October 12, 2002

MISTREATMENT AND ILLEGAL DETENTION OF SEYE ABRHA

SEYE ABRHA, the former minister of defense and central committee member of the ruling TPLF/EPRDF, has now passed his 16 months of illegal detention and his condition is worsening. Recent reports are alarming:

 * The individual bringing food to Seye Abrha has been jailed;

 * Seye Abrha is kept in chains each night;

* He has been denied the right of consulting freely with his lawyers;

 * Psychological pressure continues to be applied on him through insults and taunting.

Seye Abrha is one of the many prisoners illegally detained by the EPRDF. Though he has been charged for corruption, it is apparent that the detention of Seye Abrha is politically motivated and emanates from his political differences with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi who has publicly uttered hateful and vindictive words against the prisoner. Seye Abrha's brothers and sister are also prisoners and victims of the same political vendetta. This also refers to former Prime Minister Tamrat Layne who had been railroaded and sentenced for a long prison term.

 The EPRDF authorities are openly using their political power to manipulate the law, to politically employ the Prosecutor's office against political rivals, to violate the independence of the judiciary. This denial of due process and the trampling on the rule of law explains the real reason why the above-mentioned prisoners are being illegally kept behind bars.

 SOCEPP calls for an immediate halt to the mistreatment of prisoner Seye Abrha. The EPRDF must release Seye and his colleagues who are all in prison for political reasons. Due process and the rule of law should be respected in Ethiopia and the donors who support the EPRDF must daringly link their aid to the respect of human rights by the EPRDF.

SOCEPP