OLLAA has received reports from credible sources regarding the arbitrary arrest and torture of Rabirra Mossisa by Ethiopian security forces.
Rabirra Wirtu Mosisa was born in the Horo Guduru Wollega Zone of Oromia. According to our sources, throughout his youth, Rabirra endured a great deal of suffering because of prejudices held against him as an Oromo. He is a humble and determined young man who recently graduated from university with a degree in accounting and finance. Following university, he stayed with his sister in Burayu while searching for a job in Finfinnee.
On April 7, 2021, members of the Ethiopian security forces came and arrested him at his sister’s home. They covered his eyes and took him to an unidentified location, where he remained for about 4 hours. After this, he was taken to one of the federal government police stations located in Mexico, Finfinnee where he stayed overnight. The next day, he was taken to an undisclosed detention center where they tortured him. After seven days of torture, Rabirra was interrogated for the first time. There, he learned he had been accused of possessing a satellite phone called “Tuuriya”, which they claimed he had been using to communicate with the OLA.
Altogether, Rabirra was detained for close to a year. Throughout his time in detention, Rabbira was held in several detention centers in Burayu, Gelan detention center, multiple federal prisons in Finfinne, and in undisclosed locations. While being interrogated at Gelan, his hands and legs were chained with shackles. Because of the torture he experienced in the Gelan detention center and at the unknown location, Rabirra suffered grave injuries to his ears and feet. Eventually, Rabirra was brought before a court in Burayu, which ordered his release on bail. Unfortunately, instead of releasing him, the security personnel transferred him to another prison center.
At long last, on March 11, 2022, the court again ordered him released on bail, and he was released after paying 50,000 Ethiopian birr–around $940 USD–while his case continues.
International Law
Torture and inhumane treatment 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 Rabbira. Furthermore, international law also protects citizens from arbitrary arrests and detentions, and guarantees certain rights to those who have been detained, including to the due process of law and a fair and public hearing.