More than 20 Amharas detained in Awash Arba including attorney Addisu Getaneh and journalist Belay Manaye are facing severe conditions as victims of the mass arrests which followed the Prosperity Party regime’s declaration of war against the Amhara people. As part of this declaration the regime perpetrated illegal mass arrests of Amharas from Addis Ababa, Amhara Region and various other parts of the country and transported them to concentration camps, and it has continued in this practice. Among these are Amhara parliament members, regional council members, journalists, lawyers, activists, artists, merchants, public workers, students and teachers – none have been spared. The regime has particularly targeted anyone suspected of utilizing their profession or otherwise to advocate for the rights of Amhara people.
"More than 20 Amharas detained in #AwashArba including attorney Addisu Getaneh and journalist Belay Manaye are facing severe conditions as victims of the mass arrests" #WarOnAmhara #FreeAmharaDetainees @StuartR92034479 @CPJAfrica @muthokimumo @RSF_interhttps://t.co/9ZhRR9s0mm
— Robel Alemu | ??? ??? (@TheFitawrari) February 13, 2024
As a result, Amharas have been detained and subjected to abuses in detention facilities ranging from the Addis Ababa Police Commission, Federal Police, facilities in Kombolcha to Shewa Robit, Awash Arba and Kality. Even today, people who have been invested in the Amhara cause despite repeated arrests continue to languish in these prisons. Among the 20 Amharas currently detained in Awash Arba are attorney Addisu Getaneh, who has served many detained Amharas in his professional capacity, journalist Belay Manaye and Zerihun Gessesse.
"Amhara detainees in Awash Arba suffer inhumane conditions after mass arrests by the Prosperity Party. Over 20, including attorney Addisu Getaneh and journalist Belay Manaye, deprived of necessities, face extreme heat and threats. Urgent intervention and awareness needed. pic.twitter.com/4kBkhr9cXo
— Meaza Mohammed (@mohammed_meaza) February 13, 2024
Roha has received information from Awash Arba detention facility that the 20 detained Amharas are marked to remain there, facing abuses as previously reported by BBC’s report which called the prison, “worse than America’s Guantanamo”. This detention camp has deprived prisoners of food, water, beds, private washrooms and related basic provisions while they are also subject to extreme heat. We have heard they are given a single piece of bread which has caused them to suffer from hunger and illness. The day before yesterday on February 10, 2024 (Yekatit 2, 2016 EC), four Addis Ababa police and Federal police members were taken away by ENDF soldiers while attorney Addisu and others were made to remain at the facility. However it is unclear where they were taken. In addition to the abuses against them, detainees in Awash Arba are exposed to Malaria and have been unable to consume food due to the extreme heat.
Above this all, the facility which serves as a military training camp includes new trainers which hold the prisoners with contempt due to their identity and often issue threats and insults leading the detainees to fear for their safety according to information Roha received from the prison. For these reasons, the detainees have called for the public and relevant authorities to be made aware of what is happening. In addition, they called for human rights groups, international civil society and legal institutions to be made aware of what is happening to them and to carry out their functions.
Sources
Ethiopia: Amhara detainees including lawyer Addisu Getaneh continue to suffer in Awash Arba
