Pastor Daniel Gebraselassie, head of Prison Fellowship Ministry in Ethiopia informs U.S. Embassy officials in Addis Ababa that the Meles dictatorship has been perpetrating severe tortures against detainees. The information comes from the recently leaked secret U.S. diplomatic cables that are now available on Wikileaks. The following is an excerpt of what Paster Daniel told U.S. Ambassador Donald Yamamoto:
Through meetings with these prisoners while detained and following their release, Pastor Dan learned that they were subjected to severe torture while in prison. (NOTE: Prisoners refuse to meet with Ambassador Kassa, saying that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is not independent of the GoE. END NOTE) Pastor Dan told Embassy officers that prison officials used Derg-era techniques ) e.g. hanging prisoners from the ceiling in arm shackles, beating the soles of their feet and hanging boards from their testicles ) to try to extract confessions. One of the prisoners reportedly died from injuries sustained while in prison, though prison officials maintain that he is “sick in the hospital.” Another of the former prisoners reported that when he was arrested, police dragged him out of his place of work and was pistol-whipped by plain clothes security forces on the way to the detention facility. The released detainees told Pastor Dan that others detained after them on similar suspicions are still held in Maikelawi. In follow-up meetings with prison officials, Pastor Dan was told that such reports are incorrect and that the prisoners were never tortured. However, in a meeting with the Federal Police Commissioner, he was told that some low-level interrogation officers lack the proper training and can sometimes use unsanctioned methods. Pastor Dan told the group of Embassy officers that “officials at the PM cabinet level” do not condone torture either, and that in the past seven years nearly 200 prison employees had been fired for improper behavior.
Read the full text here.
16 thoughts on “Pastor Daniel confirms severe torture in Ethiopian prisons”
Maybe the fired prison employees are the ones who were not willing to use the unsanctioned interrogation systems, if we have a government that protects civil rights to this this extent, why would we even try to oppose it. I can bet that the fired prison employees are the ones with common sense. This gotta be a joke. Imagine, woyannes firing their own for torturing the very prisoners of conscience they put in prison in the first place. It much easier to release political prisoners than firing prison employees who are enforcing what their government stands for i.e, beating and torturing prisoners who got there seeking freedom for their people. What a disgusting leba government we have. It sucks.
Now….. who in the world is this Pastor? why he have to give all the information to the outsiders….. who is he?
I really appreciate Pastor Daniel for his smart way of approaching the Ethiopian government and exposing their true nature to the western diplomats. I have been criticizing this guy for many years and now I see that he has done his part in exposing the evil nature of Woyane. Thank you Pastor.
such is life in that land. What exactly is the change between the Derg and Woyane? Woyane is a million times evil.
Don’t say much about Daniel yet. He is a smart-ass who allways take an advantege on anything. He never expose- anything to anyone yet. We (Ethiopians) expect a lot from him. No one need all the money he collected, and hide in foreign land under the name of the Ethiopian Prison ministry, from all over the world. Tha is his money. He is smart, I respect the system he creates to make a good money. I did’nt do it, and no one did it to. Nayway they all are in prison, what is wrong if someone is making under a convicted person. But, he was playing as a double agent for so long,… let him be hones at least once… He has children, he knows and understand the feelings to lose child
If Dr Daniel, did this he proofed that he is the great son of Ethiopia. Now I am scared for the life this great Ethiopian. He is real religious leader .His church should proud of him.God bless him and help him in his faith.Dr daniel I am an orthodox but I proud of too.
The Pastor’s main point is torture is not condoned by Meles and the top officials and is done by low level cadres. This is the new propaganda line they are adopting now a days. The TOP is clean but the bottom is functioning improperly. Basically a system based on un-accountability. Even the widespread ethnic kelptocracy is blamed on lowly servants who are twisting the “good will” of Meles and his cohorts. One has to be stupid to believe this ofcourse, knowing what E.F.F.O.R.T is doing.
How is it possible 200 people are fired for the same mistake and yet torture continues? Yes 200 people might have been “fired” because they became identifiable and they have to be recycled so that it all becomes a moving target for the prisoners, in which way the perpetrators become dim memories. If the perpetrators of the torture get scot free, then their tops will have nthing to fear. And I guarantee you, those 200 people are still enjoying some of that 3 billion dollars from IMF and WOLRD BANK.
It is impossible for me to think that a system which fires 200 people can not be reformed. It is UNREFORMED because it is not being reformed.
Someone, somewhere has summarized the TPLF system as “CONSPIRATORIAL.” It is all a drama to fool those who are willing to be fooled in the first place.
# 1 I hope you are not Ethiopian if you are I am ashamed and I truly if I were you I would see a doctor. Who cares who this guy tells, as long as the information is true and the crime is exposed? To whom he should tell the crime, the Ethiopian people know what TPLFs are? I hope one day in my lifetime I would pee on each TPLF thug’s grave. I hope all these people who did such horrible crime paid the price. I am sad to see Ethiopian for generation suffer on the hand street thugs… lowlife criminals. God pray the Ethiopian will be free soon and soon Ethiopian people take these guys where they belong prison or 12 feet under the ground.
Detention of Pastor Daniel Gebraselassie will be the hottest issue in the coming few days.
This is good proof, Church and Mosque men should stand for justice. If you say you are spirtiual and not stand for justice then ..uh there is a problem. That is what Jesus did, he stood up against crimes being committed to Jews and others. All those who claim they are spirtual without any agenda should stand for justice. So, if true, I applaud the Pastor, providing that he is not recruiting the prisoners to Evangelism. Forced and deliberate religion conversion is wrong.
Mamo (low life woyanne cadre)
If you think that there is a low life cadre (or human being ) than mellese zenawi he must be a chimpanzee from some where asia jungle as himself is chimp from dedebit
The US, as is the UK, has always covered up for the heinous crimes that its monstrous client, weyane has been perpetrating on innocent, unarmed and peaceful people of Ethiopia. The UShad been doing it in Latin America for years and it is another test case in Africa implementing its evil foreign policy for its narrow interest at the expense of the innocent people of Ethiopia.
Any takers? How many weeks will it take for Pastor Daniel to either land in jail or get out of the country? I suggest no more than 3 months but it can be six but the Paston is DONE living safely in Ethiopia going forward. Wikileaks must have been careful in disclosing private persons.
Honestly, the pastor in this Wikileaks report later reversed all what he said first. He is just an opportunist to me who gave a clue of the truth when he felt history, the people of Ethiopia and the Embassy staff are watching the truth anyways, and later turned what he said up side down to get a favor from the regime. That is exactly what an opportunist is. Period. We didn’t see his unwavering stand for the truth yet.
Truth Never Dies !!I am Proud on you Paster Daniel. i blieve that,the persons who stand for truth *like you* show to the world many more Woyane’s secrets , craims, human right abuse,… I wish to see Meles Zenawi infront of the court like Sadam, Mubarek, … it will be soon…
Tedy Tadesse
swiss
truth never dies is true but this pastor guy is not telling the truth he is someone who works for meles and western country unlike US And Canada and that is where his salary is coming from therefore do not blieve what he is saying he is a dirty man and I know for sure.