Ethiopia: Update to Response to Information Request ETH23555.E of 10 April 1996 on the procedure for joining the All Amhara People's Organization (AAPO) and whether membership is documented
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH24418.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Update to Response to Information Request ETH23555.E of 10 April 1996 on the procedure for joining the All Amhara People's Organization (AAPO) and whether membership is documented, 1 June 1996, ETH24418.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab2e87.html [accessed 3 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. |
According to a letter received by the Immigration and Refugee Board from the president of the All Amhara People's Cultural & Relief Organization (AAPCRO) in Toronto, the only two AAPO organizations authorized to write "support letters" are located in Washington, DC and Toronto (22 Mar. 1996). The president also stated that the AAPCRO only writes support letters for active members of the AAPO once they are in Canada (ibid). To date "no more than six letters" have been written (ibid.). These letters are written on AAPCRO letterhead and are signed by the president, in addition they carry identifying serial numbers that change every year (ibid.). If a membership letter does not match this description, the holder of the letter is not an "active member of AAPO in Addis Ababa and AAPCRO in Toronto or anywhere else in Canada" (ibid.). For additional information, please consult the attached letter.
In a 24 June 1996 telephone interview, the president of AAPCRO stated that claims of AAPO membership are verified with the AAPO in Addis Ababa before membership letters are issued by the AAPCRO office in Toronto.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB 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.
References
All Amhara People's Cultural & Relief Organization in Toronto. 24 June 1996. Telephone interview with president.
All Amhara People's Cultural & Relief Organization in Toronto. 22 March 1996. Letter received from the president.
Attachment
All Amhara People's Cultural & Relief Organization in Toronto. 22 March 1996. Letter received from the president.
