By the Law Office of Fekadu Yami Abdi
Addis Ababa
June 4, 2007

This repot is a part of a report submitted on April 1, 2007 (Megabt 23, 1999)

– The report constitutes selected narration of the detainees. i.e. Ato Tilahune Ayaalew,Ato Antenehe Getenete and Mekecha Mengistu
– The report includes the time between February 12, 2007 thru March 23, 2007.

The case of Ato Tilahun Ayalew
He was detained by the government security personnel and Weredas (district) police chief while he was returning home from his teaching duty at Dangella, the Amhara Region. He said that he was not taken to the police station as soon as they seized him, but to the jungle where he was beaten till loss of consciousness. The security personnel, tortured him for four days suffered him serious injury on his thigh to extent of falling to stand by himself. He said that no medical treatment was allowed to him, and then on December 19 ( Tahisas 10) they took him to Bahir Dar, in Amhara regional state. He did not appeared before Court at Bahir Dar as he said and on December 26 (Tahisas 17). The police finally brought him to the Addis Ababa Police Commission.

The security personnel who detained Tilahun were not holding a court issued arrest warrant. They had searched his home but did not fined anything. They had forced him to call the other prisoner with his own mobile phone and give appointment so that they can detain him.

Tilahun said that after he came to Addis Ababa, he appeared for two days before Addis Ababa City Administration First Instance Court and the court ordered his release on December 28, 2006 (Tahisas 3/1999). However, police recaptured and detained him until Mach 12/2007 (Megabit 3/99).

I had presented habeas corpus claim to the court and obtained court order for his release. However, the release order was not carried out by the police until March 22, 2007 (Megabit 13, 1999).

Due to injuries Tilahun sustained from the torture he is now unable to walk normally, though he had shown some improvements recently.

Tilahun was forced to signed a statement admitting that he is a member of the Ethiopian Patriotic Front.

The case of Ato Anteneh Getinet
Ato Anteneh said he was detained and beaten by security personal while he was returning home from his place of work in Addis Ababa on December 29 (Tahisas 20, 1999), he was forced to give statements, stayed for 3 days forbidden to communicate with any one. He was told that he would not be be released unless saying that he is a member of the Patriotic Front. Following the beatings and torture, he was forced to sign a statement admitting that he was a member of the Front.

The case of Ato Mekecha Mengistu
Ato Mekecha was seized by unidentified persons on December 17, 2006 (Tahasas 8, 1999) at 4:00 clock while he entered Addis Ababa on route from Amhara Region, Degen Woreda (district) to the city of Nazareth (Adama) to visit his wife. He said that he was severely beaten until blood poured out of this his ears.

Mekecha told me that he, too, was forced to sign a statement saying that he is member of the Patriotic Front. They had searched his home without court permit, mistreated his parents, threatened his children, and locked them at their home, taken cell phone and other items from his home, which they returned later on. He told me that he is not a member of the Ethiopian People Patriotic Front and had no connection with the mentioned organization.

Ato Mekecha was released on December 22 (Tahisas 13, 1999) at 5:30 PM.

Report filed by
Fekadu Yami Abdi Legal Advisor & Advocate
P.O. Box 10967
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: (251) 911 790419
(251) 911 246656
Fax: (251) 11 515 42 99