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The Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice party, also known as EZEMA, accused the government of the murder of its active member Girma Moges Legesse, one day before the start of the electoral campaign.
The chairman of the Oromia regional state branch of the party in Bishoftu city, Adde’a Wereda, Kebele 1, was shot dead on Sunday, February 14, 2021, as he was returning home.
The president, deputy director and secretary of EZEMA informed the media about the incident on Wednesday, February 17, 2020 and indicated that the murder in the city of Bishoftu, 40 KM east of the capital, was politically motivated and therefore , the government must take responsibility for bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Given that the assassination took place on the eve of the launch of a national election campaign, many in the opposition camp suggested that it could affect the ongoing election campaign process.
According to EZEMA President Yeshiwas Assefa, the party firmly believes that the murder is politically motivated and is aimed at frustrating other party members across the country. He also said that “these types of incidents will definitely call into question the freedom and fairness of the elections and the promises made by the incumbent to make the next general elections free and fair.”
The deputy leader of the party, Andualem Arage, stressed that “since the government is solely responsible for the murder of our active member, government officials, whether at the federal or regional level, must come out and report the murder.” In addition, the deputy director emphasized that “if the prime minister is really concerned about the democratic nature and fairness of the upcoming general elections, he should go out and tell his cadres to behave.”
For his part, Party Secretary Abebe Akalu recalled the challenges EZEMA faced in its effort to open offices in different parts of the country, especially in the Oromia region. Despite the challenges, Abebe said that “we are all willing to pay any kind of price in our effort to achieve our goals.” He added “For us, Girma’s death is the first sacrifice for the next general election.”
To do this, the party demanded that both the federal and regional governments take all necessary measures quickly and bring the perpetrators to justice, investigate the officials who harassed and intimidated Girma and finally asked the officials to denounce in public homicide.
