Mr Meles is manipulating the Oromo case

By Oluma Abera

This passage is to express deep concern on the ongoing of brutal action of the Ethiopian regime against Oromo people.

The Tigirean minority regimes of Ethiopia have been violating human rights since they came to power in 1991. In particular, after January 4/2004, when the Oromo people started to protest peacefully against Mr. Meles Zenaw’s of transferring the capital city of Oromia, from Finfinne (Addis Ababa) to Adama (NaZiret) without the will of the people.

In response to the peaceful demand of the Oromo people, the regime has suspended and expelled more than 350 Oromo students from Addis Ababa University and killed others at different schools in different parts of Oromia.

The regime has mainly focused on the Macca Tulama Economy and social Development Association (MTESDA), which was legally registered civic organization well established over 44 years ago.

The regime has abducted and tortured the leaders and prominent members of MTESDA. The brutal administration of Meles has been pretending to legitimize its act, by taking some of the detainees, like president and vice president of MTESDA to a nominal court, which was under tight political control of the ruling party of the Tigrean Liberation Front.

Even during the trial period, the detainees were kept incommunicado. Relatives of the detainees believed that the regime didn’t want to reveal to their loved once the magnitude of the physical injuries sustained during beating and torturing in the police custody. They have been observed being driven back to the notorious interrogation centre called the 3rd police station.

The police department alleged that, the detainees are members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), helping more than 350 Oromo students, who have been suspended and expelled from Addis Ababa University. But the authorities couldn’t show any evidence to the court to support the alleged offences. In the contrary, the authorities sustained the conclusion for long period of time.

The families of the people held without proper trial have been left with grieving, in shortage of food, medicine, and unable to pay for their house rental, electricity, water and telephone bills. They are also affected by the agonizing surveillance and harassment of plain-clothed police officers. Most of the detainees’ children couldn’t feed themselves and are unable to continue their education, because of lack of financial support. Generally it is clear that the individuals are innocent but victimized for their ethnic origin of being Oromo.

Recently, some of them have been released from jail but morally and economically disheartened, while others are still in the torturing cage.

Meles’s administration is using the released Oromo leaders for political purpose by saying, the band organization from congregation can resume its function without any precondition.
Based on this statement the MTESDA leaders have planned to have a meeting on Sunday April 6, 2008 and paid required money for a congregation place at Minilk School.
But when a couple of days left to the meeting, permission giving authority refused to resume it for no reason. The refusal decision was given after the meeting date was announced officially to the Oromo people. So the committee is forced to postpone the program to an unknown date.

The Oromo people are getting obsessed by the systematically oppressing regime’s action on their own land, while Meles is enjoying by consolidating his predecessors preliminary design to manipulate economy and culture of the Oromo people.

Some commentators are saying the consequence might fuel up the struggle for freedom.