OLLAA has received a credible report regarding the arbitrary detention and inhuman treatment of Mr. Salloo Moluu Waqoo, a farmer and well-known herbalist in Gobicha, Nagelle Borana town, Guji zone.
According to our source, on September 2, 2021, a member of the Oromia Special Police force fractured bones in his right hand after he was shot during a period of intense fighting between the OLA and the Oromia Special Police a few kilometers outside of town. Mr. Sallo, who specialized in treating fractures, was called to consult on his injury.
At around 7pm that evening, after Mr. Sallo returned home from tending to his patient, members of the OLA kidnapped Mr. Sallo at gunpoint and accused him of âhelping the enemy.â According to our report, the OLA held him for two days, where he faced beatings and torture, before being released. They also threatened him with further harm if he helped any other government security personnel.
Unfortunately, Mr. Salooâs challenges did not end there. On September 6, 2021, he was arrested by the Oromia Special Police, and accused of having ties to the OLA. Rather than take Mr. Sallo to court, as per law, the Oromia Police detained him at Nagelle Borana Oromia Special police camp in East Guji zone for five months. There, he was denied visitations from his family and access to medical care. He was released from the detention center on February 3, 2022.
International Law:
As the primary duty bearer under international human rights law, States have an obligation to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to ensure that all persons under its jurisdiction are able to enjoy all those rights and freedoms in practice. States may be found to have violated this obligation when they have failed to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, and respond to abuses committed by third parties, including armed non-State actors. In some cases, armed non-State actors also may be found to have an obligation to protect the human rights of civilians, including the right to freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, particularly when they exercise either âgovernment-like functionsâ or have âde facto control over territory and populationâ.
The right to liberty protects citizens from arbitrary arrest and detentions, which are arrests and detentions that are not in accordance with the procedures established by law. Persons who have been arrested or detained have the right to information, including the right to be notified of the reasons for their arrest, and to be informed promptly of any charges against them. They also have the right to the assistance of legal counsel, which begins as soon as they are deprived of their liberty. They have the right of access to the outside world, including to their family, lawyers, a judicial official, and to health care. Those who have been arrested or detained must be brought promptly before a judge or court, so that the judge can rule on the lawfulness of their arrest or detention. Finally, all persons deprived of their liberty have the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention before a court of law.