July 17, 2001

PRISONERS BEATEN TO DEATH,TORTURED, FORCED TO COMMIT SUICIDE

 The government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is presently keeping in prison thousands of students who had engaged in peaceful protests last April. Of these, many are held in the Tatek Military Training Camp (Addis Abeba) while others (including leaders and members of legal political organizations like the EDP and the AAPO) are being held at the Shoa-Robit and Zwai detention-cum-concentration camps.

Reliable reports reaching SOCEPP have revealed that many students being held in deplorable conditions in the Tatek Camp have beaten to death or pushed to commit suicide trying to escape the terrible torture. Thus, youngster ABEBE BELAI (resident of Kebelle 21) killed himself (mid-June 2001) after being tortured to death. Ketab Saeed Mohamed (resident of Kebelle 45, Wereda 3) died after going into a coma following severe beating by police. Youngster Ibsa Ararsa (resident of Kebelle 13/Wereda 17), who has been severely beaten, has lost sanity and is awaiting death chained hand and foot. WENDU ABEBE and TEWODROS have also committed suicide to protest against the inhumane handling of prisoners in Tatek.

More than 1000 prisoners are being kept at Tatek. Two hundred others have been moved from Tatek to Shoa- Robit. Since April-May 2001, close to 15,000 prisoners are being held all over Ethiopia and especially in Tatek, Shoa Robit and Zwai where prisoners are humiliated, beaten. Tortured and made to suffer as a routine matter of deliberate policy.

SOCEPP