Thursday, April 15, 2010
Guyyaa Gootota Oromoo Bara 2010 Ilaalchisuun Ibsa Adda Bilisumma Oromoo
Guyyaa Gootota Oromoo Bara 2010 Ilaalchisuun Ibsa Adda Bilisumma Oromoo
Ebli 15, Guuyyaa Gootota Oromoo ta’ee Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo fi ummata Oromoo biratti yaadatamu fi kabajamuu erga jalqabee waggoota digdamaa ol lakkoobsiseera. Guyyaan kun guyyaa miseensotni fi deggertootni Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo , uummati Oromoo bal’aa fi firoottan qabsoo bilisummaa Oromoo ilmaan Oromoo qaroo fi muratoo bilisummaa saba isaaniif jecha lubbuu isaanii jijjiirraa hin qabne wareegan itti yaadatani fi kabajani dha. Kana malees Ebli 15 guyyaa qabsaa’oti Oromoo tokkummaa ummata Oromoo wareega lubbuu isaaniittin mirkaneessan galmaan gahuuf waadaa seenana itti haaromsani dha. Guyyaa Gootota Oromoo Ebla 15 kan bara 2010 kana yeroo kabajnu eessaa kaane, eessa geenyee jirra, qabsoon bilisummaa Oromoo sadarkaa akkamii irra gahee jira, haalli diina keenyaa akkami, haalli uummata Oromoo hoo maal irra jira, kaayyoo haqaa qabsaa’otaa fi uummati Oromoo irratti wareegaman bakkaan gahuuf maaltu nu irraa eegama kan jedhuu kaasuun barbaachisaa taha. Uummati Oromoo gaafa bittaa alagaa jalatti kufee kaasee mirga abbaa biyyummaa fi bilisummaa sarbame deebifachuuf qabsoo hadha’aa godhe keessatti wareegama baayyee baaseera. Keessaahuu deggertoota, miseensotaa fi hoogganooti Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo bilisummaa Oromoo mirkaneessuuf wareegama qaqqaalii hedduu baasan. Ilmaan Oromoo qaroo, hubatoo fi muratoon golee Oromiyaa hunda keessaa walitti dhufan, eenyummaa uummata Oromoo haalame dhugoomsuuf, seena fi aadaa Oromoo awwaalame boollaa baasuuf, afaan Oromoo dhabama irraa hambisuuf, walumaa gala bilisummaa uummata Oromoo mirkaneessuuf dhaaba sochii bilisummaa saba Oromoo hoogganu Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo gadi dhaaban. Bu’uureffamuu Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo irraa kaasee hoogganootaa fi miseensoti ABO dhiiraa fi dhalaan bilisummaa saba isaanii dhugoomsuuf jecha gaarrenii fi gammoojjii Oromiyaa keessatti, akkasumas mana hidhaa koloneeffataa keessatti wareegamanii fi biyyoota ormaa keessatti lubbuun isaanii darbe tarrisanii fixuun hin danda’amu. Kanneen kaayyoo kanaaf jecha lubbuu isaanii dabarsanii kennan kumoota hedduutti lakkaawamu. Ammas taanaan bilisummaa keenya mirkaneessuuf wareegama kaffalaa jirra. Har’a illee mana hidhaa Wayyaanee dhoksaa fi beekamaa keessatti qabsaawoti bilisummaa ajjeefamaa jiru. Garii ilmaan Oromoo yakka dharaan murtiin du’aa fi hidhaa waggaa dheeraa irratti dabraa jira. Kun hundi qaama wareegama goototi Oromoo bilisummaa ummataaf godhaa jiranii ti. Haga bilisummaan keenya mirkanaawuttis wareegamni goototaa addaan hin dhaabbatu. Dadhabbii fi wareegama qabsaa’ota Oromoon milkiilen argaman hedduu dha. Eenyummaa fi sabummaan Oromoo haalamee turee har’a deebi’ee dhugoomeera. Gootowwan Oromoo seenaa, aadaa fi afaan Oromoo awwaalamaa ture dhiiga isaaniin barreessan. Dammaqiinsii fi sabboonummaan Oromoo sadarkaa guddaa irra gahuu kan danda’e wareegama gootowwan Oromoo kaffalaniin ta’uunis wal nama hin gaafachiisu. Qaanqee qabsoo bilisummaa gootowwan Oromoo wareegaman facaasan har’a goleele Oromiyaa mara keessatti murnoota hawaasaa Oromoo hundaa dhaqabee finiinee sadarkaa olaanaa irratti argama. Miseensoti ABO fi ummatni Oromoo bal’aan kaayyoo gootowwan keenya irratti kufan galmaan gahuuf qabsoo bilisummaa finiinsanii sadarkaa kana irraan gahanis kabajaa fi galata guddaa qabu. Diinoti qabsoo bilisummaa Oromoo, jalqaba irraa kaasanii hanga har’aatti ABO irraa sodaa waan