(VOA)
Qinati Abdisa, 50, a regional leader of Ethiopia's Oromo Federal Democratic Movement, was arrested at his home this month on a weapons possession charge. He was convicted and sentenced to three months in jail. His family says the weapon was planted by security agents who searched their house.
OFDM chairman Bulcha Demeksa charges Qinati's arrest was timed to
prevent him from registering as a candidate for parliament. "The period
of registration will end in about three weeks. If you are not
registered, you cannot campaign. If you don't campaign, you don't get
elected. So Qinati Abdisa is finished as far as the election is
concerned, unless the Supreme Court of Oromia reverses their decision,"
he said.
Oromos are the largest of Ethiopia's many ethnic groups. They make up
about 40 percent of the population. But Oromia is also home to a
nationalist insurgent group, the Oromo Liberation Front. Bulcha says he
is receiving reports that police are searching the homes of other
opposition figures and finding documents linking them to the OLF.
"I know in other cases, they have taken documents and left them in
their houses and have gone in and taken it and charged them with
association with OLF. I know this. I've seen cases where it is
absolutely true," he said.
Opposition leaders in the northern Tigray region say their supporters
are also being intimidated in advance of the elections. A group of
Tigrayan farmers were detained last month when they traveled to Addis
Ababa to tell international rights groups the government was denying
them food aid for political reasons.
Gebru Asrat, leader of the opposition Arena Tigray party, says security
forces accused the farmers of betraying the country, and threatened
them with long prison terms for talking to foreigners. "Seven people
were arrested. They came to plead to the international community about
their complaints, but the security caught them and for five days and
sent them back to Tigray. It is the [party] cadres and the security who
are controlling the situation there. The courts have no authority. It
is the intelligence and security people who have the power," he said.
An American journalist who traveled to Tigray this month to verify the allegations about the use of food aid for political purposes was detained by security agents for two days and threatened with deportation. His case is pending.
