Falls Church, Virginia— Despite Amnesty International’s May 29, 2020 report outlining the extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations committed against Ethiopian-Oromos civilians by Ethiopian security forces, reports of ongoing extrajudicial killings and human rights violations continue to be reported from Ethiopia. The Oromo Legacy Leadership and Advocacy Association (OLLAA) supports all the congressional actions taken to stop the reported crimes being committed by Ethiopian security forces but fears that the congressional hearings and resolutions have not had the intended effects of deterring Ethiopian security forces and militia from committing these heinous crimes. From November 16, 2020, to November 23, 2020, OLLAA’s grassroots efforts in Ethiopia recorded the illegal killing of 74 Oromos. On December 9, 2020, the Senate Introduced Senate Resolution (S. Res.) 798, which calls for the protection of all Ethiopian lives. While encouraged by this new resolution, OLLAA members fear that this resolution will have little or no effect in stopping the violence.
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OLLAA has begun an initiative to encourage Congress and the Executive Branch to move aside from just hearings and resolutions and take executive and congressional actions to deter the extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses against Oromo civilians. OLLAA has initiated the STOP THE KILLING campaign to bring increased attention to the extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses and calls for the fair trial or release of all Ethiopian political prisoners. The campaign will include a petition to President Trump and President-elect Biden to push for an investigation into the ongoing extrajudicial killings and human rights violations of Oromos. The campaign will also push for sanctions against Ethiopian civilian and military officials found culpable in committing or aiding the ongoing extrajudicial killings and human rights violations of Oromos. The STOP THE KILLING campaign will also include an Oromo rally in Washington, D.C. on inauguration day to bring direct attention to the suffering of the Oromo People.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that presents dozens of Oromo communities around the world.