qabaniif isa dhabamsisuuf dhama’an iyyuu akeeki isaani galma gahaafii hin jiru. ABO fi uummata Oromoo adda baasuun qabsoo bilisummaa of duuba deebisuuf shirri diinoti xaxan fashalee ummatni Oromoo qabsoo bilisummaa galmaan gahachuuf kan yeroo kamii caalaa sochii bal’aa gochaa jira. Ummatni Oromoo diina naasuu tokko illee isaaf hin qabne dura dhaabbatee falmaa hadhawaa itti fufuun kanuma mirkaneessa. Murni Abbaa Irree aangoo irra jiru soda fi diinummaa ummata Oromoof qabu irraa , keessaattuu filmaata fakkeessaa Caamsaa 2010 godhamuun wal qabatee manni hidhaa Wayyaanee sabboontoota Oromoon guutamee jira. Na filtan malee jechuun doorsisii fi hidhaan babal’atee Oromoo hiraarsaa jira. Kun hundi tahuus Oromoon mootummaa nu miidhu, qabeenya keenya saamu, lafa keenya irraa nu buqqisu of irratti hin fillu jedhaa jira. Har’a mootummaan Wayyaanee QBO ukkaamsuuf yaalii ijibbaataa godhaa jira. Ummata Oromoo hidhuu, dararuu, ukkaamsee dhabamsiisuu fi doorsisuun qabeenya isaa bifa adda addaan saamee hiyyoomsuu fi gadadchuun hojii guyyaa mootummaa Abbaa Irree Wayyaanee ti. Gochaa hammeenyaa ummata Oromoo irratti raawwatuun kan hin quufne murni bicuu Wayyaanee Oromoo lafa isaa irraa buqqisee alagaatti gurguratuutti tarkaanfatuun kan egeree ummata keenyaa balaaf saasilaa jiru tahuu hubatuu feesisa. Murni aangoo siyaasaa Itophiyaa irratti humnaan cichaa jiru kun lafa Oromoo alagaatti gurguratuu dhaan ummata Oromoo hiyyoomsuu, jireenya gadadoo akka jiraatu gochuu dhaan hamilee keessatti cabsee sodaachisee, jiilchee qabsoo irraa of duuba deebisuuf akka tahe shakkin hin jiru. Yaa ummata keenya!! Murni Wayyaanee Tigiraay kan aangoo irra jiru ummata Oromoo irraa sodaa fi jibba guddaa qaba. Qabeenyaa ummata Oromootti ni hinaafa. Sochii bilisummaa ummatni Oromoo godhu akka qara eebootti sodaata. Galma gahuun QBO du’a isaa akka tahu waan beekuuf doomsuuf shira adda adda xaxa. Diina akka ummataatti nu diineffatee lafa irraa nu haxaa’uu barbaadu jala guyyaa tokko illee buluun gaabbisiisaa fi salfachiisaa dha. Kanaaf: · Ummati Oromoo kana hubattee QBO kan ammaa daran akka finiinsitu waamicha keenya haaromsina. · Bilisummaan wareegama malee hin argamu waan ta’eef wareegama dachaa dachaa baafnee kaayyoo gootowwan Oromoo wareegamaniif bakkaan gahuuf harka wal qabannee haa kaanu. Jenna. · Biyya itti dhalannee guddanne keessatti lafa keenya irraa buqqaafamaa kadhataa fi joortuu taanee akka hafnuuf gochaa Wayyaaneen itti jiru dura dhaabbachuun falmuu caalaatti boonsaa fi seena qabeessi hin jiru. · Tokkoon tokkoo dhala Oromoo qabsoo bilisummaa sabaa deemaa jiru keessatti qooda maaliin kenne jedhee of gaafachuun yeroon ejjannoo fi gochaa keenya sirreessannu ammuma tahuu haa hubannu. · Ilmaan Oromoo sababa adda addaatiif mootummaa Wayyaaneef hojjachuun qabsoo bilisummaa ummata isaanii dura dhaabbataa jiran osoo yeroon hin dabarre akka gochaa isaanii gilgaalanii hiriira qabsaawota seenan dhaamsa dabarsinaaf. · Tokkummaa Oromoo dhiiga gootowwan Oromoon mirkanaawe tiksaa fi daran jabeessaa, humnoota tokkummaa Oromoo sharafuuf dhama’an dammaqinaan of irraa haa eegnu. · Mirgoota wareegama gootowwan Oromoon galmeeffaman tikfachaa kan nu hafan harkaan gahachuuf uummati Oromoo Qabsoo Bilisummaa keessatti hirmaannaa isaa dachaan akka guddisu waamicha goona. · Beektoti Oromoo, kaa’imman, dubartootaa fi murnooti hawaasa Oromoo hundi bilisummaa Oromoo dhugoomsuuf qooda irraa eegamu akka bahan dhaamsa dabarsina. Egaa yaa ummata keenya!! Guyyaa Gootoota Oromoo bara kanaa yeroo yaadannu kaayyoo gootowwan Oromoo irratti kufan galamaan gahuuf waadaa keenya haaromsuun tahuu qaba. Diina qe’ee keenyatti dhufee nu ajjeesaa, qabeenya keenyaa saamaa fi nu xiqqeessaa jiru of irraa kaasuuf yeroo itti kakuu keenya haaromsinee sochii keenya dachaa dachaan daballu tahuu qaba. Diini nurra turuu fi gadadoon nutti jabaachuu isaatiif kan komatamu abbaa dhimmaa ti malee kan biraa tahuu hin danda’u. Wareegama bilisummaan gaafatu baafnee bilisoomnu malee humni gara biraa kan bilisa nu baasu akka hin jirre yaadannee wal haa yaadachiifnu. Kaayyoo gootowwan wareegamanii bakkaan ni geenya! Wareegamtooti keenya bara baraan ni yaadatamu! IUOf! GGB ti!! Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo Ebla 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
OSA Open Letter to UNHCHR: Unlawful Conviction of Civilian Oromos by Ethiopian Court
Waldaa Qormaata Oromoo
P.O. Box 32391, Fridley, MN 55432
OromoStudies.org
April 11, 2010
Ms. Navanethem Pillay
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)
Palais Wilson
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Telephone: +41 22 917 9220
E-mail: InfoDesk@ohchr.org
Re: Unlawful Conviction of Civilian Oromos by Ethiopian Court
Dear Madam Pillay:
I am writing this letter on behalf of the Oromo Studies Association (OSA), a scholarly, multi-disciplinary, non-profit international organization, established to promote studies on and relevant to the Oromo people residing in East Africa, mainly in Ethiopia with a population close to 50 million. The Executive Committee of OSA is gravely concerned by the conviction of innocent Oromos by the Ethiopian regime on March 31, 2010 by an entirely biased court. OSA has historical evidences that the Ethiopian legal, political and social policies are discriminatory to the Oromo people. We have known that in the name of the ‘Federal Court of Ethiopia’, a terrible capital punishment, injustice and hostile decisions are being imposed on the following Oromos:
1. Mr. Mesfin Abebe Abdissa, Death penalty
2. Mr. Tasfahuun Chamada Gurmessa, Life Imprisonment Sentence
3. Mrs. Aberash Yadata (mother of four children), 12 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
4. Mrs. Lelisee Wadajo (mother of three kids), 10 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
5. Col. Olaanii Jabeesa, 12 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
6. Mr. Roba Degefa, 10 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
7. Mr. Dejene Dhaba, 10 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
8. Mr. Bekele Negeri, 10 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
9. Mr. Bayisa Hussen, 10 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
10. Mr. Hailu Delessa, 10 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
11. Mr. Dejene Boranaa, 13 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
12. Mr. Bekele Jiraata, 13 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
13. Mr. Kebede Borana, 12 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
14. Mr. Isheetu Kitil, 12 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
15. Mr. Wabee Hajii, 12 Year Imprisonment (without parole)
Dear Ms. Pillay,
OSA believes that all of these convicted individuals are non-violent civilians, with no violent or criminal record whatsoever. Most of those who are currently convicted and many more who are awaiting their trials and others who are languishing in jail without any fair trial come from all walks of civilian community: engineers, businesspersons, mothers, lawyers, teachers, students and farmers. The charges against them are purely fabricated, and politically and racially motivated. We strongly believe that, currently, the Ethiopian government is engaged in eliminating the Oromo leadership and involved in killing, imprisoning and hunting down successful Oromo business men and women, community leaders and elites.
