EPRP(d) Condemns the Unlawful Detentions of

Ethiopian Refugees in Sudan

The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (Democratic) is saddened by the news reporting that some Ethiopian refugees in Khartoum, Sudan, are being arrested by the police and security staffs of the Sudanese Government. While the whereabouts of some of the detainees are unknown, it is confirmed that some of them are severely tortured. Among these detained Ethiopian refugees are Wendimagegn Getaneh Abai and Dereje Ayele.

 Ato Wendimagegn Getaneh Abai, who was arrested on March 5, 2008, is a Human Rights activist who has been instrumental in defending Ethiopian refugees that are being mistreated in Sudan against the provisions of refugee protections enshrined in the protocols of Geneva Convention to which the Government of Sudan is a signatory. He has been vocal in presenting the plights of these defenseless Ethiopian refugees to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) local office in the Sudan and some international radio services like VOA and Deutschewelle, especially after several prominent Ethiopian political refugees were unlawfully deported and handed to the regime of Mr. Meles Zenawi in Ethiopia. At this time, he is kept incommunicado and his place of detention in Khartoum is unknown.

Ato Dereje Ayele, along with his other two fellow refugees, was arrested on March 9, 2008 on a simple suspicion and charge that he might be organizing a public rally of Ethiopian refugees in front of the UNHCR office in Khartoum in protest of Wendimagegn's detention. Eye witnesses have confirmed that Ato Dereje has sustained severe beatings during apprehension and repeated tortures while under police custody.

It is extremely uncomforting to hear that many more Ethiopian refugees, especially those suspected of being members or supporters of the Ethiopian political opposition forces, are to be visited and picked up by the Sudanese security forces in the coming few days. These wholesale violations of refugee rights in the Sudan are being perpetrated against the defenseless and helpless Ethiopian refugees under the watch of the UNHCR local office in Khartoum. The EPRP(d) calls upon the Government of Sudan to immediately cease the continued violations of the rights of the Ethiopian refugees and invest more on future good neighborly relations with the Ethiopian people. The EPRP(d) also calls upon the UNHCR to protect and implement all the provisions and protocols upon which it was established in the first place. The continued mistreatment and abuse of Ethiopian refugees in the Sudan, with the cooperation of the UNHCR local offices in the Sudan, are examples of injustices that are being committed against humanity that all Human Rights organizations should condemn.