Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Semayawi Party Membership Procedures

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Chairperson of the Semayawi Party stated that the requirements and procedures for an individual to become a member of the Semayawi Party are to be an Ethiopian citizen, to be 18 years of age or older and to pay contribution dues to the party consecutively for more than 6 weeks (Semayawi Party 4 Aug. 2016). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Membership Cards

The Chairperson stated that the Semayawi Party does not issue membership cards to members (ibid.). However, he noted that, during an election year, "only those who are [Semayawi Party] candidates" during an election year are provided cards that are authorized by the election board (ibid.). In addition, he indicated that the Semayawi Party did issue membership cards "only for a limited period" in the past, but stopped issuing them due to "security concerns" (ibid.). Further information about the membership cards previously issued by the Semayawi Party, including their appearance, number of cards issued, and timeframe when they were issued, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Membership Dues and Receipts

The Chairperson stated that Semayawi Party members are required to pay membership dues and are provided with receipts for the payments (ibid.). He further noted that the receipts are "mostly used as informal membership IDs or proof of membership" (ibid.). Further information about the membership dues and payment receipts, including the amount of the dues and the formatting of the receipts, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

For further information about the Semayawi (Blue) Party, including its origin, mandate, leadership, structure, legal status, election participation, party membership, and treatment of party members and supporters by authorities, see Response to Information Request ETH104974 of October 2014. For information about support letters issued by the Semayawi Party, see Response to Information Request ETH105564 of August 2016.

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 sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Reference

Semayawi Party. 4 August 2016. Correspondence from the Chairperson to the Research Directorate.

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Human Rights Watch; Professor, California State University San Bernadino.

Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; Europa World Plus; Factiva; Political Handbook of the World; Semayawi Party; UN – Refworld.