From among the convicted, Mr. Mesfin Abebe Abdissa and Mr. Tasfahuun Chamada Gurmessa were once legal refugees in Kenya and carried UNHCR ID and lived in Nairobi for a number of years. About two years ago, they were abducted by joint Kenyan and Ethiopian security forces from their residences and detained. In prison they were visited by the UNHCR representatives and the Kenyan authorities promised to release them. However, soon the Kenyan authorities handed these individuals over to Ethiopian authorities, who transported the victims to Addis Ababa and tortured them. As far as we know, the UNHCR didn’t raise any concern nor did it voice any opposition against this crime. The UNHCR has, thus, failed to carry out its responsibility to protect these political refugees. Now, after over two years in prison, under harsh conditions, their fates were decided. Today, Mr. Mesfin Abebe Abdissa awaits his final hour on death row, while Mr. Tesfahuun Chameda Gurmessa will be in prison for life. Who knows when he will be poisoned in jail.
Many others have been falsely accused and abducted from their homes and their work places. Mr. Bekele Jirata was the secretary general of the OFDM and was arrested by the regime on November 04, 2008 and then accused of having relations with the OLF and stayed in prison until he was released on bail on February 04, 2009. Mrs. Lelisee Wadajo, a former journalist in the government run Ethiopian TV and a mother of three, was arrested on November 14, 2008 and stayed in jail since then. Her husband, Mr. Dhabessa Wakjira, was also been jailed for more than three years and went to exile, after being released. Their kids are now left without parents or guardians.
OSA strongly believes that, the Ethiopian legal system is racist and the decision of the so-called Federal court made is politically and racially motivated. It is a well documented and established fact that the Ethiopian courts at all levels are neither impartial nor independent. They are all under the complete control of the Tigray Peoples Libration (TPLF) led by Meles Zenawi. The only “crime” of these victims has been being an Oromo and alleged association with the OLF. Most Oromos believe that the OLF is a genuine political organization which struggles to empower and free the Oromo people from repression perpetrated by the TPLF court. Indeed, from the perspective of the Oromo people, the TPLF has no legal or moral authority to tell the Oromo people which political party they should support or associate with. The notion of TPLF attempting to tell the Oromo people which political party they should support is coming from their racist mindset. To legalize their illegal power relations and further incapacitate and impoverish the Oromo people they killing the Oromo people indiscriminately. Therefore, we appeal to all governmental, non-governmental, humanitarian organizations, and freedom loving individuals to condemn the persecution of these innocent people and speak loudly on their behalf. OSA believes that the decision has violated the Ethiopian constitution that embellishes itself as the safeguard of individuals’ rights, fair trial and transparency. The decision is a blatant attempt to incapacitate the Oromo people, deny them leadership, widen the exploitation of human and natural resources and silence the voice of the Oromo peoples that seeks dignity, peace, stability, social justice and democracy. Such cruel and racist decisions are causing famine, poverty, disease and illiteracy in Oromia, and is affecting the lives of millions of people.
