The death row, which is being effected by government deployed security forces, in West Wollega of Oromia Region continues taking different features from time to time. All forms and approaches that these security forces are employing are always illegal and inhuman. The following events are indication of some these actions that is bringing about negative impacts on Oromo community in all directions. It makes them feel they are not recognized as citizens in their home country and by their own government.
The Killing of Mrs. Amsalu Gudeta and its Impact on her Family and the Community
It was on May 20, 2020 Thursday morning around 5 o’clock, that Government soldiers killed Mrs. Amsalu Gudeta inside her own compound. Mrs. Amsalu Gudeta was a married woman and a mother of four children. In the morning, before her death by government forces, she was planting maize crop in her Garden; while at the same time looking after her three children who were playing a little bit far from their house. Among these children, she was keeping the one year old by her side. Since the family does not have enough farmland, Mrs. Amsalu and her husband Mr. Mihiratu used to lead their lives as daily laborers. On that very day Mr. Mihiratu was not at home as he was out looking for labor work as usual.
Some individuals from her neighbor are eye-witnesses of what happened. They report of hearing gun fire and shouting while working around. They also add that they immediately run to the area to know what happened and found government soldiers passing by and Mrs. Amsalu’s older daughter crying from bottom of her heart. They report that they saw a dead body on the floor and when they check it was the mother of this young lady who was shot in front of her one year old child.
It has been a regular activity for the government soldiers to go inside any house and compound they want to check in with out warrant and any time. According to Ethiopian laws, a search warrant is required to come into somebody’s house and conduct a search as prescribed under Article 32 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code. This provision provides exceptions; but the case at hand and many other actions by security forces do not fulfill the exception.
In addition, otherwise ordered by Court of law, a lawful search can be conducted only between the hours of 6 A.M and 6 P.M as per Article 32 (5) of the Criminal Procedure Code. But the situation in Western and Southern Oromia, especially in different zones of Guji, Borena and Wollega, is always contrary to this. Premises are being searched at any time; civilians are always tortured, bitten and killed by government security forces without justifiable cause. Everybody lives in uncertainty because the reason for attack by security forces is not predictable. Many of the victims are not suspected of crime or any other illegal action; they are innocent citizens working, going to work or walking around like Mrs. Amsalu. Citizens are also not safe and do not sleep at night as what the soldiers do is unknown.
The killing of Mr. Amsalu also occurred while the soldiers were just moving in and checking the village without any valid cause. Here are Mr Mihiratu’s, Mrs. Amsalu’s husband, heart touching words and they clearly elaborate how desperate the situation of his family becomes after the loss of his wife to the bullet of security forces without reason.
“The government didn’t just kill her, it killed all of us, I am sick and it will be difficult for me to support my family. We had been supporting the family by doing some labor work; on that very day I went to work alone leaving her at home so that she could plant some maize crop for us. We are not politicians, we are just poor people who are struggling to survive, we don’t have food in the stock, we just support our lives from what we earn from our daily labor work, and she was the pillar of the household, now we are all lost.”
The Inhuman killing of two Brothers – Lijalem Balinaa and Seedaa Balinaa
On April 14/2012 Ethiopian Calendar, in the morning, in West Wollaga Zone, Boji Chokorsa Woreda, Sibu Ebicha Kebele, three brothers were taken from their home by the government soldiers and two of them, Lijalem Balinaa and Seedaa Balinaa, were killed; while the third brother was sent back after getting beaten heavily.
Sitting together and having cups of coffee early in the morning before being dismissed to different affairs is the tradition of most societies in Ethiopia. These murdered boys- Lijalem Balinaa, Seedaa Balinaa- and their older brother who returned home from college due to COVID-19 pandemic were sitting together with their father and mother as any other family. The government soldiers appeared unexpectedly in the compound and took them without telling the family why they wanted to take them or where they are taking them to. They dragged them from their house forcefully, handcuffed them and took them to a place these soldiers decided to attack the life of these young boys.
The older brother confessed that people in the village told the soldiers that he came back from university two days ago and begged them to release him. They then beat and tortured him before letting him go. After releasing him, they took his two brothers to a jungle, where they were found killed.
Their big brother said “the government soldiers killed by shooting them each with two bullets after tying them to forest tree, and it seems like they were practicing shooting target.”
This is inhuman action against innocent young boys who were not given a chance to hear why their precious lives were to be sacrificed. Liljalem Balina had a small shop with which he was supporting the family while Seedaa Balinaa was a young student in grade six, whom a reasonable man cannot suspect of having maturity required to engage in politics.
Mr. Bal’ina Berhanu, the father of these boys, and their older brother speak of thinking that the soldiers were taking the boys to prison. But contrary to this, the family’s hope of meeting their loved ones in prison ended where they collected dead bodies from the jungle. Mr. Balina said that they couldn’t go to the farm since last year for it is not safe and it was Liljalem Balina, whose life is now sacrificed, who was supporting the family by covering family expenses including the cost of studying at University for his big brother. Currently this family is in a big problem, they cannot cover their expenses as they cannot farm because it is unsafe for their life; and Lijalem – who used to support the family has been killed. Further, the mother of these children is very sick and can’t even afford to take her to hospital to save her life. The following are pictures of the family whose children are murdered by government forces, and the grave of the two boys murdered by government forces.
In West Wollega the action of putting civilians to death with no reason by government security forces has now become a norm. Civilians in every village live with huge frustration. The extra-extrajudicial killing is everywhere and these indicates the regime’s brutality against Oromo.
Generally, these two events are selected only to indicate what is happening and are not the only actions of this kind. Many oppressive, torturing and killing action are taking place in different parts of Oromia Region and against the Oromo people. The killing are clearly against the Constitutional right to life. Article 15 of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia provides
“Every human being has the right to life. No one shall be deprived of his life except by reason of his conviction in accordance with the law for a serious crime committed by him.”
Here, the only ground for taking away one’s life is when it is decided by Court of law as punishment for an action by a person that has been established as a crime in a pre-existing law and for which death penalty is set as a punishment by the same law. However, the above two cases and many loss of life in Ethiopia’s Oromia region do not conform to this constitutional principle. They are extrajudicial killing of citizens – which means killings committed, tolerated or accepted by governments.
Killings of such kind are always execution or killing without sentence. While it is the duty of the government to consistently condemn and prohibit all such killings, these actions, however, are being performed by government security forces. Furthermore, the action by security forces in Oromia Region is subjecting innocent citizens to different cruel and inhuman treatments against Article 18 of the Constitution. The protection against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under this Constitutional provision is so strong that it cannot be even violated during emergency declaration as per Article 95 (4) (C) of the Constitution itself. But these all precious rights are left to be of paper value and Oromos are being subjected to killing and different abusive treatments in Ethiopia.