ESAT News (September 15, 2016)
Bodies of prisoners killed at a federal prison in Ethiopia two weeks ago were being given to families, who confirmed to ESAT that the cause for the death of their loved ones was bullet wounds and not the fire that gutted down the prison, as the regime claims.
The Ethiopian regime, contrary to what families of the victims found out, has said in official statements that the cause of death was fire. The government put the number of the victims at 23, but information obtained by ESAT indicate that at least 60 people were shot and killed by security forces.
A source who was an unarmed guard at the prison during the incident told the press last week that the guards of the prison on duty were replaced by special forces of the regime a day earlier. He said the fire was actually started after some of the prisoners were shot by snipers from the security tower and that the majority of the victims were shot and killed as they run away from the fire. He said he believed the killings were premeditated.
The funeral of Yilak Achenef of North Gondar was held yesterday and his family confirmed to ESAT that he had gunshot wounds, not fire burns on his body.
The regime has refused to disclose the cause of the death to families and it is not yet clear if all families have received the bodies of their loved ones.