October 11, 2002

ILLEGAL DETENTIONS, POLITICAL USE OF THE JUDICIARY

The recent wave of arrests in Addis Abeba and Dire Dawa, which has targeted several people originating from the Oromo ethnic group, has highlighted the continuation of the practice of illegal detentions and the use of the judiciary for political ends. It is such an illegal action that has led to the incarceration of many prisoners like Abera Yemaneab (since 1993), Fitawrari Makonen Dori, Tamrat Layne,Siye Abrha and many others.

Using the explosion of the Tigrai Hotel in Addis Abeba as a pretext, the EPRDF security police is rounding up people it had for long been suspecting of sympathies towards opposition groups such as the Oromo Liberation Front. In this connection, dozens of alleged OLF members and sympathizers have been jailed and the arrests are continuing. Mesfin Itana,Mengistu Wordofa, Dawit and Tesfaye Atnafu have been picked up from the Mercato area and imprisoned. From Wereda 8, two brothers. Yilam and Gudiusa Mossisa have been jailed. A long list of arbitrary arrests clearly indicates that the EPRDF is using the event of the explosion as a convenient cover for its action against alleged supporters of rival organizations.

SOCEPP strongly condemns the ongoing wave of arrests, the illegal detentions and the political use of the judiciary, and calls on the EPRDF to immediately and unconditionally cease such activities and to release all illegally detained prisoners.

SOCEPP