Dear Ms. Pillay,
 Mr. Nelson Mandela (left) – Oromo hero, General Tadesse Biru (right) |
We believe your experience as a defense attorney for anti-apartheid activists, exposing torture, and helping establish key rights for prisoners on Robben Island, gave you a better insight about such gross human rights violations. The Oromos are going through the kind of regime that resembles apartheid. In fact, one of our renowned Oromo human rights activists, General Tadesse Biru, a brave human being, whom Mr. Nelson Mandela admires, was the victim of the Ethiopian government racist policies (see picture). The Haile Selassie regime sentenced General Tadesse Biru to life imprisonment and the Military government led by Mengistu Hailemariam sentenced him to death in 1974. Mr. Mandela, who saw the light of freedom after a bitter struggle, has mentioned the name of General Tadesse Biru in his book. For the Oromo people, the successive Ethiopian government policies are worse than the apartheid government in South Africa.
We would like to ask you to critically look at the nature of the Ethiopian court system and the longstanding racist view of the Abyssinian elites against the Oromo people. We kindly appeal to your office to stand up in defense of the rights of these innocent Oromo men and women, and condemn against the capital punishment, life sentences and long-term imprisonment (without parole) – the decisions of the Ethiopian Federal court, and end the brutal attack on human lives, as you have done in South Africa.
Sincerely,
Haile Hirpa, Ph.D.
OSA President
Cc:
1. António Guterres
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Case Postale 2500
CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt
InfoDesk@ohchr.org
2. Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Tel: 1-(212) 290-4700, Fax: 1-(212) 736-1300
hrwnyc@hrw.org
3. Amnesty International Australia, Victorian Activist Resource Centre
Suite 8, 134 Cambridge Street, Collingwood VIC 3066
Tel: 03 9412 0737, Fax: 03 9412 0720
Email: vicintern@amnesty.org.au
4. Unrepresented Nation and People Organization
UNPO Secretariat
P.O. Box 85878
2508CN The Hague, the Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 3646504
Fax: +31 (0)70 3646608
Email: unpo@unpo.org
5. Human Rights Watch
1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500
Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel:1-(202) 612-4321, Fax:1-(202) 612-4333
hrwdc@hrw.org
6. Amnesty International
AmnestyUsa.org
+1 212 807 8400
+1 212 463 9193\1 212 627 1451
5 Penn Plaza – 14th floor
New York, NY 10001
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
7. Refugee Council of Australia
Suite 4A6, 410 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Phone: 02 9211 9333, Fax: 02 9211 9288
E-mail: admin@refugeecouncil.org.au; info@refugeecouncil.org.au
8. EFDR Ministry of Justice
P.O. Box 1370
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
email: Justice@telecom.net.et
- Read the above letter in a pdf format
RELATED: Coverage on the Political Persecution Against Oromo
Monday, April 12, 2010
Oromo Sentenced to Death in Ethiopia
By Qeerransoo Biyyaa*
Ethiopia’s ruling party-controlled court sentenced 16 Oromo nationals to death, life and long term imprisonment in Finfinne/Addis Ababa on March 31, 2010.
The judges accused the Oromos of financing and being the members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and of conspiracy to violently overthrow the minority Tigire-controlled government in order to establish an independent state of Oromiya.
Engineer Mesfin A. Abdissa, Sentenced to Death by Zenawi's Court |
Thirteen of them were sentenced to 10-13 years in prison. One of them, Mesfin Abebe Abdissa (Engineer), was sentenced to death while the court meted out life imprisonments to two others – Mesfin Ittana and Tesfahun Chamada (Engineer).
