News Analysis

Trial stutters as Bekele, Jawar et al’s hunger strike triggers protests

Bekele Gerba has been taken to hospital and defense attorney calls detainees’ condition “worrying”, as strike continues into its third week in protest at party-member detentions and mistreatment.

After protests broke out in Oromia, defense attorney Kedir Bullo told Ethiopia Insight on 16 February that the hunger strike by Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, and fellow detainees that began on 27 January is ongoing.

According to Kedir, the strike is in protest at the undue imprisonment of Oromo members and supporters of opposition parties, including the Oromo Federalist Congress—the party that Jawar and Bekele are senior members of—and against extrajudicial killings and imprisonments by the federal government.

Kedir added that the defendants believe the federal government is systematically excluding Oromia-based opposition parties from the political arena. They demand an end to interference in opposition party activities, as well as the release of over 5,000 prisoners who they say have been detained due to their legitimate political activities.

The protest against the inhumane conditions of Colonel Gemechu Ayana’s detention was also cited as a reason for the strike.

Colonel Gemechu served in the Ethiopian army until he fled the country and joined the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) in 2006. He re-entered Ethiopia with other OLF members in September 2018 and was arrested on 17 January 2019 on terrorism charges.

According to the defense attorney, Gemechu’s condition has recently improved.

Kedir described Jawar and other co-defendants’ current condition as “worrying.” He said that although they have received medical care from private doctors over the past week “the prison administration won’t allow the defendants to be treated in a hospital outside of the prison, which the doctors deemed to be necessary.”

Upon the defense’s 15 February request, the High Court ordered the prison administration to allow the striking defendants to receive medical treatments at the Landmark hospital.

However, Kedir told Ethiopia Insight that Bekele, who is found in the worst health of all the striking defendants, has been taken to Tor Hayloch military hospital, in contradiction of the court’s order and against the will of the defendant and his doctors.

The Oromo Federalist Congress released a statement on 12 February denouncing a perceived government relapse into undemocratic ways. The party condemned the decision to imprison high-ranking members and supporters of their party over what they claimed to be fabricated crimes.

The statement posed three main requests for the federal government, Ethiopian people, and international community.

The first states that party members on hunger strike are in critical condition and at risk of their lives. It, therefore, asks the government to allow striking members to receive necessary medical treatment.

The second request is for the federal government to release without any pre-condition members of the party who are imprisoned over fabricated crimes.

The third asks the people of Ethiopia and the international community to press the Ethiopian government in order to hold it accountable for, and put an end to, its coercive policies and procedures.

In support of the striking defendants’ demands, protests occurred in multiple cities across Oromia. According to Addis Standard, since 5 February protests were held in Ambo, Dire Dawa, Woliso, Nekemete, Shashamane, and several other places. Addis Standard said in some instances authorities used excessive force, resulting in an unknown number of injuries and at least one fatality.

On 27 January the Federal High Court was scheduled to hear the defendants’ plea to their charges.  However, they refused, due to the fact that family members had been banned from attending the hearing. Supporters of the defendants wearing yellow clothing to display solidarity were also not allowed to enter the premises of the court.

The court postponed the hearing to 4 February. All media personnel and observers from the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission were banned from attending. Standing at the gate of Lideta Court on 4 February were many men and women dressed in yellow to show support.

Again, the defendants refused to enter their plea.

According to Kedir, the defense made complaints to the court against the media ban. In return, the court ordered that media outlets no longer be barred from attending. Judges added that it is not permissible for attendees to wear yellow clothing, as that is considered an interference in the judicial process.

The next session is scheduled for 1 March.

Query or correction? Email us

Follow Ethiopia Insight

Main photo: Bekele Gerba; 2018; Mahafreen H. Mistry for NPR

Join our Telegram channel

Published under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. Cite Ethiopia Insight and link to this page if republished.

We need your support to analyze news from across Ethiopia
Please help fund Ethiopia Insight’s coverage
Become a patron at Patreon!

About the author

Ethiopia Insight

7 Comments

  • The government jailed Jawar and other oromo politicians and activists for the same reason it invaded Tigray. Eliminate and destroy every opposition (those two are the strongest for now given their huge popolarity in their respective regions) so as to pave the way to dictatorship so as to ensure Amhara’s political & economic hegemony which is already happening.

    Release pilitical prisoners and conduct free and fair election if the government is as confident as it usually preaches. Let we the people chose. International community’s help in this regard is greatly appreciated.

  • The government jailed Jawar and other oromo politicians and activists for the same reason it invaded Tigray. Eliminate and destroy every opposition (those two are the strongest for now given their huge popolarity in their respective regions) so as to pave the way to dictatorship and ensure Amhara’s political and economic hegemony which is already happening

    Release pilitical prisoners and conduct free and fair election if the government is as confident as it usually preaches. Let we the people chose. International community’s help in this regard is greatly appreciated.

  • A DIVINE ruler in this century ? Girma is not serious or it is deliberate to provoke some opposition politicians. One of them is Girma himself. BEWARE OF FRIENDS WHO FLATTER YOU! That is how African leaders became dictators. Remember Abiye is an African leader but a better one i hope and give him sometimes.

  • The majority will agree that Ethiopia is not a democratic country at the current state. But now we have the chance to build our democracy. The struggle for just and equality should not be based on hate and violence against others. All actors should act with highest responsibility on the way to the desired democracy. Like other political party OFC is operating in the country. Jawar and Bekele are not in jail because of their activity as politician. They are in jail because of their incitement for violence. It would be unjust to release them for those 86-innocent people, who lost their live as Jawar spread a massage via Facebook that the police had attempted to force his security to vacate the grounds of his home. Again, after the death of Hachalu Hundessa Jawar and Bekele mobilized the mob. The result was the death of 186 innocent people, who has nothing to do with artist Hachalu death.

  • YOU DO THE CRIME YOU DO THE TIME.IF ANYONE THINKS S/HE IS ABOVE THE LAW THINK AGAIN.BECAUSE IN H.E.PM.DR.ABYI AHMED’ ADMINISTRATION THERE IS NO ROOM FOR LAWLESSNESS.IF ANYONE STEPS OUT OF LINE THE WRATH OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM WILL PUNISH YOU.

    LONG LIVE GOD ELECT DIVINE RULER OF ETHIOPIA HIS EXCELLENCY PRIME MINISTER DOCTOR ABIY AHMED ! ! !

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.