Ethiopia: Daughter demands release of father unjustly held for 24 years

ESAT News (May 25, 2018)

Daughter of a minister called for the release of her dad who disappeared in Gondar 24 years ago and recently found in a dungeon run by the regime in Tigray.

The preacher was among several ministers detained by the regime 24 years ago amid attack on religious leaders in Gondar. While many preachers were extrajudicially executed, the whereabouts of Endesrachew Agmassie was not known up until recently. Monks who were briefly detained at the notorious underground prison in Tigray known as Bado Sidist found that the minister was still alive and communicated the news to the family.

His daughter, Tirunesh Endesrachew, is now calling for the release of her dad unjustly detained for 24 years. “We didn’t know he was still alive, we thought they killed him,” she told ESAT on the phone from Gondar.

The father of nine was a respected religious teacher in Gondar.

The synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in exile yesterday called for the release of Endesrachew saying the teacher has not committed any crimes.

The synod especially called for the Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, to use his influence to set free the preacher, who is unjustly held for 24 years.