Ethiopia: 2016 was year of bloody crackdowns, rights group says

ESAT News (January 12, 2017)

The Human Rights Watch in its 2017 report said the crackdown during 2016 in Ethiopia followed years of systematic attacks against opposition parties, non governmental organizations, and independent media, effectively closing political space and providing little room for dissenting voices.

“Ethiopia plunged into a human rights crisis in 2016, increasing restrictions on basic rights during a state of emergency and continuing a bloody crackdown against largely peaceful protesters,” Human Rights Watch said on Thursday in its World Report 2017.

“Security forces cracked-down on these largely peaceful demonstrations, killing more than 500 people,” according to the report.

The report said security forces killed hundreds and detained tens of thousands of protesters in Ethiopia’s Oromia and Amhara regions during the year. Many of those who were released reported that they were tortured in detention, a longstanding problem in Ethiopia, according to the report.

The report also said that the state of emergency declared in October permits arbitrary detention, restricts access to social media, and bans communications with foreign groups.

The government has failed to meaningfully investigate security forces abuses or respond to calls for an international investigation into the crackdown.

“Instead of addressing the numerous calls for reform in 2016, the Ethiopian government used excessive and unnecessary lethal force to suppress largely peaceful protests,” said Felix Horne, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Vague promises of reform are not enough. The government needs to restore basic rights and engage in meaningful dialogue instead of responding to criticism with more abuses.” Horne said

The tens of thousands of people detained in 2016 include journalists, bloggers, musicians, teachers, and health workers. Moderates like the opposition leader Bekele Gerba have been charged with terrorism and remain behind bars, education has been disrupted, and thousands have fled the country, the report noted.

According to the report Ethiopia deploys troops inside Somalia as part of the African Union mission (AMISOM). In 2016, there were reports that abusive “Liyu police,” a paramilitary force, were also deployed alongside the Ethiopian Defense Forces in Somalia. In July, Ethiopian forces operating outside the AMISOM mandate indiscriminately killed 14 civilians during an operation against Al-Shabab in Somalia’s Bay region.

The rights group said the Liyu police, a paramilitary force, committed numerous abuses against residents of the Somali region in 2016, and displacement from Ethiopia’s development projects continued, including in the Omo valley.

In September, dozens of ethnic Konso were killed by security forces in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) following protests over administrative boundaries in the Konso area.

The Ethiopian government failed to meaningfully investigate the killings of protesters in Oromia, Amhara, or Konso, the report said.