The
Observatory has been informed about the arbitrary detention and
judicial harassment of Messrs. Daniel
Tesfaye
and Bezuayehu
Wondimu,
two senior human rights experts of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council
(EHRCO), Bereket
Daniel,
EHRCO human rights officer, and Nahom
Husen,
the driver of the organisation. The EHRCO is a non-profit independent
human rights protection organisation, member of FIDH and OMCT, which
stands for the development of the democratic system, the
establishment of the rule of law and the respect of human rights in
Ethiopia.
On
January 5, 2023, Daniel Tesfaye, Bezuayehu Wondimu, Bereket Daniel
and Nahom Husen went to the village of Alem Bank, west of Addis
Ababa, to investigate complaints from people whose homes had been
demolished in the framework of a series of ongoing illegal evictions
and destructions carried out by the government around Addis Ababa.
While they were gathering information, the four EHRCO members were
arbitrarily detained by police officers, and forcibly disappeared for
several hours, before being located at Gelan Gudan Police Station
(Alemegena 02 police station).
On
the same day, Messrs. Tesfaye, Wondimu, Daniel and Husen were brought
to Sebeta court in Addis Ababa. The police alleged none of them held
permission letters from Oromiya
region police authorities,
nor a support letter from EHRCO to carry out these investigations.
Yet, when they were arrested by the police, the four EHRCO employees
clarified EHRCO’s mandate to investigate human rights violations in
Ethiopia and mentioned EHRCO's registration by the Ethiopian
Authority for Civil Society Organisations (ACSO). After hearing both
sides, the court adjourned the case to the next day. On January 6,
2023, the court scheduled a new hearing for January 11, 2023 and
denied them bail.
At
the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, the four human rights
defenders remained arbitrarily detained in Gelan Gudan Police Station
(Alemegena 02 police station).
The
Observatory recalls that this is not the first time that EHRCO
members are being targeted for their legitimate human rights work. In
2022, an EHRCO Gambela branch employee faced various threats from
regional government officials, which forced him and two of EHRCO’s
regional office committee members to relocate for a few months to
Addis Ababa.
The
Observatory condemns the arbitrary detention and judicial harassment
of Daniel Tesfaye, Bezuayehu Wondimu, Bereket Daniel and Nahom Husen,
which seems to be only aimed at punishing them for their legitimate
human rights activities.
The
Observatory urges the Ethiopian authorities to immediately and
unconditionally release Daniel Tesfaye, Bezuayehu Wondimu, Bereket
Daniel and Nahom Husen, to put an end to all acts of harassment,
including at the judicial level, against them, and to guarantee in
all circumstances that all human rights defenders in the country are
able to carry out their legitimate activities without hindrance or
fear of reprisals.
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