An organization called Mecha Tulema, including its objectives, structure and status; the treatment of its leaders and members by the current government (1990-Sept. 2004) [ETH43011.FE]

Mecha Tulema was established in the 1960s, or more specifically in 1965, according to the Library of Congress (United States n.d.; see also AI 28 Nov. 1997), and is a welfare association for the Oromo community (AI 28 Nov. 1997; United States n.d.; HRW 8 Sept. 2004; The Daily Monitor 30 Aug. 2004).

With regard to Mecha Tulema's status, the executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) wrote in a letter to the Ethiopian prime minister that, in July 2004, "the Ministry of Justice revoked Mecha Tulema's license because of its alleged 'political' activities in violation of its charter" (8 Sept. 2004). A 30 August 2004 article in The Daily Monitor described Mecha Tulema as being a "recently interdicted" organization. The same article indicated that this was the third time the foundation had been outlawed in its lifespan (The Daily Monitor 30 Aug. 2004).

The Ethiopian government authorities suspect that Mecha Tulema supports the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and is involved in "terrorist" activities (The Daily Monitor 30 Aug. 2004; HRW 8 Sept. 2004).

Some international human rights organizations reported the arrest and detention of several Mecha Tulema leaders and members (HRW 8 Sept. 2004; AI 19 July 2004). In a 19 July 2004 report, Amnesty International (AI) indicated that Diribi Demissie, Gemechu Feyera and Sentayehu Workneh, Mecha Tulema's president, vice-president and treasurer, respectively (see also HRW 8 Sept. 2004), and 14 other members of the Oromo ethnic group had been arrested around 18 May 2004 and were being held incommunicado at the 3rd police station in Addis Ababa, where some were allegedly "tortured and ill-treated." According to the same report, police suspected the accused of "being involved in a grenade explosion at the Addis Ababa University on 29 April 2004 in which one student was killed" (AI 19 July 2004). In his letter to the Ethiopian prime minister, HRW's executive director expressed his dismay upon learning that Mecha Tulema's top three leaders and secretariat member Wzo Ayelu Atisa had all been re-arrested on 16 August 2004 (HRW 8 Sept. 2004). According to the same letter, the Federal High Court had ordered the release on bail of the Mecha Tulema leaders on 9 August 2004 (ibid.). An article in The Daily Monitor reported that Gadisa Hirpasa, a Mecha Tulema employee who was accused of financing the hand grenade attack on the Addis Ababa University, had been under police surveillance and was later taken into custody (30 Aug. 2004).

Furthermore, some sources reported that Moga Frissa, former Mecha Tulema vice-president, was suspected of conspiring with the OLF, and that he had been arrested in November 2001 (SOCEPP 10 Nov. 2001), October 2001 (Country Reports 2001 4 Mar. 2002, Sec. 1.d), and August 2000 (Country Reports 2000 23 Feb. 2001, Sec. 1.d). According to Radio Freedom, Mecha Tulema leaders were also arrested in 1997 after some hotels were bombed in Dire Dawa and the capital (8 Oct. 2002).

No information on the structure of Mecha Tulema could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References


Amnesty International (AI). 19 July 2004. Éthiopie : Craintes de torture, arrestations arbitraires, prisonniers d'opinion. (AI Index: AFR 25/008/2004). http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/FRAAFR250082004 [Accessed 22 Sept. 2004]

_____. 28 November 1997. "Amnesty Says Ethiopians Rights Defenders Should Be Released." (Africa News/Dialog)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 4 March 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/af/8372.htm [Accessed 22 Sept. 2004]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000. 23 February 2001. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/af/789.htm [Accessed 22 Sept. 2004]

The Daily Monitor [Addis Ababa]. 30 August 2004. Dawit Ketema. "Mecha-Tulema Employees Arrest Continues - Police Want Permission to Check a Detainee's E-Mail Accounts." http://allafrica.com/stories/200408310469.html [Accessed 16 Sept. 2004]

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 8 September 2004. Peter Takirambudde. "Letter to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi." http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/09/07/ethiop9320.htm [Accessed 16 Sept. 2004]

Radio Freedom [Internet site, in English]. 8 October 2002. "Clandestine Ogadeni Radio Brands Ethiopia 'a Rogue Terrorist State.'" (BBC International Reports/Dialog)

Solidarity Committee for Ethiopian Political Prisoners (SOCEPP). 10 November 2001. "Release Doctor Moga and Engineer Abera Now!" http://www.socepp.de/november_10.htm [Accessed 22 Sept. 2004]

United States. n.d. Library of Congress. Ethiopia: A Country Study. "Other Movements and Fronts." http://countrystudies.us/ethiopia/128.htm [Accessed 16 Sept. 2004]

Additional Sources Consulted


Publications: Africa Confidential, Indian Ocean Newsletter, Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent, Keesing's Record of World Events, Resource Centre country file.

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica, Amnesty International, BBC Africa, Ecoi.net, FIDH, HRW, ICRC, ReliefWeb, UNHCR.

Associated documents