Falls Church, Virginia (04/10/2024) – It is with profound sorrow and an aching heart that OLLAA shares the untimely and violent death of Bate Urgessa, a revered political officer of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). Bate Urgessa was a tireless advocate for the Oromo people’s rights and a staunch defender of justice. His assassination is not only a loss for the Oromo community but a direct attack on the principles of human rights and dignity.
Bate Urgessa’s life was marked by his unwavering commitment to the Oromo cause, enduring multiple imprisonments and relentless persecution for his beliefs. It was only two years ago that he was released from prison after it was confirmed that he might not survive due to the illness he contracted while being kept in inhumane conditions, which eventually led to him contracting Hepatitis B, nearly claiming his life. Recently, on March 6, 2024, he was rearrested after meeting a French journalist who was legally in the country. His most recent release from custody has given the Oromo community hope for a new chapter in his life of advocacy. However, this hope was brutally extinguished when he was shot dead in his hometown of Meki after being removed from the hotel where he was staying.
The circumstances surrounding his death are deeply troubling, and we join the Bureau of African Affairs and Ethiopia’s state-appointed rights commission in calling for a prompt, impartial, and fully independent investigation into his killing. We demand that an independent body investigate these killings, as the Ethiopian government is suspected of repeated arrests and torture of Bate and other political prisoners. Despite the Oromia regional government’s statement refuting reports implicating government forces in his killing, we call on both the Oromia regional and Ethiopian federal authorities to take immediate action to hold the perpetrators accountable.
OLLAA urges the international community to recognize the gravity of this situation and to stand in solidarity with the Oromo people in their quest for justice. We must not allow Bate Urgessa’s death to be in vain. Instead, let it galvanize our collective efforts to fight for accountability, human rights, and a world free from violence and oppression.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that works in collaboration with dozens of Oromo communities around the world.