiferaw was working as a journalist for different newspapers and magazines published in Ethiopia. Currently, he is a columnist at Ethio-Mihidar newspaper and two other magazines known as ‘Life’ and ‘Enku’. Since December 2013 he is also a Chief-editor of Negere Ethiopia newspaper. Shiferaw was also known as a human rights activist, who was regularly reporting about human rights violations in the country, political trials Getachew Assefaand he was also criticizing the Ethiopian authority on various issues mainly on the political landscape of the county which is narrowing from time to time.

Since the protest against the controversial Master Plan of Addis Ababa has started, which is now more than three weeks, thousands were arrested. The mass arrest is still continuing and it becomes targeting also prominent political figures, opposition party leaders and their members. Bekele Gerba, former prisoner of conscious[3] and the leader of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) was also arrested on 24 December 2015 by Security forces from his house in Adama city, 90 km far from Ethiopian capital. In 2011, Gerba has been arrested after meeting an Amnesty International delegation and charged under ATP (Ant-terrorism Proclamation). He was released from jail on 31 March 2015 after serving three years.

Another three active members of Blue Party also arrested today, 25 December 2015. Tewodros Asfaw, Daniel Tesfaye and Ermias Tsegaye were arrested today in the morning from their houses by security and police forces. All the three activists had been arrested in April 2015 before the General Election in relation to the clash at Mesqel square between police and protestors at the government call morns to condemn 26 victims of ISIS in Libya, and released few months before after they served their sentence. Amnesty International was considered them as prisoners of conscious during their previous arrest.[4]

AHRE strongly condemned the killing of protestors in Ethiopia’s Oromia region on its last press statement that has been issued on 9 December 2015.[5] We also condemned the ongoing arbitrary mass arrest of protestors and activists by the Ethiopian authority that aims to silence and crackdown political dissents, and to restrict harshly individual from enjoy their fundamental civil and political rights that have recognized under the constitution of the country. This unlawful and systematic attack of the Ethiopian authority against its political opponents and protestors has also a major impact on a narrowed space in the country to exercise freedom of expression and assembly. Therefore, AHRE call the international community to make a pressure against the Ethiopian government for the immediate release of all political prisoners and to bring those perpetrators who have a role on the killing of 85 protestors in Oromia region before the court of law.

[1] https://cpj.org/2015/12/ethiopia-arrests-journalist-after-channel-reports-.php

[2] https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/18/ethiopia-lethal-force-against-protesters

[3] https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-releases/2011/08/ethiopian-opposition-leaders-detained-after-meeting-amnesty-international-2/

[4] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/07/ethiopia-respect-court-rulings-and-release-opposition-members/

[5] https://ahrethio.org/2015/12/09/stop-killing-civilians-in-ethiopia/

Ethiopia arrests journalist after channel reports on protests – CPJ

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https://cpj.org/2015/12/ethiopia-arrests-journalist-after-channel-reports-.php

Nairobi, December 22, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Ethiopia to release news anchor Fikadu Mirkana. Fikadu, who works for the state-run broadcaster Oromia Radio and TV, was arrested at his Addis Ababa home on Saturday morning, according to news reports.

CPJ could not determine the reason for Fikadu’s arrest. It comes as Oromia Radio and TV has, in recent weeks, covered protests against a plan to expand the Ethiopian capital, in a move that campaigners say would displace hundreds of thousands of farmers, according to news reports. Dozens of protesters have been killed during clashes with police during the unrest in the regional state of Oromia, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

“Journalists have a vital role to play in ensuring the flow of information, both from the Ethiopian government and also, critically, from those who will be affected by its decisions,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Sue Valentine in New York. “We call on authorities to release Fikadu Mirkana immediately.”

It is not clear where Fikadu is being held and neither his family nor his lawyers have been allowed access to him, an Addis Ababa-based journalist, who has spoken with Fikadu’s family and who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, told CPJ.

The Ethiopian authorities in Addis Ababa and the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi did not immediately respond to CPJ’s request for details about Fikadu’s arrest.

In recent weeks, the Ethiopian government has used anti-terror rhetoric against campaigners, with the communications minister, Getachew Reda, branding them “terrorists” and “demonic,” according to a column by Awol Allo, a fellow in human rights at the London School of Economics and Political Science, published Saturday on Al-Jazeera‘s website. This language usually presages a crackdown on dissenters, the column said. Protests in Oromia, a region that stretches across central Ethiopia and is home to a third of the country’s population, have affected at least 30 towns and prompted the arrest of more than 500 people since mid-November, according to news reports.

Ethiopia is the third largest jailer of journalists on the African continent, with at least 10 behind bars on December 1, CPJ’s 2015 prison census shows

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