Three civilians have been extrajudicially killed in Salaalee, Kuyyu district of Biriti town, in South Shawa Zone, according to a credible report received by OLLAA. This report, received on 12 November, 2021, alleged that the three civilians had been arrested and detained in Biriiti town on allegations of supporting Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) one week earlier, on November 6th. According to the report, they were detained incommunicado for almost a week against their will and in violation of the right to access justice protected under Article 37 of Ethiopian Federal Constitution. On 12 November, 2021, at around 8pm local time, the report alleges that government agents took the three individuals out of prison, brutally executed them, and dumped their dead bodies on the street.
The report identifies the three brutally executed civilians as Ms. Buruuk Taddassa, Mr.Abarra Girma and Mr. Nagash Baqqalla. Ms. Buruuk Taddassa was described as a resident of Biriti town in her twenties who recently married her childhood sweetheart. The report also alleges that she was five months pregnant when she was detained by police on November 6th. The second victim, Mr. Abarra Girma, was a young man in his twenties and a resident of Biriti town, who, according to the report, had just completed his university education and was known to be a brave critic of the Abiy government in his district of Kuyyu. The third victim, the late Nagash Baqqalla, is described as a young man in his twenties and a recent graduate from an unnamed college in Salalee.
Extrajudicial Killing In Oromia.
Extrajudicial executions are a serious violation of human rights and it is the responsibility of the state to investigate them. Failure to investigate extrajudicial execution amounts to a breach of the right to an effective remedy, among other rights. OLLAA and other global human rights organizations have been documenting names of victims and cases of extrajudicial killings in Ethiopia from sources on the ground and reports. Extrajudicial killings have resulted in the arbitrary deprivation of life and other unlawful or politically motivated killings. OLLAA calls for investigation into this barbaric execution of civilians and for the Government of Ethiopia to be held accountable.