OLLAA has received a credible report from local residents regarding the extrajudicial execution of Fermosa Tesfaye, a 19 year old student, by members of the Oromia special police force on April 7, 2022.
Mr. Tesfaye was a second year student at the Kebri Dehar University who had returned home to visit his family in Babo kebele, Keramu woreda, East Wollega zone during his school break. Our sources describe him as a young and peaceful student with a great vision for the future for himself, his family, and his community. He had no prior history of arrests.
At around 10:45am on April 7, 2022, members of the Oromia special police began searching Babo kebele for members of the OLA and their supporters. According to our sources, the Oromia special forces began to “hunt down” any youths who were present in the kebele, who they labeled “Shane” (a term often used by the Ethiopian government to refer to members of OLA), regardless of whether there was any reason to suspect they had ties to the OLA. Unfortunately, Mr. Tesfay was one of the youth who they found during their search. He was extrajudicially executed by the Oromia special police that day..
Our sources report that the Oromia special police have, thus far, refused to turn Mr. Tesfaye’s body over to his family for a proper burial. There has been no media coverage of his death.
International Law
Under international law, States are obligated to ensure that the State, or its agents, like police officers, do not violate the rights of its citizens. Multiple human rights treaties that Ethiopia is a party to uphold the right to life as a fundamental right, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Extrajudicial executions are a violation of the right to life, and involve the deliberate killing of an individual by a State agent outside of a legal framework.