Ethiopian Government Imprisons Peaceful Student Activist, Defies Court Order

On February 13, Ethiopian security forces arrested 22-year-old Oromo youth Mohammed Deksiso at his Jimma University graduation ceremony. Mohammed, a vibrant young man who acquaintances say was active in his local community, had just earned his degree in accounting. 

At his graduation ceremony, Mohammed seized the microphone and chanted “Free Jawar Mohammed! Free Oromo political prisoners!” Witnesses say that he was arrested on the spot and taken to an undisclosed location. Days later, a representative of his family shared an image of Mohammed, bruised from the Oromia Special Forces’ harassment. According to an Oromo community leader, the young man is now being held at Jimma Prison in West Oromia. 

Several days after his initial arrest, Mohammed appeared in court, where a judge ordered his release on bail. However, the police have refused, saying they will only liberate Mohammed if they receive orders from the office of the Oromia region president. 

This police refusal to honor a court ruling may shock Western readers, but this is sadly an everyday occurrence in Ethiopia, particularly for Oromo citizens, who are frequently denied legal protections and due process.

Tragically, Ethiopian security forces have also arrested Mohammed’s two brothers, in retaliation for the young man’s act of protest. Seid Deksiso, 20 years old, and Sulxan Deksiso, 36 years old, were arrested that same weekend. Authorities released Sulxan Deksiso on February 15, but Seid remained in detention as of publication. Relatives do not know his current condition.

Background

Mohammed was protesting the wrongful detention of Oromo political prisoners Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, and Colonel Gemechu Ayana. The beloved Oromo leaders have been imprisoned since June 2020, when Ethiopian security forces arrested them in connection with the nationwide rallies protesting the murder of Oromo musician, Hachalu Hundessa. While the rallies began peacefully, the protests rapidly morphed into violent chaos in some areas. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) condemned the violence as a “crime against humanity,” specifically blaming the brutal crackdown by government forces. According to official figures, police and militias killed dozens of protestors, and activists say the actual number of victims was much higher than reported.

For four weeks now, Jawar Mohammed and the others have led a hunger strike from prison in order to demand justice for Oromo activists and condemn the Ethiopian government’s harassment of political prisoners and their families. Now on day 28 of refusing all food, the leaders are at imminent risk of death, according to prison doctors. 

The Oromo people are the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, but they remain a marginalized political minority, suffering generations of economic and social oppression. Since last summer’s unrest, the Ethiopian government has shut down Oromo media outlets, arrested journalists, and engaged in widespread police brutality against Oromo people. Sources say Mohammed passionately campaigned for Oromo rights and justice within Ethiopia and was involved in the movement since he was in high school. 

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