Press Release: The stateless Oromo Persecuted at Home, Harassed Abroad

April 30, 2015 Oromia

PRESS RELEASE   

The stateless Oromo Persecuted at Home, Harassed Abroad

Australian Oromo Community in Victoria will be gathering at Spring Street and corner of Treasury Place, next to Victoria Parliament in a bid to express our grave concern and appeal to the recent tragedies on Oromo and other refugees from Horn of Africa. The recent killings of Oromo refugee in Libya and South Africa and displaced Oromo refugee Yemen due to war are heart breaking.

Oromo refugees, who have escaped the dire situation in their home country, faced daily terror at the hands of the Ethiopian regime. They have fled from the widespread extra-judicial killings, abductions and disappearances, removal from their ancestral land, torture and constant humiliations that has been going on for years. Hence, many Oromo refugees have been forced to flee from their homeland.

However, the intimidation and harressment of Oromo refugees continued to the extreem. On Sunday, 19th of April the terrorist group ISIS in Libyan released videos of the men being beheaded, and another group were being shot. As a community we describe the execution of those innocent refugees is absolutely barbaric and unacceptable. Similarly, the current situation of Oromo refugees in Yemen and South Africa gravely concerns us. As the result of war and conflict in Yemen and the wide-ranging spread of anti-immigration sentiment in South Africa, the current situation of Oromo refugee is terrifying. It is very disheartening to hear about this development of communal hatred on our refugee population, intolerance and politicization of religion.

Oromo refugees are experiencing agonising dreadful of human right violations in countries where they are seeking UNHCR protection as a refugee. The Ethiopian government is hunting these refugees in Yemen, even in the refugee camp while they are under UNHCR to forcefully take them back to Ethiopia by bribing security forces in the country.

Ethiopia’s human rights abuses are well documented by human rights watch and US state departments and the current Oromo protests has renewed support to launch an international investigation to bring the responsible perpetrators to justice.

In response, more than 10 international cities including Washington, Toronto, Oslo, Frankfurt and London have staged mass peace protests, picking up interest globally and trending heavily on social media. Many Oromo community members have also established emergency appeal and fundraising to support people who are in need.

On Friday, Australian Oromo community will call on the Australian government to urgently consult UNHCR and other international aid agencies to rescue Oromo refugees particularly, in Libya, Yemen and South Africa. It will also appeal to Australian governemnt to set an example by using its influence in the United Nations to put political, economic and diplomatic pressures upon the Ethiopian government to stop its continued attack on Oromo lives, their political organisations, educational establishments and the right to self-determination.

Members of Australian Oromo community in Victoria will be gathering at Spring Street and corner of Treasury Place, next to Victoria parliament in Melbourne on Friday 1st May at 10am.