By Wondimu Mekonnen
There is a disturbing new development in the premises of the Ethiopian Teachers Association (ETA) in Addis Ababa, this week. The time is a summer break for teachers in Ethiopia. Using this opportunity, the Addis Ababa branch of the ETA decided to hold a meeting to discuss how to carry of their professional duties in the forthcoming academic year, in the absence of the ETA-Addis Ababa chairman, Ato Kassahun Kebede, the victim of the Woyanne’s miscarriage of justice.
As soon as the delegates started arriving, the Woyanne Federal Police Force and undercover agents started detaining and searching them. In the process, the security men found in the bag of Ato Tesfaye Yirga, the Secretary General of the Addis Ababa branch of ETA, the Educational Internationale’s campaign cards, addressed to the leaders of respective countries to release imprisoned teachers in Ethiopia, Guatemala and Botswana. The Woyanne agents started freaking out as if they found secret weapon. They took away Ato Tesfaye Yirga to an unknown destination.
After arresting Tesfaye, the Federal Police prevented the delegates from holding any meeting any where. The delegates stayed in the cafeteria and waited to face all the harassments. In the meantime, the Woyanne agents went into the office and started harassing Ato Abate Angore, Woizero Elfinesh Demissie, Woizero Berhanework Zewdie and Ato Wassihun Melesse (all ETA Executive Board members), saying why they wouldn’t leave the country like their colleagues instead of staying in the country and disturbing the peace.
The ETA leaders were puzzled by such irresponsible comment from the Woyanne agents and simply ignored them. The premises of the ETA is surrounded by Woyanne agents as this report is written.
Ato Kassahun Kebede, chairman of the ETA’s Addis Ababa branch, had been released in April 2007 after being jailed for almost two and half years. Recently, the prosecutors appealed against his release and obtained a warrant to rearrest him. The Woyanne agents then went to his home and the ETA head office but he has eluded them. Kassahun has now disappeared and no one knows his whereabouts.