News: OLF’s Colonel Gemechu Ayana taken away by security forces; PR says whereabouts of detained members unknown; chairman remains incommunicado
By Siyanne Mekonnen
Addis Abeba, May 19, 2021 – Thirteen people including OLF leader Colonel Gemechu Ayana were reportedly taken by security forces after the court ordered their release. The Federal High Court 3rd Anti-Terrorsim and Constitutional Bench acquitted 12 people who were charged with terrorism, according to the lawyer Tuli Bayisa.
Tuli recalled the sequence of events where families of the prisoners went to Kilinto federal prison with the release warrant. According to him, Nine of the prisoners were released after the paperwork which took ‘a long time to process’ while the remaining three of them remained in prison. The Nine prisoners were taken away by security forces which Tuli described as “wearing the uniform of the federal police and heavily armed”. Tuli further said, “The security forces took the prisone
News: Despite release orders, OLF PR head, his driver remain in police custody; Party says it notified Electoral Board, Rights Commission
By Siyanne Mekonnen
Addis Abeba, April 3, 2021 – The head of the public relations bureau of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Batte Urgessa and his driver Wondosen Abdulkadir remain under police custody after the court released them on bail. They appeared in Burayu district court six days after their arrest on March 20, 2021. Batte and Wondosen were arrested on March 20, 2021 while visiting fellow party members detained at a police detention center in Burayu.
At the court hearing on March 25, 2021, the police accused them of attempting to forcefully release their jailed party members and having relations with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The police requested additional nine days to remand and investigate them, according to OLF’s interim Public relations head, Lammi Gemechu.
News Analysis: OLF officially out from upcoming election, continues call for release of its jailed leadership, members addisstandard 2021-03-10
Hundreds of thousands of OLF fans turned op at Addis Abeba Mesqel Square in September 2018. Photo: Social Media
By Siyanne Mekonnen
Addis Abeba, March 10/2021 – The opposition party Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has officially announced that it has withdrawn from the upcoming election. In an interview with
Addis Standard the party’s interim public relations head, Batte Urgessa, a staggering number of names of the party’s leadership and members who are currently jailed, as well as list of its offices which are forcibly shut down either by the federal or Oromia regional state security forces, which Batte said has depopulated the party of its key personnel, and deprived it of the ability to organize for election.