Tekiya Hussien, 28, was born and raised in Bale Zone, Ginnir District, in Harawa Village. She went to primary and high school in Harawa Village and later joined Haramaya University. As a married mother of two, Teikya has been subjected to arbitrary arrest as a means of political pressure.
From 2014 onwards there was a widespread protest led by the youths (Qeerroo) in Oromia, Ethiopia. Her husband, who was active in these protests, was jailed several times. Tekiya was also arrested in 2021 and held for more than a year. Failing to find any evidence to detain her further, the Ethiopian security forces finally released her. However, following her husband’s decision to join the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), she was re-arrested once again.
Accordingly, she was placed in prison on October 12, 2022 and released a year later in October of 2023. They jailed her to force and intimidate her husband to surrender to the police. However, failing in this endeavor, they released her again. Upon release, Tekiya fled to another area, fearing yet another imprisonment and any other risks she may encounter. As a mother of two, who is raising the children alone, the continuous detention exacerbated by the economic inflation in the country, made Tekiya’s life extremely difficult.
International Law
The right of a person to liberty and freedom against arbitrary arrest is acknowledged as a core human right by a host of international conventions to which Ethiopia is a party, including the UDHR, ICCPR and ACHPR. However, Tekiya was arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned for more than a year. The security forces’ irresponsible action is also a clear violation of international human rights instruments and the Ethiopian Constitution.
As per article 17 of the FDRE Constitution, no person shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, and no person may be detained without a charge or conviction against them. Furthermore, no one shall be imprisoned for a fault committed by another person, be it a family member or anyone else. This is against the right to liberty and dignity of a person.
In addition, it is abhorrent for the security personnel to arbitrarily detain a mother of two children who has committed no crimes.
Therefore, OLLAA urges the Ethiopian government, as a signatory state to the aforementioned human rights instruments, to protect its citizens’ right to be free from arbitrary detention. It is also obligated to uphold these rights under its own constitution.