Urgent Action: University lecturer must be released

On 17 August, University lecturer Firew Bekele was arrested and charged under Ethiopia’s excessively harsh and severe Anti-Terrorism Proclamation (ATP). For the last decade, the ATP has been constantly used to suppress any form of dissent. Firew Bekele is accused of writing a book that criticises Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed. Firew Bekele denies having written the book. He is a prisoner of conscience that should be immediately and unconditionally released.

The book, Yetetlefe Tigil (the Hijacked Struggle), discusses the growing rift between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the rest of his party, the Oromo Democratic Party, and accuses the Prime Minister of not only hijacking the Oromo struggle, but of neglecting the demands of the Oromo protestors. Amnesty International has found nothing in the book that refers to violence or incites it in any way.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION until 1 December 2019

Please write using your own words or the template letter provided in the attached documents, in English or your own language, to the listed address as soon as possible: 

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

PO Box 1031

Lorenzo Te’azaz Road

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Email: info@pmo.gov.et

Twitter: @PMEthiopia