Monday, January 13News and updates from Kashmir

9 Killed, Protesters Shot Amid Ethiopia Clashes

9 people lost their lives during clashes between Ethiopian security forces and protesters in Oromia. The protests sparked when authorities refused to release a detained opposition politician and a media magnate.

Protests started through a social media campaign, where people demanded the release of a well known Oromo opposition leader Bekele Gerba and a journalist Jawar Mohammed who were detained after the killing of an iconic Oromo singer, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa.

In a statement by Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), “Deaths have also been reported in 13 different locations in the Oromia region, which surrounds the capital Addis Ababa.”

EHRC condemned such acts and is alarmed by the loss of lives during protests in Oromia. EHRC called upon authorities to refrain themselves from using excessive force.

After the singer Haacaaluu Hundeessaa’s death on 29th June, protests erupted igniting a conflict between different ethnicities in Ethiopia. Protests were witnessed in Addis Ababa which later spread to Oromia killing at least 178 people.

The office of Ethiopia’s attorney general defended the government’s response to recent unrest, saying in a statement that investigations would reflect a “commitment to human rights”.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *