According to Addis Standard‘s report, the Oromia police publicly executed a 17-year-old boy named Amanuel Wondimu in Dembi Dolo on May 11, 2021. The police alleged that Amanuel was a member of Abba Torbe, a group associated with Shene/the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). They accused him of assassinating a journalist and claimed that he was shot by security forces while trying to escape capture.
However, the report highlights that eyewitness accounts and social media footage of the incident tell a different story. The video shows a battered Amanuel being interrogated in public, with his hands tied behind his back and a pistol hanging from his neck. An eyewitness stated that Amanuel’s parents were brought to the scene and were falsely informed that their son had killed people. The witness added that Amanuel was shot multiple times, with everyone watching.
When asked why the security forces did not take Amanuel to court, the Kellem Zone’s security head, Tesema Wariyo, claimed that Amanuel was a confirmed criminal. Ato Ameha Mekonen, a Human Rights Lawyer interviewed by Addis Standard, characterized the actions of the regional forces towards Amanuel as “First Degree Murder” and called for the accountability of all those involved.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) strongly condemned the public display and extrajudicial killing of Amanuel, urging authorities to investigate the incident and take appropriate action. EHRC had previously expressed concern about the widespread crackdown on civilians suspected of supporting Shene in the Oromia region, a few days before the incident, while the Attorney General of the Oromia Regional Government denied the accusation.
Members of Amanuel’s family informed Addis Standard that security forces have continued to harass them and mourners. The mayor and four security force members visited the family, allegedly threatening to burn down their house if they did not remove the mourning tent. According to a witness, 35 mourners were later detained for hours, and their cellphones, IDs, and the money collected to support the family were confiscated. You can read the full report here.
Source:
- Addis Standard May 12, 2021
- Addis Standard May 22, 2021
