Kalid Dereje was born in Begi, West Wallaga zone of Oromia and moved with his family to Horro Guduru Wallaga in 2012. Due to the September 2022 attack in this area by Fanno militia, the displaced family moved again, this time to Finfine. This move ended Kalid’s dream of an education, and soon he was to become a victim of arbitrary detention.
A member of Kalid’s family, who was able to visit the 18-year-old detainee after seven months in prison, relayed his story to OLLAA staff. Internally displaced, Kalid struggled with life in the capital, finding only occasional work as a day laborer. Despondent, he decided to return to his family in Jardega Jarte despite the difficult security and safety issues in the area. His journey back to his family ended in January 2023 in the town of Harato. There, Kalid was arrested by government security forces for not having his national ID, which was lost during his 2022 displacement to Finfine. He was subsequently accused of being a member of Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).
After he was missing for two weeks, Kalid’s family learned that he was being held in a military camp and later a prison facility without court order or formal charges being brought. In April 2023, he was taken to Sanaqalle military training camp for two months, completing what the government called “reformation training” before being returned to the prison in Harato. While many are said to have been released, Kalid continues to languish in prison, having neither family in proximity to the prison nor a lawyer who can visit and bring him food.
International Laws
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 to the due process of law. The right of detained persons to access medical care has its basis in the right of all persons deprived of their liberty to be treated with humanity and respect to the inherent dignity of the person (ICCPR, Article 10), as well as in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which sets out that all persons have the right “to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” In addition, the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules) set out that States have a responsibility to provide health care for prisoners, and that “prisoners should enjoy the same standards of healthcare that are available in the community, and should have access to necessary health-care services free of charge without discrimination on the grounds of their legal status.” These rights are also protected under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, to which Ethiopia is a party. In the case of Kalid Dereje, the Ethiopian government has violated these international standards.