Ethiopia: Update to ETH28379.E of 22 December 1997 on the current situation of the Amharas and of the All Amhara People's Organization (AAPO)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH30685.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Update to ETH28379.E of 22 December 1997 on the current situation of the Amharas and of the All Amhara People's Organization (AAPO), 1 December 1998, ETH30685.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac807c.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the current situation of the Amharas and the All Amhara People's Organization (AAPO) additional to that contained in ETH28379.E of 22 December 1997 is scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. On January 1 1998, Ato Negatu Tesfaye, a lawyer defending central committee members of the AAPO, was charged with defamation of "the good name and reputation" of Addis Ababa Central Prison where the central committee members were being held, after he had lodged a complaint with the Central High Court over prison conditions (Ethiopian Register Feb. 1998, 7). According to an International Herald Tribune report, six members of the central committee of the AAPO remained in prison as of 14 April 1998.
On 1 February 1998 the AAPO held its sixth anniversary celebration in the town of Bahir Dar against a backdrop of concerns over security following alleged threats from the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) (Ethiopian Register, Mar. 1998, 11). The AAPO reportedly did not plan to attend a Paris conference of Ethiopian opposition movements in September 1998 because of internal dissent (ION 5 Sept. 1998, 2).
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that the president of AAPO, Professor Asrat Woldeyes, remains in detention and was hospitalized in January 1998 "for diabetes and other health complications" (HRW Dec. 1998).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Response.
References
Ethiopian Register. February 1998. "AAPO Leaders' Defense Lawyer Charged with Defamation of AA Central Prison."
_____. March 1998. "AAPO Celebrates 6th Anniversary in Bahir Dar."
Indian Ocean Newsletter (ION) [Paris]. 5 September 1998. "Opponents' Reunion in Paris."
International Herald Tribune. 14 April 1998. Stephen Buckley. "Ethiopia, a Pet of Aid Donors, Runs into Criticism for Rights Violations." (NEXIS)
Human Rights Watch (HRW). December 1998. "World Report 1999" [Internet] < http://www.hrw.org/hrw/worldreport99/africa/ethiopia.html > [Accessed 4 Dec. 1998]
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential [London]. December 1997 - December 1998.
Africa Research Bulletin. [Oxford]. December 1997 - December 1998.
Ethipian Human Rights Council [Addis Ababa]. Special Reports. December 1997 - December 1998.
Horn of Africa Bulletin [Uppsala]. Bimonthly. December 1997 - December 1998.
La Lettre du Continent [Paris]. Weekly. December 1997 - December 1998.
Resource Centre Ethiopia Amnesty International file. December 1997 - December 1998. (1998)
Resource Centre country file on Ethiopia. December 1997 - December 1998.
Electronic Sources: IRB Databases, REFWORLD, LEXIS/NEXIS, WNC, Internet.
One oral source was unable to provide information within the prescribed deadline.
Unsuccessful attempts to contact an oral source.
