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A team of Ethiopian lawyers has called on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to release opposition politicians who were jailed in connection with the deadly July riots.
Ethiopia announced on Friday that it will hold a general election on June 5, 2021, after delaying a scheduled vote in August due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the lawyers argue that the decision to hold the national elections while Abiy’s potential opponents are still in prison will affect the holding of a fair and democratic election.
“Ethiopia cannot hold free and democratic elections as long as critical voices that pose serious electoral challenges to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed are locked behind bars,” said Kedir Bulo, one of 12 lawyers representing Jawar Mohammed, the leading figure in Ethiopian opposition.
“This makes a mockery of the election itself and basically repeats the trends of the last three decades, only under a new and different kind of dictatorship,” Kedir emphasized.
Another lawyer, Abduletif Elemo, said that Jawar and other prominent politicians must be released “without preconditions” in order to participate in national elections.
Jawar is known for helping the current Ethiopian prime minister rise to power in 2018. But the two former allies turned out to be bitter enemies.
Terrorism charges
Jawar has been openly and strongly criticizing Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy for not doing enough to address the long-standing grievances of the Oromo people, the largest ethnic group to which they both belong.
Jawar and 23 others face terrorism charges. They are also charged with telecommunications fraud, incitement to ethnic clashes and other criminal activities related to the deadly riots that rocked the capital Addis Ababa and parts of the Oromia region in July.
According to his lawyers, Jawar is accused of training a terrorist group in Egypt, an accusation he denies.
Mr. Kedir says the allegations brought against his clients are unfounded.
“This is totally bizarre, but it was clear to the defendants that the government is unhinged and would concoct dire conspiracies to demonize our clients and their causes.
“The accusation is that Jawar recruited former members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and sent them to training camps across Kenya with a plan to overthrow the government of Abiy.
“The government has wanted to try to link all opposition politicians with Egypt because this is productive for the prime minister’s internal politics,” Kedir said.
Politically motivated
Mr. Kedir and his team of lawyers believe that the charges against Jawar and other political figures are politically motivated.
“It is more or less a politically motivated indictment designed to keep them out of the next election and not influence Ethiopia’s journey through these turbulent times,” Kedir said.
“It reveals how political this trial is,” he added.
Boycott elections
Some opposition parties have threatened to boycott the upcoming general elections in protest at the arrests of their leaders.
Among them is the OLF, which has accused the Abiy Prosperity party of arresting its members and leaders.
“Although the OLF wants to participate in the elections, it is practically impossible under the current circumstances as almost all of our members, leaders and supporters who are potential candidates and observers are in prison,” the party said in a statement.
Given the realities on the ground, questions are raised as to whether Ethiopia will conduct a democratic and proper election.
“Before the elections, it seems that there remains a great task [to be done]. The political atmosphere must be freed from the polarization that made a point of discussion, “says Kedir.
He stressed the need for a genuine dialogue between the conflicting parties to avoid further internal skirmishes.
“This can only be achieved when a genuine dialogue is established with the right political forces. The problem is that those right political figures seem to deny that access.”
He also doubts that the opposition parties are in a position to participate in the elections.
“Even if their leaders are released, there will not be enough time for preparations,” Kedir added.
