Seven prominent Oromo opposition figures detained without charge for four years released in Ethiopia

September 6 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Ethiopian authorities have released seven senior members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) who have been imprisoned without charge for nearly four years, the group has confirmed, a move welcomed by the non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The OLF has stated in a statement published on its account on the social network X that those released have already been reunited with their families and has applauded the release of these people, detained “for exercising their legitimate political rights” and acquitted “on numerous occasions” by the courts.

The group’s spokesman, Lemi Gemechu, told the Ethiopian newspaper ‘Addis Standard’ that those released are Abdi Regassa, Lemi Begna, Dawit Abdeta, Michael Boran, Kenessa Ayana, Gada Oljira and Gada Gabisa, all of whom were detained by Oromia security forces between 2020 and 2021.

In this regard, the lawyer for the detainees has stressed that the release does not derive from a new judicial ruling, since the courts had ordered their release on several occasions, and has stressed that it was the Police who took the step, once the charges were withdrawn some time ago.

They were arrested following a series of accusations against the OLF, including its role in the murder of a policeman and prominent activist and singer Hachalu Hundessa, an incident that sparked a wave of violence that left more than 250 people dead in the African country.

HRW’s deputy director for Africa, Laetitia Bader, said: “After ignoring multiple court orders for their release, Ethiopian authorities have finally released seven Oromo opposition figures who have been unjustly imprisoned without charge for four years.”

In January 2019, Oromia authorities and the OLF signed a reconciliation agreement that included the demobilization of members of this armed group, considered terrorist until months earlier, within the framework of a reconciliation process launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, also Oromo.

The OLF had been fighting for decades for the secession of the Oromia region, but eventually agreed to abandon the armed struggle. The Oromos are the majority ethnic group in Ethiopia but have traditionally been marginalised from power, leading to violent protests in recent years that have left hundreds dead and ultimately led to the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in 2018.