Arrest of a new wave of Tigrayans

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Associated Press) – Thousands of Tigrayans are being held captive and businesses closed in cities across Ethiopia in a new wave of ethnic targeting by authorities over the eight-month conflict in the Tigray region.

The arrests come on the heels of a dramatic turn in the war last month when Tigray forces marched back into the capital, Mekele, as Ethiopian soldiers retreated and the Ethiopian government declared a unilateral ceasefire. An earlier wave of arrests followed the outbreak of war in November after months of tensions between the government and Tigray leaders.

Myron Addis, a 32-year-old lawyer who has raised money for food and other aid for people in Tigray and has been outspoken about civilian casualties, told the Associated Press that two plainclothes police officers came to her home in the capital, Addis Ababa, on June 28. June and accused her of stockpiling weapons. Then dozens of uniformed officers searched the place without showing a note, she said.

After no weapons were found, they took her to a police station where she was charged with expressing support for the Tigrayan forces and spreading hate on social media. She met several Tigrayans while in detention and was released a week later.

The police told her she was helping the “military council,” a common term the authorities use for Tigrayan fighters. They told her, “You are causing friction between the government and the people of Tigray by posting pictures on Facebook of children and victims of war, hunger and rape.” After her release, two of her relatives were arrested.

Another detainee who was released last week told the Associated Press that dozens of other Tigrayans are being held in a center on the outskirts of the capital.

“Initially we were told that we were suspected of having links with (Tigray fighters). As soon as they entered prison, they started accusing us of sending money to support terrorists and vowed not to release us unless the Ethiopian POWs under the control of (Tigray forces) are released.” “None of us have been brought to court.” Like many others, he spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

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With the Ethiopian government declaring the ruling Tigrayan Party a terrorist group, ordinary Tigrayans across the country are under more pressure even as they seek to speak out about the alleged atrocities of the war and send aid to a region where hundreds of thousands of people face the worst famine in the world. crisis in a decade,

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed claimed in a speech after the Ethiopian troops withdrew that ordinary Tigrayans supported the Tigrayan fighters.

Security officials have not publicly acknowledged the new wave of mass arrests. Federal Police spokesman Gilan Abdi did not respond to questions, but the Federal Police told the Addis Standard media that it does not arrest citizens on the basis of ethnicity.

However, the government’s Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said it is monitoring the detentions of Tigrayans and media workers suspected of links to the situation in Tigray. “Such measures exacerbate public fears about the dangers of racial profiling,” she said in a statement.

A Tigrayan activist told the Associated Press that the arrests appeared to be taking place in major cities across Ethiopia. “People who have not set foot in the Tigray region and those who have no knowledge of politics have become victims,” he said, adding that some are fleeing the capital for fear of being arrested.

A letter from Tigrayan’s lawyer to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, obtained by the Associated Press, stated that the fate of thousands of people remained unknown. “Hundreds of Tigrayan businesses in Addis Ababa, including restaurants, bars, cafes and other places, have been shut down and shut down for no apparent reason other than alleging security concerns,” the statement read. “This campaign against Tigray must be stopped because it is a dangerous practice that violates the rights of citizens without sufficient evidence.”

One of the lawyers, Tesvalm Barhi, said he had compiled a list of 103 Tigrayans detained in the capital in the past few weeks. He said many were taken into shops, cafes and bus stops because their ID cards showed their ethnicity or because they spoke Tigrinya. Others were taken from their homes.

“They have disappeared,” he said, estimating that tens of thousands have been arrested. They were not allowed to contact their families and lawyers. …no allegation of a crime. It is a purely racial classification.

A civilian employee from Tigrayan in the capital told the AP that he saw a colleague being held by two plainclothes officers at the health center where he worked. When the colleague’s manager asked why, the officers cited unspecified “security reasons.”

I’m very nervous because we hear about a lot of people being arrested. I am worried that the police and security services are watching us, so I hardly talk on the phone,” the employee said. “For every Tigrayan in Addis Ababa, it is difficult for us at this time because of the political situation.”

A relative said Tsigazib Kidano, a volunteer coordinator for a civil society organization campaigning against human rights abuses in Tigray, was arrested at his home on June 29 while he was watching television in his pajamas. Again, no note was given. He was not charged.

The authorities later told his lawyer, Tesvalm, that he had been released, but his whereabouts remain unknown.

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