Oromo in Washington DC protest against national injustice and violence in Ethiopia

The International Oromo Youth Association (IOYA), an umbrella organization for Oromo youth around the the world, marched in Washington DC on April 20,2009, protesting Ethiopian government's torutures and kilings directed against the Oromo people and other non-ruling populations in South Ethiopia. The demonstrators highlighted that Ethiopia has passed laws criminalizing the activities of human rights and civil society organizations throughout the country.

The aim of the peaceful demonstration was to create awareness among the American public about the existance and prevalence of tortures, killings and ethnic-cleansings in Oromia State, the largest state in Ethiopia. The recent criminalization of the operations of human rights organizations in the country is a sign that the government wants to scale up its open and secret torture and killings against Oromo people and others who dissent opression. The demonstrators called upon the US State Department and other international bodies to pay attention to the sufferings of the Oromo and other non-ruling populations of South Ethiopia.

However, their protest has never been broadcast by the mainstream television and newspaper networks in the United States. Since IOYA wants to create a wider public awareness about the injustice against Oromo and non-ruling populations in Ethiopia, I will integrally republish their press information for more exposure below:

A Peaceful Demonstration by Oromo youth in Washington D.C

The ever increasing repression of Oromos and other people in Ethiopia has become a big concern for Oromo youth across the globe. The disturbing news that rarely gets reported by international media is a daily occurrence for the Oromo mass in Ethiopia and neighboring countries which compelled us to get up and march in hopes of bringing public awareness to the alarming human rights violations in Ethiopia. As recent as March 5, 2009, the Ethiopian government brutally beat many Oromo students and arrested over 80 of them from Bahir Dar University merely for asking certain individuals be brought to justice for their derogatory remarks towards Oromia and Oromos as well.

In the past year alone, hundreds of innocent civilians including college students, business people, farmers, teachers and other professionals have been arrested without any warrant, detained without bail, tortured and extra-judicially killed. The arbitrary arrests did not spare even nursing women and the elderly. While the Ethiopian government is amassing millions of dollars from international donors, more than ten percent of the population is on the brink of starvation and millions of children are severely malnourished. The government has been hiding this grave situation that has been dubbed by many 'a green famine.' Lack of good governance and corruption of almost all government officials are the culprits for this humanitarian crisis.

To make matters worse, the Ethiopian government has been actively involved in obstruction of food distribution and other humanitarian assistance. Fleeing horrific war, grinding poverty, famine and exclusion from health care, Oromo migrants are forced to take in search of a better life in neighboring countries. While putting their lives in the hands of often brutal human smugglers, it is a known fact that many don't make it alive.International human rights watchdog groups have accused the Ethiopian government with war crimes and crimes against humanity for the inhuman crimes they committed in the southern and south eastern part of the country. With pretext of fighting rebels, innocent civilians are forcefully displaced from their communities or face execution. Their houses are burned down, their livestock confiscated, women raped and their whole community is ravaged by bloodshed. This is just the glimpse of what is happening in this forsaken part of the world. For fear that the government officials would be exposed for these heinous crimes; they recently enacted a legislation that restricts the work of independent human rights defenders and civil rights organizations. International human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have strongly condemned the new Charities and Societies Proclamation that criminalize human rights activities. This law is accompanied by another draconian media law that restricts press freedom and strips away the right of the public for free information. Whoever speaks out against the undemocratic Ethiopian government is silenced by arrest and in some cases worse. Many opposition political party leaders have been imprisoned and their supporters are being harassed and intimidated on a daily basis. Many analysts are saying the political space is narrowing even tighter and any kind of dissent is met severe punishments.

Hence, the International Oromo Youth Association hereby calls upon the international public, international media and government officials of powerful nations to join hands with the oppressed to push for a democratic change in Ethiopia that will usher in respect for human rights and also upholds good governance.