MANY MORE PRISONS WITHIN A PRISON (OMRHO e.V Press Release)

MANY MORE PRISONS WITHIN A PRISON

OMRHO e.V Press Release

08/12/08

The Ethiopian empire has always been a prison as far as the Oromos and other oppressed peoples in the empire are concerned. Prison life means nothing but living under constant state-surveillance and control with no right or sense of freedom as Oromos have been doing in Ethiopia for more than a century. In the face of their giant demographic size and wealthiest natural resource possession, the Oromos could only be contained within this larger prison through repressive laws, bylaws, regulations and police craft.

Under the present regime even this larger prison seems to be no longer efficient enough in containing the Oromos. Therefore, many prisons had to be opened within the larger prison as Mr. Zenawi’s regime has been engaged right from his ascendance to power in 1991 in turning even schools, hospitals and colleges into prisons. As queer some as this direction of development may appear in the era of globalization in 21st century, Mr. zenawi seems to have free hand in his project of developing prisons both in their quantity and quality. One cannot help wondering how many prisons Ethiopia has today, in the face of the ever rising number of Oromos getting imprisoned all throughout Oromia.

The recent wave of arrest, which begun at the end of October in this year, is still going on in an imaginable pace every where in Oromia without any discrimination of gender, age, locality, social class or political opinion that even babies should be imprisoned with their mothers. Every Oromo from all walks of life is a potential prisoner or victim of any sort, ranging from intimidation to physical elimination. Being an Oromo seems to be enough reason for the regime to criminalize any Oromo individual. Otherwise, it would be difficult for any rational mind to comprehend the recent continuous and massive imprisonment of the Oromos in the entire Oromia region. The arrest is virtually happening on a daily basis, but we fail to deliver the exact data because of an ever tighter state control of information flows, on the one hand, and the high magnitude of arrest in every corner of Oromia, on the other.

According to the recent information Oromo Human Right and Relief Organization, OMRHO e. V., received the following individuals are from eastern Hararge zone, Gola Odaa district, Cabbii county in the villages of Gaara Gaafaa and Diimtuu which includes the head of security in the region:

1. Mr. Abdii Mahadii (the head of security of the regime itself in the area)
2. Mr. Siraaj Ahmed ( a student)
3. Mr. Ibraahim Ahmed Kadir
4. Mr. Taajuddiin Sheek-Ibraahim
5. Mr. Ibraahim Aliyyii
6. Mr. Aliyyii Tukkee
7. Mr. Ahmed Saido
8. Mr. Aliyyi Muosa

All these mentioned individuals have been sent to a prison known as Burqaa in the region.

Hailu Dalasaa, 3rd year accounting student at Haroo-Mayya University in Hararge was abducted on October 29, 20008 by the regime’s security men and where his about remains unknown.

Another two Oromos named Abdii Botuu and Durrii Mohammad Galchu were also criminalized by their identity and thrown into a prison in the locality known as Miliqaayetti, district Daroo Labuu in western Hararge.

Similarly, an Oromo student known as Ahmed Mohammad Aliyyii was imprisoned with no charge in Gindhiir town, Baalee region.

The following individuals are also reported to have been arrested in western Oromia, Neqamtee city:

1. Mr. Warqinaa Dhinsaa (a teacher)
2. Mr. Namoomsaa Warqee (a teacher)
3. Mr. Fiqaaduu Nagarii (a teacher)
4. Mr. Balaay Kormee
5. Mr. Taayyee Ittaanaa
6. Mr. Shiferaw Nagaassoo
7. Mr. Geetahuun Dhugumaa
8. Mr. Obsaa Wakkee
9. Mrs. Bizunesh (a student)
10. Mr. Qanaate Barataa
11. Mr. Nagaraa Fayyisaa
12. Mr. Mahammad Tamaam (a student)
13. Mr. Takkee Gamachuu (a student)

These mentioned names are numerically insignificant compared to those whose names are not yet disclosed. This being the case, the TPLF regime herds thousands of Oromos into prison while it propagates, on the other hand, its readiness to negotiate with the Oromo Liberation Front, the main Oromo opposition organization widely considered as a vanguard political force among the Oromos at large. In the last couple of weeks, the regime also declared to the world that it pardoned and released 44 Oromo prisoner who were sentenced up to life imprisonment. In the face of the recent wide spread mass arrest, these positive gestures of the regime are simply its usual fake methods of deceiving and manipulating the public opinion of the international community.

Therefore, the Oromo Human Right and Relief Organization keeps on calling all human right advocating organizations and governments of the world to and continue concerting their powers and work in curbing this anti-human right regime before it would be too late to do so.