The Oromian Human Rights and Justice Council (OHRJC) sates that the recipient of the death sentence, Mr. Mesfin Abdissa, and the recipient of a life imprisonment, Mr. Tesfahun Chamada, were extradited refugees who once lived in Kenya as legal refugees and carried the UNHCR IDs.
Two Oromo women and mothers were sentenced to 10 years in prison each. Mrs. Lalisse Wadajo is a mother of three kids and was a journalist in the government-owned Ethiopia Television before she was jailed and sentenced; her husband Dhabassa Wakjira, who was also a journalist, was exiled after over two years in jail.
Another Oromo woman, Mrs. Abarash Yadata, is a mother of four children.
In a statement from Washington, D.C., the OLF said that these Oromo nationals are not its members, but they are innocent persons sentenced for being Oromo.
“The charges filed against them were trumped-up charges. They did not get a fair trial. The kangaroo court that passed the unjust sentences … was neither independent nor partial; it is the tyrannical minority regimes instrument of repression,” the OLF statement explained.
The OLF is a political organization established in 1973, and the OLF says its mission is “to lead the national liberation struggle of the Oromo people against Abyssinian colonialism.”
The profiles of the convicted Oromo prisoners included engineers, businesspersons, mothers, lawyers, students and farmers. Some comment these Oromos represented the creams of the Oromo society in all walks of life.
The Oromo are the largest ethno-national group, comprising nearly 50 percent of the country’s population. Oromiya, the state inhabited by Oromo people, is the largest official regional state in the country, and the breadbasket and source of rich natural resources.
For a complete list and description of the guilty verdict on Oromo prisoners, refer tohttp://www.oromiahumanrights.org
* Qeerransoo Biyyaa can be reached at meettaa@gmail.com and blogs atOromoPress.blogspot.com
RELATED: Coverage on the Political Persecution Against Oromo
Victims of the Political Persecution
3. Baqqalaa Nagarii, 12 years without parole, Businessman in Addis Ababa,
4. Isheetuu Kitil, 12 years without parole, Businessman and owner of the Hawi Hotel (Finfinne),
8. Dajanee Dhaabaa, 12 years without parole, Trader,
9. Dajanee Booranaa, 12 years without parole (in Absentia), Brother of Mr. Kebede Borena,
11. Roobaa Gaddafaa, 10 years without parole, Statistician and an employee of Hibret Insurance
12. Baayisaa Huseen, 10 years without parole, High School student, Ambo,
14. Olaanii Jabeesaa, 10 years without parole,
15. Haayiluu Dalasaa, 10 years without parole, 3rd year Law student at Haromaya University.
Ethiopia: HRLHA Calls for Reversal of Racially and Politically Motivated Sentences
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) strongly denounces the death penalty and stiff prison terms handed down to fifteen Oromo nationals by an Ethiopian federal high court in Addis Ababa/Finfinne.
According to information obtained through our correspondents, the 3rd bench of the Federal High Court of Ethiopia, at a trial held on the 31st of March 2010, has imposed a death penalty on Mr. Mesfin Abebe and sentenced his fourteen co-defendants to prison terms that range from the shortest of ten years to life in prison, all without parole.
The fifteen alleged convicts, all of whom are Oromo nationals, were accused of allegedly supporting, sympathizing and/or collaborating with an opposition political organization OLF (Oromo Liberation Front). It is very ironical that a country and government, which claims to be a democrat, imposes a death penalty on its own citizen for allegedly holding a political stand different from that of the governing party. And it should be noted here that this decision of the said federal high court is in breach of not only the democratic principles the government claims to have been following, but also the constitution and other international documents that Ethiopia has ratified.
