[ad_1]
(Nairobi)– Ethiopia Security forces are detaining the brother of Batte Urgessa, a political opposition member who was murdered in April 2024, and at least 11 people associated with him, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities should immediately and unconditionally release those detained without charge and seek international support for an investigation into Batte’s killing.
On April 9, Batt was last seen alive at a guesthouse in Meki, East Shewa District, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The next morning, residents found his body on the outskirts of the city, tied up with a gunshot wound to the head. In the following days, local police announced the arrest of 13 suspects Also involved in the killing were Bate’s brother Milo, a family friend Eba Wane and the owner of the guesthouse where Bate was staying. Many of them remain in detention. Bate was an outspoken political official of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) opposition faction.
“The fact that Ethiopian authorities have detained the slain opposition leader’s brother and others without charge suggests that the government is more concerned with preventing the truth from coming to light than revealing it,” Letitia BuddDeputy Director of the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should immediately release those illegally detained and seek international assistance for an impartial investigation.”
On April 10, two photos circulated on social media showing a man, allegedly Butt, lying face down in a dry riverbed with his hands tied behind his back with belts. He had at least one gunshot wound on the left side of the back of his head and blood on his lower back. The ground below his head and left shoulder was also covered in blood, indicating that he was likely shot while tied in this position.
A second photo posted to Facebook along with the first shows six rifle-sized bullet casings laid out on a sheet of paper, which were said to have been collected at the scene. Human Rights Watch was unable to determine the location or date of the photos. However, the photos were not available online until April 10.
On April 10, the Oromia State Government issued a statement condemned the murder of Bute and said online propaganda blaming the government was unacceptable. In an interview with the Oromo Diaspora media in the United States, Broadcast On April 11, Milo Urgeza, who was arrested shortly after Butt’s funeral, said witnesses saw Butt being carried away from a “forest ranger” vehicle, a common name for government security vehicles, near the site where Butt was killed.
While Milo and Eba are being held at the Meki police station, the whereabouts of the other detainees have not been made public, leaving them at risk of ill-treatment. Human Rights Watch received a list of nine people linked to Bute’s case. On June 12, the Meki District Court ordered Milo’s release, but he remains in detention. “Security officials said they didn’t know him (Milo) and he wasn’t being held by them,” said a person familiar with the case.
Ethiopian authorities have arrested Butt several times, including on March 7, 2021, when he Visiting detained OLF officialsAt the time, Butt was held for a year without charge, frequently moved between formal and makeshift detention facilities, including a poultry farm, and beaten by guards. He was released in March 2022 after developing Serious health problemsHe continues to campaign for the release of his detained colleagues.
“I tried to do what I could for my colleagues,” Butt told Human Rights Watch in a 2023 interview. “I reported their cases to the authorities. I pleaded for their immediate release. However, there was no solution… I have never seen this before… Only in Ethiopia do the authorities order your release and the police refuse the request… Our office in Addis is guarded by federal police. No one is allowed to enter… The government seems to be trying to disband the OLF. Or ban the party. Or kill the OLF leaders.”
Bart’s Seven senior OLF colleagues Despite a court ruling to release them, they have remained in detention for nearly four years. called Asked the Ethiopian Parliament to launch an investigation into the continued detention of OLF officials.
Ask something The last arrest Bate was arrested along with French journalist Antoine Galindo during an interview at a hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February 2024. Bate was released on bail on March 9 and eventually returned to Meki, Oromia.
this USAthis U.K.The European Union and its member states have also responded to the national Ethiopian Human Rights CommissionFederal agencies, asking federal and local authorities to review the circumstances of Butt’s death and conduct a prompt and impartial investigation into his killing. U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pointed out that the government suppressed the media and political opposition and urge Ethiopian authorities have allowed a “thorough investigation by a credible, neutral international body”.
In recent months, Ethiopian authorities have Threats, intimidation and harassment increase against prominent Ethiopian human rights groupsThese include the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, the country’s oldest independent rights group. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP) also Record The repressive media environment has led to the exile of at least 54 Ethiopian journalists and media workers since 2020.
Human Rights Watch and others right Human Rights Watch has repeatedly expressed concerns about the government’s lack of effective investigations into human rights violations and the capacity and independence of Ethiopia’s investigative and judicial institutions, which are subject to political interference. Although the Ethiopian government has announced a three-year plan to reform and overhaul the judiciary and released a national transitional justice policy in April, the continued detention of political opponents despite court orders to release them casts doubt on the government’s commitment to accountability and the rule of law, Human Rights Watch said.
Given the sensitivity and importance of the Batte Urgessa case, the Government should request international assistance in its criminal investigation.
“Ethiopian authorities have been silent on several high-profile killings of government critics and other human rights violations,” Bader said. “The government should make clear that brazen murders of opposition politicians warrant investigations, with active international participation.”
[ad_2]
Source link
