Ethiopia detains opposition figures, expels rights group delegates

September 1, 2011 (ADDIS ABABA) – Two opposition politicians were arrested by Ethiopian authorities after they held meetings with Amnesty International, the human rights group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Bekele Gerba, deputy chairperson of the opposition Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and Olbana Lelisa of the Oromo People’s Congress party (OPC) were arrested on Saturday after the human rights group interviewed them about politically motivated arrests, Amnesty said.

The politicians are accused of terrorism and links to the outlawed rebel group, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).

According to Amnesty, their delegates, who were in contact with the opposition officials, were ordered by the government to leave country the same day the arrests were made.

“We are extremely concerned that the arrests of the two men occurred within days of talking with our delegates,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty’s deputy programme director for Africa.

“This had nothing to do with their activities as a lawful registered political organization.”

However, authorities in Ethiopia said that the two politicians were arrested because the police had found evidence they have links with OLF, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the Ethiopian government.

“Bekele Gerba was arrested, detained by the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force in his alleged connection with his involvement with the recently proscribed terrorist organisation OLF,” government spokesperson Shimeles Kemal told reporters.

It is not clear whether the other opposition politician, Olbana Lelisa, is accused of the same charges.

Amnesty said Ethiopia “often uses” the charge of belonging to the OLF “to silence members” of the Oromo ethnic group.

“The arrests are indicative of the constant harassment of opposition politicians, and severe stifling of freedom of expression in the country”, Kagari said.

(ST)