Falls Church, Virginia (3/2/2021)—On Monday, March 8, after 40 days, imprisoned Oromo political leaders ended their hunger strike. The detainees, led by Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba, had not eaten since January 27, when they first launched the protest demanding the release of all Ethiopian political prisoners and reinstate operating licenses for all opposition parties.
Jawar and Bekele, who are both prominent members of the Oromo Federalist Congress, have been detained in a maximum-security prison in Addis Ababa since June 2020. Human Rights Watch reports that the men’s prolonged detention has seriously violated their due process rights. In 2018, Amnesty International designated Bekele a “prisoner of conscience.” “Bekele Gerba is…being detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights,” the organization reported.
Jawar and Bekele’s wrongful detention belongs to a larger pattern of mass political imprisonment by the Ethiopian government. Thousands are presently behind bars, including journalists, mothers, children under the age of 18, and elders over the age of 70. The majority of political prisoners are Oromo, who comprise Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, but who are politically marginalized by the government.
Several prominent US figures, including Rep. Ilhan Omar and Former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, urged the White House and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to resolve the hunger strikers’ demands. However, the Ethiopian government refused to intervene. The Biden administration also remained silent on the issue.
After 40 days, the Oromo leaders agreed to end their strike following pleas by prominent Oromo community leaders, who urged the men to safeguard their health and safety.