Ethiopia harbors US secret prison – rights group

November 24, 2007 — In a secret detention camp in Addis Ababa, some 40 foreigners are being held in violation of due process of law.The secret prison is opened under the order of the USA and the detained are alleged to be ”terrorism suspects’ picked up in Somali and Kenya. Of the 40 or so prisoners, 11 are children.

The detention of these children was recently confirmed by none other than Prime Minister Meles Zenawi himself who said in a radio interview that the act was done to ’trap their parents’ who are in hiding. The EPRDF regime also holds dozens of Ethiopian child prisoners all over Ethiopia. The opening of a secrt prison is by itself very illegal and that this is done by foreigners or a foreign power is an affront to the sovereignty of the country itself. Holding foreign prisoners transported from abroad is yet another illegal act and that 11 of these are children is more than condemnable.

SOCEPP calls for the immediate release of the children and the foreign adults who are being held contrary to all due process of law.Such secret prisons (another one is suspectd to exist at Hurso) must be closed along with dozens of other such prisons holding Ethiopian political prisoners.The EPRDF regime is surely violating the rights of the foreigners imprisoned in Ethiopia who have committed no crime against the country.

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Website: http://www.socepp.de/