Disclaimer: This is an English translation of an Amharic article taken from Ethiopia Insider and is intended solely for information purposes.
Ethiopia Insider – NaMA member of parliament and Prosperity Party Amhara Region Council elect arrested
October 2, 2024
Mulugetta Belay
Yesterday National Movement of Amhara (NaMA) member of parliament Ato Zemene Hailu and Amhara Region Council Prosperity Party elect Ato Melkamu Teshome were detained by security forces according to their family members and colleagues who spoke to “Ethiopia Insider”. The two council members are currently being held in the 9th police station in Bahir Dar city.
Ato Zemene was elected to parliament in the Sene 2013 EC (June 2021) nation-wide elections as a representative of regional opposition party NaMA in the Tis Abay Zenzelima elections. Ato Zemene worked in the Amhara Organization for Rehabilitation and Development (ORDA) located in Bahir Dar city, and was detained from his place of work around noon yesterday on October 1, 2024 (Meskerem 21, 2017 EC) explained a family member who spoke to “Ethiopia Insider”.
Over half an hour prior to his arrest, the member of parliament’s residential house was searched according to the family member. The search was carried out by “national defense forces, Amhara Region riot dispursal personnel and militias” said the family member who further explained they did not have a court order at the time of the search.
Security forces involved in the house search then traveled to Ato Zemene’s place of work, according to one source who was present at the office at the time of his detainment and who spoke to “Ethiopia Insider”. Though Ato Zemene is a member of parliament “he was extrajudicially detained without any court order” says the source.
The FDRE Constitution states, “no member of the House may be arrested or prosecuted without the permission of the House except in the case of flagrante delicto”. Both the initial Amhara Region Constitution issued in 1987 EC (1994/5) and the ammended version in 1994 EC (2001/2) contain similar provisions.
Though the regional constitution states this the Amhara Region Council member Ato Melkamu Teshome was detained under similar circumstances yesterday morning at around 10 am according to a colleague who spoke on condition of anonymity to “Ethiopia Insider”. Ato Melkamu was detained by security forces while he was at work as a legal advisor of the Amhara Region Building Works Construction Enterprise said his colleague.
Over three years prior Ato Melkamu ran in the nation-wide elections representing the ruling party in Sekela Woreda of West Gojjam Zone and was elected to the Amhara Region Council. Starting in 2014 EC (2021/2), Ato Melkamu served as administrator of West Gojjam Zone and resigned from his position when the security problem transpired in Amahra Region.
Ato Melkamu was also taken from his place of work like Ato Zemene, and was initially taken to Mulualem Cultural Center in Bahir Dar city according to a source who has followed the matter closely and spoke to “Ethiopia Insider”. The two council members were transported to Bahir Dar city 9th Police Station yesterday night according to this source.
Since the council member was detained yesterday at noon “nobody has spoken to him” and “he was not made aware of the reason for his arrest” is what the source had heard. Our efforts to contact the Amhara Region Communications Bureau and the region’s Peace and Security bureau for further information on the arrests of the two council members were not successful.
The Amhara Region and FDRE National Defense Force in a joint statement yesterday said, “a law enforcement operation” was underway in order to “ensure peace for the regional government and its people”. The statement stated that this action would “hold accountable” those forces “involved in abductions and looting” and from cities “coordinate” this work.
In addition to this the regional government stated individuals responsible for serving as “logistics and intelligence sources” for “extremist” forces would be held accountable. International human rights organization Amnesty International in a statement issued yesterdat stated that since last Saturday hundreds of people have been detained in major cities across Amhara Region.
Amnesty called actions taken by regional government security forces “mass arbitrary arrests” and mentioned professionals across federal universities were also being detained. The human rights organization called on Ethiopian Government officials to immediately stop the “mass arbitrary arrests”.
(Ethiopia Insider)
