Washington DC: Call to End Suppression of Oromo People in Ethiopia
Qeerransoo Biyyaa
November 27, 2008
The past weekend, the Oromo community in Washington DC deliberated on a number of issues: gross human rights violation of the Oromo people in Ethiopia and in East African countries, internal affairs of strengthening the coalition amongst Oromo opposition parties to challenge the regime and lobbying western governments to discontinue supporting the Ethiopian regime.
The participants of the community event discussed that the excessive attention of the international media to global economic crises and the prolonged coverage of war on terror eclipsed the focus of the global community on important issues of human rights abuses and climate crises in countries like Ethiopia.
Human Rights Violations Overflow to refugees in East African countries
In his opening speech, Dr. Fido Ebbaa explained that Oromo refugees face especial attacks in the region because of their political dissent and religious affiliation. He cited the cases of the 2007 two Oromo refugee Engineers who fled to the neighboring Kenya and registered with the UNHCR and had refugee status in Kenya. Two days after the Ethiopian security forces in collaboration with Kenyan authorities kidnapped and deported them to Ethiopia, the government started torturing the Engineers. Ebbaa claimed that there is no people else in the world that have faced the degree of injustice that the Oromo people in Ethiopia are facing currently. He cited a number of other cases of Oromoo refugees who were deported from neighboring countries such as Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti and later exposed to severe torture.
Human Rights Watch reported that Ethiopian authorities have arrested more than 100 Oromo Ethiopians since October 30,2008 in Addis Ababa and across Ethiopia´s Oromia Region. It is time the world has stood up with innocent and peaceful Oromos who are isolated and attacked for the mere reason of belonging to Oromo population group by default, not by choice.
In connection with human rights, economic and political freedoms, Dr Asfaw Beyene, a dedicated Oromo scholar and activist, spoke of the importance of the role of individual in pressing for justice and freedom in repressive countries. "The individual is the most valuable resource that commands all other resources and individual must be respected," said Beyene. Beyene´s keyword was for all humans to have "passion" for humanity that currently seems to be lost or misplaced.
He gave examples of passionate individuals who made a big difference in human freedom from pages of history. Rose the Riveter, a cultural icon of the United States, representing the 6 million women who entered work force for the first time during World War II, was amongst them. He said that the world should say "We Can Do It" just like Rosie the Riveter, when it comes to ending injustices against the Oromo people in Ethiopia. Joan of Arc, the 15th century Catholic Saint, who is the national hero of France, is another example he mentioned from whom the present humanity can learn exceptionally moving and solid moral stories.
Musa Ibrahim read a compelling poem, narrating how the Ethiopian government ruthlessly murdered Oromo university/school students, some of whom were his friends who took part in Oromo student movement. His classmates Gaddisa Bekele and Gamtaa Garbaa were shot in their prison cells.
Lobbying United States and Western Governments
Another speaker at the event stressed that lobbying the United States government to pass and sign the bill "Support for Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2008" into law can help alleviate the plights of the Oromo people in Ethiopia. This bill was sponsored by Senator Russell Finegold (D-WII) and it has not succeeded to go beyond being introduced during the Bush administration. It has only been read once since September 2008 and the Ethiopian Diaspora must lobby the US government to get it signed into law by the next president of the country—Barack Obama. The speaker asserted that the Oromo Community and the Horn of African communities at large need to coordinate their efforts to increase their lobbying powers in order to stop western governments from sponsoring regimes with records of flagrant human rights violations such as Ethiopia.
The participants of the community event discussed that the excessive attention of the international media to global economic crises and the prolonged coverage of war on terror eclipsed the focus of the global community on important issues of human rights abuses and climate crises in countries like Ethiopia.
Human Rights Violations Overflow to refugees in East African countries
In his opening speech, Dr. Fido Ebbaa explained that Oromo refugees face especial attacks in the region because of their political dissent and religious affiliation. He cited the cases of the 2007 two Oromo refugee Engineers who fled to the neighboring Kenya and registered with the UNHCR and had refugee status in Kenya. Two days after the Ethiopian security forces in collaboration with Kenyan authorities kidnapped and deported them to Ethiopia, the government started torturing the Engineers. Ebbaa claimed that there is no people else in the world that have faced the degree of injustice that the Oromo people in Ethiopia are facing currently. He cited a number of other cases of Oromoo refugees who were deported from neighboring countries such as Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti and later exposed to severe torture.
Human Rights Watch reported that Ethiopian authorities have arrested more than 100 Oromo Ethiopians since October 30,2008 in Addis Ababa and across Ethiopia´s Oromia Region. It is time the world has stood up with innocent and peaceful Oromos who are isolated and attacked for the mere reason of belonging to Oromo population group by default, not by choice.
In connection with human rights, economic and political freedoms, Dr Asfaw Beyene, a dedicated Oromo scholar and activist, spoke of the importance of the role of individual in pressing for justice and freedom in repressive countries. "The individual is the most valuable resource that commands all other resources and individual must be respected," said Beyene. Beyene´s keyword was for all humans to have "passion" for humanity that currently seems to be lost or misplaced.
He gave examples of passionate individuals who made a big difference in human freedom from pages of history. Rose the Riveter, a cultural icon of the United States, representing the 6 million women who entered work force for the first time during World War II, was amongst them. He said that the world should say "We Can Do It" just like Rosie the Riveter, when it comes to ending injustices against the Oromo people in Ethiopia. Joan of Arc, the 15th century Catholic Saint, who is the national hero of France, is another example he mentioned from whom the present humanity can learn exceptionally moving and solid moral stories.
Musa Ibrahim read a compelling poem, narrating how the Ethiopian government ruthlessly murdered Oromo university/school students, some of whom were his friends who took part in Oromo student movement. His classmates Gaddisa Bekele and Gamtaa Garbaa were shot in their prison cells.
Lobbying United States and Western Governments
Another speaker at the event stressed that lobbying the United States government to pass and sign the bill "Support for Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2008" into law can help alleviate the plights of the Oromo people in Ethiopia. This bill was sponsored by Senator Russell Finegold (D-WII) and it has not succeeded to go beyond being introduced during the Bush administration. It has only been read once since September 2008 and the Ethiopian Diaspora must lobby the US government to get it signed into law by the next president of the country—Barack Obama. The speaker asserted that the Oromo Community and the Horn of African communities at large need to coordinate their efforts to increase their lobbying powers in order to stop western governments from sponsoring regimes with records of flagrant human rights violations such as Ethiopia.