Oromo political prisoners suffer death, long term prison sentences

April 2, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) — A federal court on March 31 sentenced an Oromo political prisoner to death and another to life in prison while handing down long term prison sentences to 13 other political prisoners, including a TV journalist who is a mother of three children.

Mesfin Abebe Abdisa was condemned to death as Tasfahun Camadaa Gurmessaa suffered life in prison, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) reported on Friday.

Among the convicted, two of them, Tesfahun Chemeda and Mesfin Abebe, were apprehended by the Kenyan government and handed over to the Meles Zenawi regime in April 2007, and have been severely tortured by the regime and finally brought to court in 2008. Many others have been falsely accused and abducted from their homes and their work places.

According to the Oromo Support Group Report:

Tesfahun Chemeda and Mesfin Abebe, both civil engineers, were in Nairobi seeking protection with UNHCR when they disappeared from Kenya in 2007. Human rights defenders in Nairobi believed that they had been abducted by Ethiopian security men and/or by Kenyan police in cooperation with the Ethiopian embassy. Their location was not known to their families for two years.

Mrs. Lelise Wodajo, a former journalist in the government-run Ethiopian TV and a mother of three, was arrested on November 14, 2008 and stayed in jail since then. Her husband, Mr. Dhabessa Wakjira, had also been jailed for more than three years and went to exile, after being released.

Following is the list of those convicted:

1. Masfiin Abbabaa Abdiisaa, Death Sentence, Civil engineer,
   
2. Tasfaahuun Camadaa Gurmeessaa, Life Sentence, Civil engineer,
   
3. Baqqalaa Nagarii, 12 years without parole, Businessman in Addis Ababa,
   
4. Isheetuu Kitil, 12 years without parole, Businessman and owner of the Hawi Hotel (Finfinne),
   
5. Kabbadaa Booranaa, 12 years without parole, Senior Manager of Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa,
   
6. Waabee Hajii, 12 years without parole, Lawyer with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia,
   
7. Baqqalaa Jiraataa, 12 years without parole (in Absentia), General Secretary of OFDM and an employee of Oromia Water Resources,
   
8. Dajanee Dhaabaa, 12 years without parole, Trader,
   
9. Dajanee Booranaa, 12 years without parole (in Absentia), Brother of Mr. Kebede Borena,
   
10. Abarraash Yaadataa, 12 years without parole,
    
11. Roobaa Gaddafaa, 10 years without parole, Statistician and employee of Hibret Insurance
    
12. Baayisaa Huseen, 10 years without parole, High School student, Ambo,
    
13. Lalisee Wadaajoo, 10 years without parole, Journalist and wife of exiled television journalist, Dhabasa Wakjira, himself a former detainee,
    
14. Olaanii Jabeesaa, 10 years without parole,
    
15. Haayiluu Dalasaa, 10 years without parole, 3rd year Law student at Haromaya University.

Courts in Ethiopia have no judicial indepedence and are largely weapons of repression of the ruthless Meles Zenawi regime.