OLLAA’s staff has spoken with the son of Degefu Abata regarding his extrajudicial execution by Ethiopian security forces in March 2022.
Mr. Degefu Abata Chala was born in Guliso town in the West Wollega zone of Oromia. Mr. Degefu was a father of three, two sons and one daughter. He was known as a good person who had served in the local evangelical church for 28 years. In addition to his work for the church, he also served as the Kebele Administrator (Kebele is the name of the smallest level of administrative area in Ethiopia, falling below a District/Woreda).
Mr. Degefu was working as the Kebele Administrator until the OLA took control of the area and demolished the town’s administrative structure. When the OLA left the area, members of the Ethiopian government asked Mr. Degefu to return to the newly restored position. However, Mr. Degefu refused their request for him to return to the role, largely due to his fears that the position would put him in danger if the OLA were to take control of the area again. Because of this, members of the Ethiopian government security personnel accused him of supporting OLA and began to repeatedly threaten and intimidate him.
At around midnight on March 21, 2022, Ethiopian security forces arrested Mr. Degefu and removed him from his home. He was detained at a military camp in Caliya, Guliso, West Wollega zone. According to our source, after being subjected to various forms of torture and ill-treatment, on March 24, 2022, the security forces took him to the street outside of the prison and shot him dead.
International Law
International human rights law contains the obligation for States to protect individuals from human rights violations, including violations to the right to life, which is guaranteed under numerous human rights treaties that Ethiopia is a party to, including the UDHR, ICCPR, CRC, and ACHPR. Extrajudicial executions involve the deliberate killing of individuals by state agents outside of any legal framework and constitute a violation of this right.
International law protects citizens from arbitrary arrests and detentions, which are arrests and detentions that are not in accordance with the procedures established by law, and guarantees certain rights to those who have been detained, including by establishing States have the duty to ensure that persons deprived of their liberty are not subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In the case of Mr. Degefu, his treatment and killing represent a clear violation of international human rights instruments and the Ethiopian Constitution.