July 22, 1998
POLITICAL PRISONERS SECRETLY DISPERSED OUT OF THE CAPITAL
Reports reaching SOCEPP reveal that a number of political prisoners have been secretly moved out of the jails and prisons of Addis Abeba to prisons and camps in provincial towns. Of the many thus moved the reports mention the longtime Afar prisoners HABIB MOHMED YAYO and GAMAL ABDULKADIR REDDO who have now been moved from Addis Abeba to the Bahr Dar prison in Gojjam region. Other political prisoners have been reportedly taken to Jimma, Arab Minch, Awassa, Nekemte, etc. None of the prisoners of the overcrowded and diseases-infested Kaliti prison have been moved, the same reports state.
While there is no official accounting for the motive behind the move, informed sources speculate that the EPRDF government is trying to hide the number of political prisoners it is holding in the capital city prior to any possible visit by the International Red Cross or other human rights agencies. Given the fact that many major Opposition organizations are calling for the release of political prisoners as one of the conditions that the government must fulfill if it is to get their backing in the war against the Eritrean government, there are genuine fears that the EPRDF, which has in the past manifested a strong vindictive streak, may preempt any release by"disappearing" some of the political prisoners. It is to be noted that the above mentioned prisoners have been detained since 1991, and many others like Tsegaye Gebre Medhin, Sitotaw Hussein, Amha Belete, Yishak Debretsion,etc., have disappeared while in custody. The EPRDF has either continued to deny ever holding them prisoner or has refused to give any account of their whereabouts. The EPRDF holds in jail many notable political prisoners including the leader and several central committee members of the All Amhara People's Organization, the peace delegate Abera Yemeaneab, Fitawrari Makonen Dori, ETA leader Dr. Taye Wolde Semayat and scores of trade unionists, etc... Many political prisoners are also languishing in the so called "ghost prisons" in Addis Abeba and other places while scores aree suffering in underground holes in several towns of Tigrai (Makalle, Quiha,etc). Appeals for the release of the ailing AAPO leader Professor Asrat Woldeyes have been rejected up to now by the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
A vigorous call should again be made for the release of all political prisoners and jailed independent journalists. International vigilance should not also slacken given the EPRDF's tendency to use the war situation to repress political dissenters.
SOCEPP
