FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES, February 13, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Oromo Legacy, Leadership, and Advocacy Association (OLLAA) is deeply concerned about the safety of Ethiopian protesters who this weekend are demanding justice for the twenty Oromo political prisoners on a hunger strike. Since June 2020, the Ethiopian government has held the political prisoners inside a maximum-security prison in Addis Ababa. The prisoners, including opposition leaders Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba, have been on hunger strike for two weeks and there is growing fear about their health.

OLLAA calls upon the Ethiopian government to respect the people's right to protest peacefully. During similar protests last year, Ethiopian security forces killed 76 protesters in what the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission called a “crime against humanity.” Under international law, the Ethiopian government is obligated to allow its citizens to assemble and express their political views peacefully. OLLAA calls on the international community and human rights watchdogs to closely monitor the Ethiopian government’s response to the weekend gatherings.

On Tuesday, February 16, OLLAA will hold a similar rally in Washington, D.C. All peace-loving individuals are welcomed and encouraged to join. The rally will protest the Ethiopian government’s wrongful detention and persecution of Oromo political leaders, call on the Ethiopian government to meet the political prisoners’ demands, and raise awareness of the wide-scale state violence against the Oromo people by the Ethiopian security forces.

For more details on the rally and the current human rights crisis in Ethiopia, please visit OLLAA.org.



For all inquiries relating to this press release, please contact:

Blossom Rolly
Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.
blossom.rolly@montagueyork.com