AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT

1 July 2011

AI Index: AFR 25/005/2011

Ethiopia: Concerns that Anti-Terrorism law is being used to suppress freedom

of expression

Amnesty International is concerned at the arrests of journalists Woubshet Taye and Reyot

Alemu, and opposition party members Zerihun Gebre-Egzabiher and Dejene Tefera, who have

been detained on suspicion of terrorist offences. Amnesty International is concerned that

Ethiopia’s Anti-Terrorism Proclamation is being used to limit legitimate freedom of expression

in the country.

Woubshet Taye, deputy editor of the weekly Awramba Times newspaper was arrested in Addis

Ababa on 19 June, and Reyot Alemu, a regular contributor to the weekly Feteh newspaper was

arrested two days later, on 21 June. Following their arrests, both journalists’ homes were

searched by police, and documents and equipment were reportedly confiscated, including

copies of their respective newspapers. A few days before her arrest, Reyot Alemu had written

an article critical of government policy and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Two members of a

little known political opposition party, the Ethiopian National Democratic party have also been

arrested. Zerihun Gebre-Egzabiher the President of the legally-registered party, and Dejene

Tefera, a member of the party, were detained during the same week.

All four have been detained on suspicion of terrorism offences, but none of them have yet

been charged. The Anti-Terrorism legislation allows for detention on remand for police

investigation for periods of a minimum of 28 days each, up to a maximum of four months.

Sources have told Amnesty International that all four detainees have been denied access to

lawyers or to their families since their arrests.

The Ethiopian authorities have asserted that the arrests are not linked to freedom of expression

but that the four were found to be involved in terrorist acts. A government representative told

Amnesty International that the four would be tried in an Ethiopian court of law where concrete

evidence would be produced by the government.

Amnesty International is concerned that the pretext of counter-terrorism is being used to stifle

dissent, particularly among groups traditionally critical of the government – political opposition

parties and the privately-owned press. Earlier this year hundreds of ethnic Oromos were

arrested on accusations of belonging to or supporting a terrorist group – the Oromo Liberation

Front. Many of those arrested belonged to legally-registered political opposition parties.

The definition of terrorist activities under Ethiopia’s 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation is

broad and imprecise, raising significant concerns that the law could be used to criminalise

legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Provisions of

the legislation appear to go beyond what can be justified as necessary and proportionate

measures for counter-terrorism, making them incompatible with Ethiopia’s international and

regional human rights obligations. The definition of “terrorist acts” is not restricted to

threatened or actual use of violence against civilians, or to acts taken in pursuit of an

underlying political or ideological goal. Amnesty International is concerned that the vaguelydefined

provisions in the legislation may be used to charge Woubshet Taye, Reyot Alemu,

Zerihun Gebre-Egzabher and Dejene Tefera, resulting in suppression of the legitimate and

peaceful activities of those individuals as journalists and members of the political opposition.

Further, Amnesty International fears that the four detainees are at risk of torture or other forms

of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in detention. The four are being held at Maikelawi –

the Federal Police Crime Investigation and Forensic Department in Addis Ababa, which is

reported to be under the command of the National Intelligence and Security Service.

Maikelawi is infamous for the frequent use of torture against pre-trial detainees. In 2009 32

alleged members of the banned political party, the Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom

and Democracy were tortured whilst in pre-trial detention in Maikelawi, according to

information received by Amnesty International. Confessions elicited from these detainees

under torture were then used against them in legal proceedings. These and other cases suggest

the use of torture in Maikelawi is systematic. Amnesty International is further concerned that

the detention of Woubshet Taye, Reyot Alemu, Zerihun Gebre-Egzabher and Dejene Tefera

incommunicado – without access to lawyers or family members – increases their risk of torture

and ill-treatment.

Amnesty International urges that Woubshet Taye, Reyot Alemu, Zerihun Gebre-Egzabher and

Dejene Tefera be granted full and prompt access to legal representatives and to their families.

Amnesty International further urges the Ethiopian authorities not to use the Anti-terrorism

proclamation or other laws to suppress or punish legitimate exercise of freedom of expression

in the country.