Falls Church, Virginia (09/6/2024) – Yesterday, the Ethiopian government released seven senior members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) from detention, nearly three years after most of the detainees were cleared of wrongdoing or lacked formal accusations against them. These OLF political leaders were arrested primarily following the killing of Hachalu Hundessa in 2020 and spent the last four years in inhumane conditions. They were often transferred between detention centers and camps without notifying their lawyers or family members, lacked medical care even as they faced deadly diseases, and endured reports of physical abuse. These prisoners lost four years of their lives. Their release was not the result of a new court ruling but rather an initiative by the police, as they had been cleared of charges for some time.
OLLAA has been advocating for the release of these prisoners, and we join the United States government in welcoming the release of Abdi Raggaasa, Mika’el Booran, Kennasaa Ayyaana, Lammii Beenya, Gadaa Oljirraa, Gadaa Gabisaa, and Dawit Abdata. We urge the Ethiopian government to release all other political prisoners and to take steps to ensure that individuals are not deprived of their liberty for exercising their rights to freedom of opinion, expression, and association. We also ask the Ethiopian government to ensure that these leaders, as well as other activists, obtain justice for their arbitrary arrest and detention. It is crucial to address human rights violations in many parts of the country, including Oromia, where the lack of human rights monitoring organizations leaves communities vulnerable.
OLLAA records the ongoing reports of airstrikes and bombings throughout the country; kidnapping, extortion, and rape are rampant; thousands of people remain arbitrarily detained, and new detentions occur with accusations of support or tenuous connections to organizations deemed “terrorist groups” by the Ethiopian government. Much work remains to ensure that the Ethiopian government complies with its international obligations and protects and promotes the human rights of its citizens, including allowing independent investigations into allegations of human rights abuses to be conducted.
Finally, OLLAA notes that, while this is certainly a positive step forward for the Ethiopian government, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s regime still has much work to do to end the violence, extortion, and kidnapping that remain rampant throughout the country. We call on the Ethiopian government, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), and other armed groups to return to the negotiation table for a peaceful settlement. We also urge the Ethiopian government to reduce tensions with neighboring countries and enter into peace agreements with all armed groups fighting the government.