January 23, 2003

ETHIOPIAN REFUGEE KILLED IN PARIS

 GETU HAGOS, an Ethiopian refugee who had come to France from Johannesburg (South Africa), has died at the Paris Roissy international airport (on January 16) following physical mishandling by the French policwe who were attempting to deport him. Of frail health, Getu had been hopsitalized before. Previously, the French police had been accused of causing the death of an Argentinian refugee in a similar manner.

Officially, the French police have denied any brutality on their part but have admitted that they did use the "usual techniques" which they have not explained further. The manhandling and beating of refugees by irate police who resort to such methods as they carry out forced deportation has been registered many times before and the suspicion that the frail Getu died of such a rough action on the part of the French police is not to be easily disimissed.

 SOCEPP calls on the French government to launch an impartial investigation of the causes of the death of Getu Hagos and to reveal this to the public as soon as possible. All attempts at cover up will not stand. It is to be noted that Ethiopian refugees in the Sudan are also being subjected to rounding up and possible deporation following an arbitrary UNHCR decision that they do not deserve a refugee status as the UNHCR has concluded that the regime in Addis Abeba is "democratic".

 STOP THE BRUTAL TREATMENT, DEPORTATION AND KILLING OF ETHIOPIAN REFUGEES!!!

SOCEPP