The international human rights activist Amnesty has announced that hundreds of people have been arrested arbitrarily in the main cities of the Amhara region.
From September 28, 2024 m. According to Amnesty, there have been reports of mass arrests of hundreds of people, including academics and civilian workers.
Amnesty September 30 2024 m. According to a press release, this arbitrary mass detention “exacerbates the lack of rule of law”.Tigere Chaguta, Amnesty International’s regional head for Eastern and Southern Africa, said, “The arbitrary arrest campaign launched by Ethiopian soldiers and police in the Amhara region shows the government’s complete disregard for the rule of law.”
Amnesty stated that eyewitnesses said that the government authorities arrested hundreds of civilians in the Amhara region with a “list of names”. Tigere Chaguta said the government officials “did not issue an arrest warrant or search warrant” before arresting the men.
“The arrested people were not brought to court even within 48 hours,” he said. Eyewitnesses told Amnesty that academics from universities in the Amhara region were among those kidnapped. “Some arrests were made by soldiers, at night,”
“The government of Ethiopia must stop this arbitrary mass arrest immediately. The arrested persons should be prosecuted according to the law and the legal system should be followed. If not, he must release his men. The government must stop using arbitrary detention as a means of repression,” said Amnesty International’s regional head for East and Southern Africa.
It was mentioned in the press release that in the last few months, the Ethiopian government has threatened, attacked and harassed journalists and human rights defenders. “As a result, many are being displaced,” the human rights organization said. Due to the emigration of these important people from the country, reports of human rights violations taking place in conflict-affected areas such as the Amhara region have decreased.”
