The persecution of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church draws comparisons to the persecution of the Jewish people. Both groups have been targeted by authorities for their religious beliefs and have been subject to human rights abuses. The use of disproportionate force and the arrest of individuals without due process are common threads that run through both instances of persecution.
The recent persecution of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has been a matter of great concern for many people. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world and has been involved in a dispute over the appointment of the papacy and the establishment of the Synod. This disagreement led to the formation of a new synod by some bishops who were not appointed by the main leadership of the church. The main leadership of the church condemned this action as a violation of its order and canon.
The government’s response to the dispute has been to arrest individuals suspected of creating informal organizations to achieve their own goals and political needs, to pit religion against religion and nation against nation, and to undermine the constitution and the constitutional system. However, the church’s lawyers claim that the arrests are politically motivated and have increased even after the government agreed to allow the church to settle the matter with its own religious canon and administration without government intervention.
The use of disproportionate force by government security personnel has led to accusations of human rights abuses. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission confirmed that eight people were shot and beaten in Shashemene, but the church claims that the number is higher. Additionally, parishioners and religious leaders who opposed the bishops who claimed to have established the new “Church” were beaten, harassed, kicked out of churches, restricted by force, and illegally arrested.
The persecution of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church draws comparisons to the persecution of the Jewish people. Both groups have been targeted by authorities for their religious beliefs and have been subjected to human rights abuses. The use of disproportionate force and the arrest of individuals without due process are common threads that run through both instances of persecution.
It is important to note that the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is not the only religious group to have faced persecution in Ethiopia. The country has a history of religious tension and conflict, and the government has been accused of favoring certain religious groups over others. It is important for the government to ensure that all religious groups are treated equally, and that the human rights of all individuals are respected.
In connection with the recent incident of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the church’s lawyers told the BBC that the followers of the faith were arrested, and most of them were taken to the Awash Seven military camp. According to Ayatollah Bitane, chairman of the main committee of lawyers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, more than 200 believers have been arrested. However, the actual number is not known, and the information body set up for this purpose will provide the details in the coming days.
The arrests were mostly made in Addis Ababa and neighboring areas, and there is information about the number of pilgrims taken to Awash Seven. Although they do not know exactly how many individuals were arrested in Awash Seven, they said that 100 to 200 followers of the faith were taken to the place. Some of those arrested in Addis Ababa on Monday, February 06/2015, appeared in court and were arrested on suspicion of “terrorist activities and forming an informal organization to undermine the constitution.”
Twelve people from the records of Principal Mehrete Ab Asefa and Kerubel Asefa, as well as those of Feven Zerihun and Brooktavit Nabiyu, were present at the hearing on Monday. Among them, seven suspects were released on bail, but the others were given an appointment of eight days, and their case was heard on February 14/2015. It is stated that it will be seen. Among those suspected of terrorist crimes are Feven Zerihun, the chairman of the youth and adult associations of the church, the general secretary of the association, Biruktait Nebyou.
