OLLAA has received a credible report that an Oromo lawyer, Mr. Boonaa Yaazoo, has been arrested by the Oromo Special Police Force and taken to an undisclosed location. According to an OMN report, on November 28, 2021, Mr. Boonaa was arrested while at his place of work in Adama City at around 10 am. One of his colleagues, whose name was not disclosed by OMN, told reporters that the police did not state a reason for Mr. Boonaa’s arrest and detention.
Mr. Boonaa is a lawyer in his forties, and is best known for his work representing high profile political prisoners before the Oromia Supreme Court. Mr. Boonaa’s colleague reported that Mr. Boona had received threatening text messages and phone calls from unknown persons because of his work. Mr. Boonaa had also previously been arrested and detained for multiple days because of his representation of political prisoners at the Oromia Supreme Court, although he was later released.
After his release, Mr. Boona continued his work representing Oromo political prisoners, including by taking on another high profile case involving Mr. Caalaa Taamiruu and others who had been arrested alongside him. These men had been sentenced to 6-20 years imprisonment by the Oromia Supreme Court in Adama. Mr. Boona appealed their case to the Federal Supreme Court, claiming that the judgment was unfair and lacked sufficient evidence. The case was to be considered on November 29, 2021. Mr. Boona’s colleague believes his detention was directly linked to this case, as he was arrested the day before it was due to be considered.
The independence of lawyers and the judiciary is viewed as a fundamental principle of international law. The United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers sets out that governments should ensure that lawyers are “able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference;” and that they “shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics.” It appears that Mr. Boonaa was arrested for his work defending Oromo political prisoners, in direct contravention of these standards.
A photo of lawyer Boona Yaazoo ( photo credit Oromia Media Network)