The fifteen alleged convicts are:
No | Name | Sex | Sentence |
1 | Mr. Mesfin Abebe | M | Death Penalty |
2 | Mr. Tesfahun Chamada | M | Life in prison |
3 | Mrs. Aberash Yadata | F | 12 years |
4 | Mrs. Lalise Wadajo | F | 10 years |
5 | Col. Olani Jabessa | M | 12 years |
6 | Mr. Roba Degafa | M | 10 years |
7 | Mr. Dejene Dhaba | M | 10 years |
8 | Mr. Bekele Negeri | M | 10 years |
9 | Mr. Bayisa Husen | M | 10 years |
10 | Mr. Hailu Delessa | M | 10 years |
11 | Mr. Dejene Borana | M | 13 years |
12 | Mr. Kebede Borana | M | 12 Years |
13 | Mr. Bekele Jirata | M | 13 Years |
14 | Mr. Ishetu Kitil | M | 12 Years |
15 | Mr. Wabe Haji | M | 12 Years |
 Among Those Targeted: From Left to Right – Mr. Mesfin A. Abdissa, Mr. Tesfahun Chemeda, Mrs. Aberash Yadeta, Mrs. Lelisa Wodajo, Mr. Wabe Haji and Mr. Bekele Jirata |
HRLHA would like to bring to the attention of the international communities, the African Union and all its affiliates as well as member states that the Kenyan government shares accountability in sentencing to death of Mr. Mesfin Abebe and all other actions that the alleged convict might be going to face; as Mr. Mesfin was arrested in Nairobi and handed back to the Ethiopian government by the Kenyan government in April 2007, along with one of the other alleged convicts Mr. Tesfahun Camada, who was given life in prison. It is very unfortunate and very disheartening that both Mr. Mesfin Abebe and Mr. Tesfahun Camada were forced to suffer after three years, with the joint actions of the Ethiopian and Kenyan governments, the bitter fate they attempted to escape by fleeing the country in 2007.
Under Article 33 (1) of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (189 U.N.T.S. 150), “[n]o contracting state shall expel or forcibly return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his . . . political opinion.”
The Ethiopian government has a well-documented record of gross and flagrant violations of human rights, including the torturing of its own citizens who were involuntarily returned to the country. The government of Ethiopia routinely imprisons such persons. There have been credible reports of physical and psychological abuses committed against individuals in Ethiopian prisons and other secret places of detention.
This obligation, which is also a principle of customary international law, applies to both asylum seekers and refugees, as affirmed by UNHCR’s Executive Committee and the United Nations General Assembly. For example, Ethiopia has clearly shown to the world in 1998, by executing a convict named Jamil Sherif Yasin, that it not only upholds but also implements death penalty; and HRLHA presumes that the Kenyan government is undoubtedly aware of Ethiopia’s position in regards to this internationally controversial legal issue.
By handing over the Oromo refugees and others, the Kenya Government is breaching its obligations under international treaties as well as customary laws.
Under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1465 U.N.T.S. 185) Kenyan Government has the obligation not to return a person to a place where they face torture or ill-treatment. Article 3 of the Convention against Torture provides:
1. No state party shall expel, return (“refouler”) or extradite a person to another state where there are substantial grounds to believe that they would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
2. For the purpose of determining whether there are such grounds, the competent authorities shall take into account all.
HRLHA believes that the case of Mr. Mesfin Abebe and his co-defendants is a purely political case intentionally designed and executed in order to harass, intimidate and discourage ordinary citizens from exercising their democratic and political rights. It is void of almost all legal procedures, proceeding and fair legal treatment. As is proven, for example, through the uniform denial of parole for all alleged convicts who were given varying prison terms, this case is instead full of political biases.
Therefore, HRLHA calls on all regional and international human rights organizations, democratic forces and western donor and democratic countries as well as diplomatic communities in Ethiopia to put pressure on the Ethiopian government in order that it reverses this politically motivated action taken in the name of justice.
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa/HRLHA is a non-political and non-partisan organization which attempts to challenge abuses of human rights of the peoples of various nations and nationalities in the Horn of Africa. HRLHA is aimed at defending fundamental human rights including freedoms of thought, expression, movement and organization. It is also aimed at raising the awareness of individuals about their own basic human rights and that of others. It has intended to work on the observances as well as due processes of law. It promotes the growth and development of free and vigorous civil societies.
- The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HumanRightsLeague.com)
RELATED: Coverage on the Political Persecution Against Oromo
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