Jailed opposition leaders agree to end protest after plea from 'elders'

Four jailed Ethiopian opposition figures have said that they will end their hunger strike on March 8, their attorneys told The Associated Press. While speaking to the media outlet, the lawyers said that the four individuals have decided to end the demonstration as the health of the politicians deteriorated in recent days and there were also fears for their lives. Attorney Ibsa Gemeda said that the prisoners agreed to end their protest after a plea from “elders and notable personalities”. 

As per reports, a request by the prisoners to be treated at a private hospital was recently implemented after weeks of denial despite a court order to its effect. The jailed opposition leaders included Ethiopia’s media mogul-turned-politician Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Hamza Adane and Dejene Tafa. The leaders were arrested along with at least 16 others following the killing of a renowned singer, Hachalu Hundessa, back in June 2020. 

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Gemeda informed that the prisoners had said that they would not eat until the government released all Oromo political prisoners, authorization for political party officers in Oromia to open and operate freely and an end to the alleged mistreatment of families of political prisoners during prison visitations. The jailed opposition leaders, on the other hand, face charges including conspiring to dismantle the constitution by force and other terror-related offences. However, the politicians called the charges “politically motivated”. 

It is worth noting that following Hundessa’s killing, violence targeting ethnic minorities claimed the lives of several dozen people, mainly in the Oromia region. Ethnic Oromos feel that their quest for more democratic space and the freedom to choose their leaders has not been fulfilled since Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018. The ethnic group accuse the PM of not honouring his promises by arresting some politicians who returned to Ethiopia from abroad, including Jawar. 

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Ahmed urges citizens to prioritize peace 

PM Ahmed, however, has urged citizens to choose whoever they want in the upcoming general election in June. But he has also stressed that citizens should prioritize peace. On Sunday, Ahmed said that the goal is to conduct an election that will make the country a winner. He added that it will be a state wherein everyone has an equal chance to convey messages. 

“If we lose the election, we will peacefully hand over power to the winner and will make history. And if we win, we will take Ethiopia to the prosperity it deserves by working day and night,” Ahmed said. 

(Image: @NebresYasenGD/Twitter) 

(Inputs: AP)

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