Suppressing Dissent
Human Rights Abuses and Political Repression in Ethiopia's Oromia Region

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Summary

Recommendations

To the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Regional Government of Oromia State

To International Election Observers

To Donor Governments

To the World Bank and United Nations Agencies Involved in Development in Ethiopia

Introduction

Political Competition in Oromia

Historical Background

Ethiopia and Oromia under EPRDF Rule

The Oromo Liberation Front

The Struggle for Political Control in Oromia during the Transition

The May 2005 Elections

Government Use of Torture, Arbitrary Detention, Surveillance and Harassment to Discourage and Punish Dissent

Arbitrary Detention and Torture

Arbitrary Detention

Prolonged Arbitrary Detention of High-Profile Oromo Defendants

Torture and Other Mistreatment

Continuing Harassment of Targeted Individuals

Targeting Oromo Students for Harassment and Abuse

Pressuring Teachers to Monitor Students for Subversive Speech

The Chilling Effect of Government Abuse on the Freedom of Expression

Mechanisms Used by the Ethiopian Government to Control Rural Communities in Oromia

The Kebele System

The Gott and Garee System

The Imposition of Gott and Garee on Rural Communities

Forced Labor under the Garee

Forced Attendance at Political Meetings

Using the Garee to Monitor Speech

The Chilling Effect of the Gott and Garee System on Speech

Restrictions on the Freedom of Movement

The International Response and Official Reactions of the Ethiopian Government to Criticism about its Human Rights Record

Acknowledgements

May 2005 Vol. 17, No. 7(A)

www.hrw.org