OLLAA has received a credible report regarding various human rights abuses that have been perpetrated against Mengistu Wakuma. While such stories of Oromo civilians facing persistent harassment are far too common, far too few people have heard about them.
Mengistu Wakuma, a husband and father of two, was born in Western part of Oromia and started teaching at Rift Valley University after graduating from the University of Gondar. According to this report, he has experienced scrutiny and persecution at the hands of Ethiopian security forces and government officials throughout his life – typically without any attempt at legal justification.
According to our source, Mengistu has been detained at least twelve times by the Ethiopian government over the years. The most recent incident took place on March 26, 2021, when Mengistu was arrested by government security officials in Addis Ababa on his way home after defending his Master’s thesis. He was first taken to a detention center in Mesalemiya and then transferred to several detention centers over the course of his incaceration, including in Gelan, Burayu, and Sebeta, where he was alledgedly subjected to torture and other inhumane treatments. As a result of this, he reportedly lost mobility and control of his right hand – leaving him functionally disabled.
According to our source, Mengistu has been repeatedly targeted by security forces due to suspicions that he is a member and supporter of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). However, the Oromia Supreme Court acquitted Mengistu of all charges that had been brought against him, and despite the court ordering his release, police officers reportedly refused to release him for a further two days. He was finally released on October 27, 2021 after eight months of imprisonment, receiving no reparations for the grievous harm he was subjected to during his detention. Throughout his incarceration, our source reports that various government security personnel made repeated threats towards Mengsitu’s wife and children, who were forced to flee their home to escape further persecution.
After his release, Mengistu started teaching in Addis Ababa. Unfortunately, however, he was once again targeted by security forces on December 28, 2021 when government security personnel attacked his home. According to our source, the violence with which they did so revealed their intent to kill him. Fortunately, Mengistu and his family managed to escape and flee south to the Kenyan border. Currently, Mengistu and his family have started a new life as refugees.
International Law
Torture and inhumne treatement are not only heinous acts, but also constitute international crimes. ICCPR Article 2(1/2/3), CAT Article 1(1/2) and Article 4(1), FDRE Constitution Articles 14-17—as well as other international and national human rights instruments to which Ethiopia is party—prohibit the torture and inhuman treatment endured by Mengistu. Furthermore, rights such as the due process of law, fair and public hearing. The rights of his children were also violated due to the harassment they faced at the hands of security forces.