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76th Special Report: Human Rights Violations Occurred During Clashes Between Students and Security Forces in Oromia Region

Posted on 5th April 2004 by HRCO
Categories: Special Report
Posted on: Apr 5, 2004
Region: Oromia

“The Cause of the Clashes

Students in different towns of the Oromia region staged demonstrations to protest the measures taken in January by Addis Ababa University to suspend and dismiss some Oromo students and the decision of the Oromia State Council to transfer the capital city of Oromia to Adama.In most of the towns the students clashed with security forces who tried to disperse them.

The Clashes in Ambo town

Starting from 8:30 a.m. on 25 February 2004,students of Ambo Secondary School gathered in the school compound chanting slogans. They threw stones at other students who were attending classes. Stones shattered glasses of windows. As the actions of the students grew more and more violent, police entered the school compound and stopped the disturbances. Police also arrested three students on that day. The protests in the schools continued almost daily resulting in the frequent disruption of the educational process.

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75th Special Report: Reveal The Condition And Whereabouts of Citizens Illegally Taken By Government Security Forces

Posted on 25th March 2004 by HRCO
Categories: Featured, Press Releases, Special Report
Posted on: Mar 25, 2004
Region: Addis Ababa, Oromia

“It is to be recalled that following the protests by Oromo students of Addis Ababa University as of 18 January 2004, Oromo students were arrested by police and dismissed from their studies by the university administration. In its 74th Special Report issued on 10 February 2004, EHRCO denounced the illegal measures taken by the security forces and the university officials. It also urged the government to seek just and amicable solutions taking the seriousness of the problem into account.

Nevertheless, as sufficient measures were not taken, the problem remained unresolved, the protests of students has spread to schools and higher learning institutions in different towns of the Oromia Region. And as a result of actions taken by security forces many students were arrested and tortured. Bullets fired by the police killed at least one student. There have also been frequent interruptions of the educational process.

The problem has been aggravated and is taking a dangerous course in causing further violations of the human rights. As this report is being prepared, individuals of Oromo descent, living in Addis Ababa and outside are being illegally taken by government security forces and detained incommunicado in utter violation of Art.17 (1) of the FDRE Constitution which stipulates that “No one shall be deprived of his or her liberty except on grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.” And Art.9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”

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Observation Report: On the Somali Regional State Wereda Councils Elections

Posted on 15th February 2004 by HRCO
Categories: Reports, Special Report
Posted on: Feb 15, 2004
Region: Somali
250px-Somali_in_Ethiopia.svg
Somali Region of Ethiopia

“Assisting the realization of a democratic system is one of the fundamental objectives of EHRCO. We realize that raising public awareness on election is one way of achieving this end. Accordingly EHRCO had been conducting voters’education programs in different parts of the country. As regards election observation, EHRCO observed and issued reports on the general election conducted in 2000, the reelection in SNNPR in the same year, the wereda and kebele elections in Feb, 2001 and the zone, wareda and kebele councils elections in December 2002.In all these elections, EHRCO trained 943 independent observers and assigned them in different parts of the country to observe the elections.”

To read the full report click here Somali

74th Special Report: Human Rights Violation Committed Against Oromo Students of A AU

Posted on 10th February 2004 by HRCO
Categories: Press Releases, Special Report
Posted on: Feb 10, 2004
Region: Addis Ababa, Oromia

“According to information gathered from the detained students, the number of students that had been detained by police and received heavy physical punishments is about 494.EHRCO could get the names of 349 until the time of preparing this report. A complete list could not be found as the students were disbanded and could not be traced.

The Addis Ababa Police told EHRCO that it has 8 students arrested on 18 January and they all appeared before a court on 19 January.EHRCO visited the detained students at their place of detention at the Addis Ababa Police headquarters. The judge at the Addis Ababa City Court allowed the 14 days requested by the police to conduct its investigation and remanded the suspects in custody until 2 February 2004.The detainees appeared before the judge on 2 February and another 14 days was allowed to the police, as it did not complete its investigation.

Another 15 students who were among the hundreds of students detained at the Kolfe Police training Camp, appeared before the Addis Ababa City Court Mexico square division on 24 January 2004.The court remanded them in custody upon the request of police for 14 days to conduct investigation. EHRCO has been following up the situation. The 23 students listed in tables 1 and 2 have been detained at the Addis Ababa Police headquarters.”

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73rd Special Report: Another Round of Ethnic Conflict Flared up In West Harrarghe Zone

Posted on 24th January 2004 by HRCO
Categories: Featured, Press Releases, Special Report
Posted on: Jan 24, 2004
Region: Oromia, Somali

“In its 71st Special Report issued on 30 December 2003 EHRCO reported that an ethnic conflict had flared up between Oromo and Somali tribes. It was stated in the report that 19 persons were killed 21 sustained injuries; a woman was gang raped, 387 houses were burnt down and 34 camels were looted. EHRCO also urged pertinent regional and federal authorities to take urgent measures and particularly

  • give due attention to the border disputes between the two regional states on some kebeles in Meisso wereda and investigate other causes of the problem
  • take lasting legal measures that could help to avoid further damages
  • bring to justice those who are involved in the killings and other human rights violations and to give assistance to those displaced due to the conflict.
    However, the conflicts that were temporarily stopped by the intervention of the defense force have escalated once again and resulted in the death and injury of several persons and damage of property. The cause and specific details of the casualties are presented as follows.

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Ferocious 72nd Special Report: Attack Committed In Gambella Region 72nd Special Report

Posted on 5th January 2004 by HRCO
Categories: Commentaries, Featured, Special Report
Posted on: Jan 5, 2004
Region: Gambela

” The indigenous people in Gambella Region are the Anuak, the Nuer, the Komo, the Medjenger and the Oppo.People that moved from the different parts of the country and who live in the region are referred to as “highlanders” or people from the center. Though all the indigenous ethnic groups are represented in the regional government structure, the top positions are held by the Anuak and the Nuer.

The “highlanders” have long been complaining that repeated human rights violations and injustices were benig committed against them by some officials of the region that belong to the Agnuak ethnic group. They also tell that their repeated petitions to the Federal as well as the Regional officials have fallen on deaf ears. As a result tension has been created between the Anuaks on the one hand, and people from other ethnic groups living in the region.

The ‘highlanders’ complain that apart from the ethnic based discrimination that they have been subjected to, the periodic killings and looting launched against them by unidentified armed groups in the region have precipitated the situation into an all-out clash. The failure on the part of the Regional Government to apprehend and to bring to justice those armed groups has also contributed a lot to the worsening of the situation by the day. It was in such time of heightened hostility among the different ethnic groups in the region that the conflicts escalated and turned into a violent clash.

On 17 November 2003, in a place named Abebo, 40 kilometers from Gambella town, unidentified armed men killed in cold blood, five people who work for a construction company called Satcon.”

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