Hashim Idiris Ushe was a father with one son. He was born from a poor family and lived in Sakina Kebele, Daro Labu District, West Hararghe Zone of Oromia Region. He worked day and night to support his family. Unfortunately, Hashim had been repeatedly targeted by government security forces since 2020, after the assassination of a well-known Oromo artist Hachalu Hundesa.
OLLAA staff spoke to Hashim’s relatives regarding his arbitrary arrests and detentions that ended with his extrajudicial killing by government security forces.
In May 2023, Ethiopian security forces raided Hashim’s house without a court order and took him into custody. He was detained in the Daro Labu Police Station for more than 45 days without being brought before a court of law. His arrest by government police forces was made without valid reason, according to OLLAA’s source.
This was not the first time Hashim had been arrested. Previously, following Hundesa’s assassination, he was detained for five months in the same police station. At the time, he was charged for taking part in a protest with the public mourning the death of Hundesa.
His time in prison this time, however, ended in his death. During this time he was subjected to poor detention conditions, including overcrowding and a shortage of nutrition. On June 20, 2023, he decided to escape from police custody and run away. The cops began to chase him as soon as he escaped, but they could not catch him. Instead, the police shot him from behind, resulting in his immediate death. Throughout the course of his detention, the police did not present a court order for his arrest nor was he ever brought before a court of law. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Hashim’s experience is not unique and that many civilians are being illegally detained and tortured in this prison.
International Law
The right to life has been acknowledged as a fundamental right that necessitates the exercise of all other rights, including the right to a fair trial, by a number of international human rights conventions to which Ethiopia is a party, including the ICCPR and the ACHPR, and the FDRE Constitution. The right to habeas corpus, which entitles a person to be brought before a court to ascertain if their incarceration was legal, is a part of the right to a fair trial.
The need to protect people from violations of human rights, especially the right to life, which is protected by an array of human rights treaties, is also imposed by international human rights law. According to the aforementioned statutes, it is clear that Hashim’s extrajudicial killing – which was carried out by state agents outside of the legal framework – violated these rights.