December  26/2006

 MASSIVE ROUND UP, FORCED RECRUITMENT

AND REPRESSION INTENSIFIED

 As the EPRDF regime enters into a much condemned war against factions in Somalia, it has stepped up the repression inside Ethiopia. This wave of repression is characterized by a daily rounding up and arrest of youngsters in Addis Ababa and other localities, in the shooting to death of resisting youngsters like Abebe Haile Mariam and Assefa Tesfaye, in the forced recruitment of youngsters into the army and indiscriminate military actions in the Ogaden and other areas.

 The rounding up of youngsters has been done on an almost daily basis in the last month and is still continuing. Security forces have also continued to search districts alleging that they are looking for arms during which operations many innocent people have been manhandled and beaten. In the month of December alone, more than 436 people have bene detained on suspicion of "anti peace activities" that have yet to be defined adequately. Rounded up youths have been forcefully taken to military training camps. The regime's adventure and war in Somalia have made it even jittery and it is using the war as a pretext to curtail the rights of the people even further. All those who do not support the war are being labelled as "agents" and threateed with reprisals of all sorts. On the other hand, Ethiopian refugees in Somalia are also not faring well in the hands of the Islamic Courts.

 SOCEPP condemns with vigor the ongoing mass arrest of youngsters in Ethiopia and their forced recruitment into the army. SOCEPP also condemns the search and  seizure operations that have led to the violation of rights and outright robbery of the property of innocent civlians.

SOCEPP