November 10, 2012 (ayyaantuu.com) — On November 1st, the Ethiopian national court convicted nine Oromo nationals, including opposition party leader Bekele Gerba, of crimes related to the sweeping anti-terrorism laws. Gerba was joined by another member of the opposition party, Olbana Lellisa, and seven other Oromo nationals, who were arrested for unknown and unclear reasons. Their sentencing is expected to take place in several weeks.

The Arrests
The case began in August of 2011 when Gerba and Lellisa were arrested after meeting with an Amnesty International delegate, which was afterwards expelled from the country. Gerba, an English teacher at Addis Ababa University and deputy Chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM), met with the delegate on August 23, 2011 to exchange information related to human rights abuses within the country. Lellisa, of the Oromo People’s Congress party (OPC) met with the same delegate under similar circumstances three days later, on August 26th. The next day both men were arrested and charged with terror-related offenses; neither of which were publicly supported with evidence.

Although the Ethiopian government denied that the arrests were made in relation to the meetings, Amnesty International released a statement just days later reporting that on the same day that the arrests were made, the Ethiopian government also called a meeting with the international organization’s delegate, ordering them leave the country immediately. Within the same statement, Michelle Kagari, deputy programme director for Africa, expressed doubt that the arrests and meeting were unconnected: “We are extremely concerned that the arrests of the two men occurred within days of talking with our delegates… we are worried that their arrests are not a coincidence.” Read more…