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To make matters worse, the Ethiopian government has been actively involved in obstruction of food distribution and other humanitarian assistance. Fleeing horrific war, grinding poverty, famine and exclusion from health care, Oromo migrants are forced to take in search of a better life in neighboring countries. While putting their lives in the hands of often brutal human smugglers, it is a known fact that many don't make it alive.International human rights watchdog groups have accused the Ethiopian government with war crimes and crimes against humanity for the inhuman crimes they committed in the southern and south eastern part of the country. With pretext of fighting rebels, innocent civilians are forcefully displaced from their communities or face execution. Their houses are burned down, their livestock confiscated, women raped and their whole community is ravaged by bloodshed. This is just the glimpse of what is happening in this forsaken part of the world. For fear that the government officials would be exposed for these heinous crimes; they recently enacted a legislation that restricts the work of independent human rights defenders and civil rights organizations. International human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have strongly condemned the new Charities and Societies Proclamation that criminalize human rights activities. This law is accompanied by another draconian media law that restricts press freedom and strips away the right of the public for free information. Whoever speaks out against the undemocratic Ethiopian government is silenced by arrest and in some cases worse. Many opposition political party leaders have been imprisoned and their supporters are being harassed and intimidated on a daily basis. Many analysts are saying the political space is narrowing even tighter and any kind of dissent is met severe punishments. Hence, the International Oromo Youth Association hereby calls upon the international public, international media and government officials of powerful nations to join hands with the oppressed to push for a democratic change in Ethiopia that will usher in respect for human rights and also upholds good governance. |
