JUSTICE AND FREEDOM FOR OROMO

From home to anywhere …..

Meron Admasu

By Meron Admasu | September 4, 2013

The Ethiopian regime intensified the killing, imprisonment and persecution of the Ethiopian civilian population. Thousands of innocent people were forced to flee their homes and became refugees in the neighboring countries of Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, and all over the world.

The Ethiopian government has also actively pressed neighboring countries to abduct Ethiopian refugees. There have been evidences that refugees who have been forcefully returned to Ethiopia from neighboring countries have been persecuted upon return. The refugees had the history of facing torture, rape (women) and imprisonment on the basis of the imputed political views and membership in the other political parties. The case of Engineers Abebe and Chemeda, and numerous other cases, is a testimony to the fact that such action of returning and refugee – abductions are in violation of major regional and international human rights laws, treaties and refugee protocols.

Many Ethiopians are left with no other option than leaving the country; At least half of the more than 2.5 million refugees fleeing Ethiopia are Oromo.

The main reason Why Ethiopian people being refuge

The restrictions on freedom of expression and association through politically motivated trials and convictions of opposition political figures, activists, journalists, and bloggers, as well as increased restrictions on print media, no separation of state and religion in Ethiopia, problems included arbitrary killings; allegations of torture, beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees by security forces; reports of harsh and at times life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; detention without charge and lengthy pretrial detention; a weak, overburdened judiciary subject to political influence; infringement on citizens’ privacy rights, including illegal searches; allegations of abuses in the implementation of the government’s “villagization” program; restrictions on academic freedom; restrictions on freedom of assembly, association, and movement; alleged interference in religious affairs; limits on citizens’ ability to change their government; police, administrative, and judicial corruption.

Most of Oromo people jailed and tortured on suspicion of belonging to Oromo political organizations. Without exception the refugees decided to leave Ethiopia only after being subjected to torture or imprisonment or after a close friend or family member had been killed or jailed “indefinitely”. Recently stepped up military action by the TPLF dominated junta has caused still more refugees to flee.

What ways do they use to migrate?

Many of them mistreatment, abuse, or torture among people who make the journey by smugglers boats in the process of this forced migration, many Ethiopians cry for being victims of illegal and inhuman organ trade (trafficking) in sinai and other dessert s. Quite many cry falling in the fierce Jaw of beasts while crossing jungles. Others risk their life crossing dangerous sea and ocean waves on worn out boats under the shadow of death; and many of them cry while capsizing to be buried under sea bed or becoming live preys for sharks.

Ethiopia government security forces have been actively abducting refugees and Asylum seekers in third countries such as Djibouti, Somaliland and Kenya.

After years in refugee camps many Ethiopian refugees are able to reach the different county through the assistance of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United States government.

There have been evidences that refugees who have been forcefully returned to Ethiopia from neighboring countries have been persecuted upon return returning mandated and non – mandated refugees without trying them in a court of law in the country providing asylum and convicting them has posed credible dangers to the lives of those forcefully returned.

What happen during migration?

Ethiopian migrants tell of torture and rape in Yemen the Ethiopian teenager survived a treacherous boat journey being smuggled across the Red Sea. But on reaching Yemen was kidnapped and driven at gunpoint to a mud brick house. They got beaten and they raped them at gunpoint. The women get raped and the men are burned. They break bones take people’s eyes out.

Our sisters living in Middle East and Arab countries are crying under the shackle of modern slavery; being denied their wage for the harsh labor work they are subjected for. Some become victim of boiled oil by their employers and cry bearing life threatening burns and scars on their face and bodies. As if these are not enough to bear on their weak shoulder, many of young girls are being raped without their consent and become hopeless to get any legal protection or justice.

–Meron Admasu