AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

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AAAS Human Rights Action Network

FACTS OF THE CASE:

On 10 June 1999, Dr. Taye Woldesemayat, a political scientist and President of the Ethiopian Teachers' Association (ETA), was sentenced to a 15-year prison term. Dr. Taye has been imprisoned since 30 May 1996. He was arrested on fabricated charges of terrorism and conspiracy to assassinate government officials.

AAAS previously reported that the conditions of Dr. Taye's imprisonment amounted to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, and that death threats had been made against him by prison guards. However, Dr. Taye has reported that since the fall of 1998, his accommodations have been "much improved."

Dr. Taye is the elected head of the Ethiopian Teachers' Association, an independent union with 120,000 members, whose offices in Addis Ababa were shut down by security officials on 13 August 1998. Other ETA officials, who were also arrested and detained at the same time as Dr. Taye, were sentenced to 8 to 13 years imprisonment. Dr. Taye was also among 42 professors fired from Addis Ababa University in January 1992 for writing a letter protesting against the government's violent reaction to a student demonstration.

In 1997, AAAS passed a resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of scientists who are prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia, including Dr. Taye.

The imprisonment of Dr. Taye constitutes serious violations of Ethiopia's obligations under the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. These include:

Under the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ratified by Ethiopia on 11 June 1993):

• Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person, and to freely take part in public affairs and political life (Articles 9 and 25);
• everyone has the right to freedom of expression (Article 19.2);
• everyone has the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly (Articles 21 and 22);
• everyone has the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal (Article 14); and
• no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Article 7).

Under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, adopted by the Organization of African Unity on 17 June 1981 and acceded to by Ethiopia in June 1998:

• The right to liberty and security of person, and freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention (Article 6);
• the right to express and disseminate opinions (Article 9); and
• the right to free association (Article 10).

(Sources of information for this update include the United States Embassy, Addis Ababa. Sources of information for previous alerts include Amnesty International, Education International, and the Ethiopian Democratic Action League.)

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telexes, telegrams, faxes, or airmail letters:

• Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Taye on the grounds that he was imprisoned solely for the peaceful expression of his opinion; and
• urging the Ethiopian government to uphold its international treaty obligations.

APPEAL AND INQUIRY MESSAGES SHOULD BE SENT TO:

His Excellency Negasso Gidada
President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Office of the President
P.O. Box 1031
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fax: 011-2511-55-07-22


His Excellency Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Prime Minister's Office
P.O. Box 1031
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

COPIES SENT TO:

The Honorable David H. Shinn
Embassy of the United States of America
P.O. Box 1014
Entoto Street
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fax: 251 1 552 191


The Honorable Berhane Gebre-Christos
The Ambassador of Ethiopia
Embassy of Ethiopia
2134 Kalorama Road, NW
Washington, DC 20008

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