Two councilors who were arrested under the state of emergency in Ethiopia have not been found in the custody of the Federal Police Commission, where they were detained.
Christian Tadele, a member of the House of Representatives and chairman of the Standing Committee on Government Expenditure, Management and Control, and Dr. Kasa Teshager, a member of the Addis Ababa Council, were informed that they would appear in court today, but they did not appear.
Their lawyer, Henock Aklilu, said that neither their families nor their lawyers know the whereabouts of the two detainees.
“We heard from their families that they will be brought to court today and we attended the court; They didn’t come. Later, when we checked, we heard that they are not in the Federal Police Commission, where they were present, and that they have been taken to a place that we have not stepped into for the time being,” said the lawyer.
Lawyer Henock said that his client family members were told that they could take the property they had put in the prison, which suggests that they have been moved to a different location.
He said that the families are in a state of grief and emotional breakdown, and that some of them are also worried that another action may be taken against them.
“We don’t know where they are except for the unconfirmed rumor that they were going to speak at 5:00 AM, and they were taken to Awash,” said the lawyer.
The lawyer said that he will ask the board of inquiry, which is obliged to inform them about the whereabouts of these individuals.
“Forcibly hiding a person or not informing them about their whereabouts is an international crime, and it is a prohibited act even under the declaration of emergency.” Their families have the right to know what their situation is,” he said.
The General Department of State of Emergency announced the arrest of 23 suspects who were accused of “carrying out various illegal activities by providing logistics and financial support to aggravate the conflict in the city”.
Among them are Mr. Christian Tadele and Dr. Kasa Teshager.
However, human rights organizations and families claim that mass arrests are being carried out by the security forces, and that the number of people arrested is higher than reported.
The lawyer said that he is concerned about the safety of the two councilors and that he will continue to follow up on the case.
