Parents Denied the Right to Mourn Their Daughter Killed in a Fight Between Government Soldiers and Oromo Liberation Army in East Guji Zone
OLLAA has received a disturbing report of family members being denied the right to mourn their loved ones by Ethiopian government forces in the East Gujii Zone, Nagelle Borana Town. A confirmed report was received on October 13th alleging that a young woman named Naimaa Abdoo, who was a member of Oromo Liberation Army, was killed on 6th October, 2021, in a fight that broke out between government soldiers and Oromo liberation rebels. On October 9th, Naimaaâs parents, who live in Nagelle Borana town of East Guji Zone, were informed of her death via a phone call from a ranking member of the Oromo Liberation Army operating in the East Guji Zone.
As soon as the family received the bad news they began grieving and neighbours gathered at their home to join them in mourning. The report alleges that at this point an unidentified individual informed the police about the incident and what was going on in the neighbourhood, stating that the police turned up straight away, and appeared to comfort the mourners before dismissing them.
According to the verified report received by OLLAA, once the police had dismissed the mourners, they come back and arrested the late Naimaaâs parents, Mr. Abdoo Hussien and Ms. Hamdiya Abdoo. Naimaaâs parents were detained at Nagelle Borana police station on allegations of mourning the death of their daughter, who was a member of the outlawed Oromo Liberation Army. The Ethiopian government designated the Oromo Liberation Army and Tigray Liberation Front as terrorist organizations in late 2020.
According to this confirmed report, this is not the first time the family of Ms. Naimaa have been detained, harassed or intimidated. In fact, the report indicates they have previously been intimidated on numerous occasions due to allegations of their daughter being a member of Oromo Liberation Army, including being detained twice in late 2020 for two months. It is general public information that the Oromo Liberation Army is fighting government soldiers on many fronts in Oromia.
The report goes further and alleges that the properties of Ms and Mr. Abdoo were also confiscated after their arrest and detention. The family had one shop that provided them with their daily bread, and it has been reported that the police looted their shop and have since taken over ownership, citing allegations of the family feeding Oromo Liberation Army members operating in the area.
Understanding grief as a right under Ethiopian law.
Grief is a natural response to loss. Itâs the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. Often, the pain of loss can feel overwhelming. Individuals have the right to talk about their grief under the right to freedom of expression, which is provided under Article 29 of the Federal Constitution of Ethiopia. Under this article, everyone has the right to freedom of expression without state interference, which can only be limited under certain, justifiable circumstances. Penalizing parents for mourning the death of their daughter would represent a serious breach of this right.