(Borkena News Desk)
TORONTO, Canada — In what appears to be a new wave of crackdown on opposition and dissenting views, the Ethiopian government has arrested two members of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP) and a lawyer who has gained prominence in representing arrested political figures.
The EPRP is one of the major opposition political parties operating in the country. Its public relations head, Yisak Wolday, was arrested on Monday. Mistresilassie Tamerat, secretary, told Anchor Media—a U.S.-based prominent Ethiopian YouTube channel—that her party has confirmed Yisak’s arrest.
She stated that security forces in civilian clothes took him to his residence. Initially, his whereabouts were not known. When relevant authorities of the criminal investigation department were asked if her colleague was in custody in this division, they were told he was not there. Later, she said, it was confirmed that he was there.
Abebe Akalu, a member of the party who is known for vocal criticism of the ruling party on a range of national issues and who regularly appears on Ethiopian Media Service live broadcasts to share his views on current affairs, was arrested on Tuesday.
According to Mistresilassie, he was arrested on Tuesday morning. As was the case with Yisak, he was taken from his residence and it was not clear where security forces took him. Ethiopian activists and opposition parties criticize Abiy Ahmed’s government for kidnap-style arrests of opposition figures.
The EPRP has confirmed that Abebe Akalu is arrested in the criminal investigation department of the Federal Police.
The government has also arrested Abera Nigus, a prominent ethnic Tigray lawyer based in Addis Ababa. His family confirmed he was arrested on Monday around 7:30 a.m. from his residence.
A Borkena reporter in Addis Ababa reported that police seized two cellphones from Abera, but there was no house search. On the other hand, police searched Abebe Akalu’s residence. Abera is known for representing cases of political prisoners. One prominent case is Taye Dendea, former State Minister for Peace, who was thrown in jail days after sternly criticizing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in public in 2023.
Police have not released a statement or confirmation regarding the arrest. No reports of court appearances at the time of this writing either.
It is unclear why the federal government made the arrest.
“What I can guess are two reasons,” Mistresilassie said in her interview with Anchor Media. “It has become customary for this—I cannot call it a government—regime to arrest political party leaders, activists, and journalists whenever there is a new war. … no dissenting view is needed,” she said.
The second reason, she continued, “is a way of telling the government that it does not have the capacity to engage other than arresting, an indication about the narrowing of space for peaceful struggle.” She expressed concern that as the door to peaceful struggle is shut, it will encourage armed struggle. Her party’s support group in the diaspora on Tuesday released a statement calling for the release of arrested party members.
Ethiopia is currently facing a renewed conflict in the north while the one in the Amhara region continues to rage for over three years now. This week, there was fighting between TPLF forces and the Ethiopian Defense Force at Shererina—a location close to the Ethiopia-Sudan border near the Wolkait area—over which the TPLF has ownership claims.
These new arrests in Addis Ababa coincide with a national dialogue underway since July 15. The government has been making claims that the dialogue—which has faced rejection from major opposition parties in the country and Ethiopians in the diaspora on grounds of flaws on issues of neutrality and inclusion—will resolve the country’s political problems and resolve historical grievances.
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Never Again: The Red Terror Memorial is a denunciation of ALL Derg Era Actors [Derg-Meison/EPRP/EPLF-ELF-TPLF/etc.] who only brought Terror/Massacre/Famine!
Derg Era Actors [DEA]: All were working hand-and-glove against Ethiopia in one way or another. Hence, they MUST ALL BE BANNED from Ethiopian Soil FOR GOOD!
From the Frying Pan in to the Fire: Haile-Selassie Era’s famine, the Feudal Monarchy’s ills, and the anti-Ethiopia DEA shoved Ethiopia from the frying pan in to the fire!
Q: Is Mistire-Selassie Tamrat the daughter of Tamrat Samuel [one of the EPLFs (ሻብያ) in the EPRP during the Derg Era]?
Waw! Thank you for your knowledgeable analysis! You should be a well paid Media Army Cadres!
Let the soul of those martyred Red Terror Victims judge on you!
Debre must have scored big on this one. He must have one of his operatives call and hold long phone conversations with these prisoners knowing for fact the regime’s extensive wiretaps would be listening. It is not only Debre doing this but it is also in the working protocol of Rasta Wannabe in Western Wallagaa and those in Amhara region. They do that for their propaganda regimen to say ‘See, I told you!’