A recent report by OMN has claimed that, on January 13, 2022, Mr. Shibbiruu Bayyana was killed by members of the Oromia police in the Wanchi district, South West Shewa zone, Oromia.
Mr. Shibbirruu was 52 years old, and a lifelong resident of Bachoo district. His first job was as a teacher at an unnamed local school in Tullu Gollo town, before transitioning to a career at the Bachoo district Tourism Department, where he worked until his death. For years, Mr. Shibbiruu was an active member of Oromo Federalist Congress, before he shifted his support to the Oromo Liberation Front after the party returned to Ethiopia. According to OMN, he had been arrested previously for his participation in the Oromo protests from 2014-2018, which led to the rise of Prime Minister Abiy to power. More recently, he had been in and out of jail based on allegations of supporting the OLA. He leaves behind a widow and three children.
According to the report, on January 13th, Mr. Shibbiruu was travelling by car from Waliso to Amaya when he was stopped by Oromia police. The police removed him from his vehicle, and transported him to Waldo Xaalfam, in Wanchi district. There, the police executed him by shooting him multiple times in the chest at around 9pm. According to sources interviewed by OMN, the police refused to hand over his dead body to locals in order to perform his burial.
International Human Rights Standards
Under international law, States are obligated to ensure that the State, or its agents, like police officers, do not violate the rights of its citizens. Multiple human rights treaties that Ethiopia is a party to uphold the right to life as a fundamental right, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Extrajudicial executions are a violation of the right to life, and involve the deliberate killing of an individual by a state agent outside of a legal framework. The right to life is also a non-derogable right, which means that killing of civilians by members of the Ethiopian government cannot be justified in the context of the current conflict, as States of Emergency cannot be used to justify extrajudicial executions.