OLLAA’s staff recently spoke with a family member of Tafara Nagasa regarding his arbitrary arrest and detention in the Amuru town, Horro Guduru Wallaga Zone of Oromia. Tafara Nagasa Qana’i was born and raised in Amuru town, Horro Guduru Wallaga Zone of Oromia. Mr. Tafara has been teaching for years in Amuru. Mr. Tafara is a husband and father of seven: four sons and two daughters. Currently, his family is scattered throughout Ethiopia due to their being targeted by government security forces.
According to the source, on 3 January 2020, government security forces went to Mr. Tafara’s home in Amuru Town so they could arrest him. As a matter of chance, he was not at his home, and his wife told them he went to visit his farm outside of town. The security forces detained his wife, although they came seeking Mr. Tafara. Mr. Tafara’s wife was brought into police custody, where she was detained until police located Mr. Tafara. The police then released Mr. Tafara’s wife and jailed him. Police accused him for his sons being members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). He was arrested without a court warrant and was illegally imprisoned for ten months without being presented before a court of law. The government also refused to pay him his salary during this time of absence. The sources also said many other Oromo were suffering in similar conditions in Amuru prison until the OLA took control of the town and released all political prisoners in October 2020. After some time, Mr. Tafara heard that the government security forces planned to re-arrest him. Soon after, he took his family for safety, where security forces would not identify them. They left their property behind and became internally displaced persons since February 2022. In addition, two of his children were forced to terminate their education.
International Law
Criminal responsibility is a personal matter. No one shall be responsible for another person’s crime; this is a norm in criminal law. Furthermore, arbitrary detention is prohibited under international law. International law also dictates state parties to present a suspect before a court of law within 48 hours of their arrest. International law also guarantees the freedom of movement and a choice of residence, which Mr. Tafara and his family were denied and became internally displaced persons. In this case, the Ethiopian government is in violation of the International Covenant Civil Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), African Charter On Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the FDRE constitution.