Mass arbitrary arrests threaten human rights gains in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has been praised for its progress in human rights since the election of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Since rising to power in April, he has released from prison dozens of dissidents and welcomed back opposition groups, including the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which used to be considered a terrorist organization.

But UK-based rights group Amnesty International has censured the recent detention of hundreds of people in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa, saying that the arrests “threaten the new era of human rights gains” recently achieved by its new prime minister.

The condemnation came in a statement last week in reaction to an announcement by Ethiopian officials that security forces had conducted a wave of arrests following the recent violence in the capital and its suburb of Burayu that left dozens of people dead.

The recent fighting in Addis Ababa and Burayu occurred between groups affiliated with the largest local ethnic group, the Oromo, which lives in the lands surrounding the capital, and other residents of the diverse city that include many ethnic minorities.

According to Addis Ababa police chief Degfie Bedi, 28 people died, “the majority were beaten to death. Seven were killed by security forces,” he said. Furthermore, nearly 1,200 people suspected of involvement in the clashes were taken into custody, with charges filed against only 107 of them, state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation reported. Fana further reported that 2,000 more people had been arrested at casinos.

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