Call on the Government of Ethiopia to Respect and Protect Citizens’ the Right to Peaceful Demonstration

October 26, 2019

 For Immediate Release

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) is extremely concerned with the current human rights crisis in Oromia, especially because it escalated from October 21-24, 2019 in several Oromia cities and towns including the capital city Finfinne/Addis Ababa, resulting in tens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.

The right to protest is one of many recognized human rights. That right, along with the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom association, and the right to freedom of speech, were enshrined in Proclamation No. 1/1995 Proclamation of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Article 30 the Right of Assembly, Demonstration and Petition.

The right to protest was also granted by the Resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council 25/38 on  11, April 2014 the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests #2 stats “ Recalls that States have the responsibility, including in the context of peaceful protests, to promote and protect human rights and to prevent human rights violations, including extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearances and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and calls upon States to avoid the abuse of criminal and civil proceedings or threats of such acts at all times;”

However, in violation of the above international and constitutional guarantees of the people, the government’s heavily armed police have committed killings and physical abuses against the Oromo people who peacefully protested against the government while expressing their grievances. According to the HRLHA reporters in different parts of Oromia Regional state zones, in many places people started the protests peacefully; the peaceful protests suddenly became violent while the Oromia police began using excessive force, including shooting, to disperse the crowds. In three days, October 22, 23 and 24, 2019, of continuous protests over sixty protesters were killed and over two hundred injured and taken to hospital for medical treatment. Many have been detained.  

The most affected cities and towns are Ambo, Adama, Shahemene, Dodola, Awaday and Diredawa. The following table shows the names of Oromos who have been victimized by police, as reported by the HRLHA reporters among others.

Killings

Other police killings:

Injured and Hospitalized

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) urges the Nobel Peace Prize 2019 winner Ethiopian Prime Minister and Commander- in- Chief, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, to use his legitimate power as stated in the 1995 Ethiopian constitution Article 74 (1)” The Prime Minister is the Chief Executive, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and the Commander-in-Chief of the national armed forces” and abide by Article 74 (3). He shall follow up and ensure the implementation of laws, policies, directives and other decisions adopted by the House of Peoples’ Representatives” and international human rights standards Ethiopia signed and ratified to protect civilians from gross human rights violations.

The HRLHA also urges the PM of Ethiopia to:

• Respect your promises which you publicly made during your past speeches “no one will be killed, tortured or arrested because of his political beliefs” and release unconditionally detainees arrested merely for exercising their constitutional rights to express their grievances.
• Bring to justice those have committed killings and caused injuries.
• Release, unconditionally, all prisoners of conscience, those recently detained in Oromia, in different towns including those kept in confinement over the past 28 years
• Keep your inauguration promises in which you promised no person shall be arrested because of his/her political affiliation or opinion and who practiced his/her fundamental and democratic rights in Ethiopia.
• Allow neutral investigators to probe into the conflict areas in the country as the precursor to international community intervention
• The HRLHA also calls upon the international communities, major donor governments, to put pressure on the government of Ethiopia to respect the Principle of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), and shoulder its primary responsibility to prevent and protect its own citizens against any horrific acts.

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