By Alemayehu Tilahun G.
Life imprisonment, a life sentence, lifelong incarceration or life incarceration is any sentence of imprisonment for his or her political activity or opinion under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life or until paroled. Not only prison but also , Electric torture; using knives to slice of the flesh of prisoners , Shacking legs and keeping prisoners isolated in dark and stinking cells, severe abuse, rape, high treason, severe and resulting in death penalty .
This sentence does not exist in all countries except in Ethiopia –Oromia.
But when someone goes to prison they have to follow many rules and procedures – but they also have certain rights. What prisoners can expect while they are there and what happens if rules are broken. When someone’s convicted and sent to prison by a court, they’re first sent to a prison near the court where they were convicted.
When they arrive, checks take place to make sure they have everything they need and to highlight any problems, like a medical condition. The prisoner is assessed at the first prison they arrive at. This assessment leads to a decision about which type of prison they serve their sentence at all prisoners have certain rights. These include:
The right to food and water
Protection from bullying and racial harassment
Being able to get in contact with a solicitor ( lawyer)
Healthcare – including support for prisoners with a mental health condition.
Each prison has its own rules about what a prisoner can keep in their cell. They may be able to keep things such as:
Newspapers, books and magazines
A stereo, or something to play music on, and earphones
Writing and drawing materials .Get more visits from family or friends be allowed to spend more money each week
Prison staff can search a cell at any time, without warning .A prisoner can learn skills and get qualifications while in prison. These can help them get a job when they leave prison. Courses and work schemes could include:
Learning to read or write
Woodwork
Engineering
Gardening
In contrast torture in Ethiopia neglected the Universal law that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment”. (art.5/ Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
“All forms of exploitation and degradation of man, particularly slavery, slave
Trade, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment, shall be
Prohibited (Article 5/ African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights)
The regime in power in Ethiopia claims to accept these and other UN Conventions against torture, and cruel and inhuman punishments. However, it tramples on these laws and has continued to systematically and routinely torture prisoners especially targeting the Oromo political, Oromo students and having great spatial extension on Oromo Nationals.Torture as a means of war is practiced in the Oromia regions. The TPLF regime has denied any torture takes place anywhere in Ethiopia just as it has denied there is even one political prisoner in the whole country (there are close to 90,000). Beating and pistol whipping or attacking detainees with the butts of rifles is a common practice long before the prisoner has been moved to the cells and interrogation centers.
Torture is routine in Ethiopia especially on Oromo ethnics group. It is practiced to obtain information and/or to punish the prisoner and to damage him/her physically and psychologically. A number of prisoners have their hands paralyzed and/or broken from beatings and being tied for long by plastic ropes which block blood circulation in the arms. The Ethiopian Human Rights Council had published photos of such victims whereas Amnesty International, European human right, UN and International Media’s reporting the severe punishment and torturing of Oromo student’s and Oromo civilian’s.
http://www.amnesty.nl/nieuwsportaal/pers/ethiopia-authorities-must-provide-justice-scores-protesters-killed-injured-and-ar#.U4zJjdmodrM.
http://www.unpo.org/article/17141#sthash.ihyhCHsY
http://www.oromoliberationfront.org/News/2014/HRLHA_UA_May_24_2014.pdf
http://ayyaantuu.com/human-rights/ethiopia-ambo-under-siege-daily-activities-paralyzed/
http://ayyaantuu.com/human-rights/ethiopia-brutal-crackdown-on-protests/
http://ayyaantuu.com/horn-of-africa-news/ethiopia/ethiopia-government-regularly-records-phone-calls-human-rights-watch/
http://ayyaantuu.com/horn-of-africa-news/oromia/three-days-campaign-to-bring-the-consequences-of-land-grabbing-and-human-rights-violations-in-oromia-and-ethiopia-to-the-attention-of-the-european-union-eu/
http://ayyaantuu.com/human-rights/memorandum-on-human-rights-priorities-for-the-european-union-africa-summit/
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1073087
http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201306250132-0022854
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27251331
http://youtu.be/ndJ1NE0qV_M
http://www.oromoliberationfront.org/News/2014/OLF_press_release_12-05-2014.pdf
The tortures take place in official (Maekelawi) and secret prisons (of which many exist in Addis Ababa and Tigrai), in military camps turned into detention centers, in the known concentration camps (Zwai, Dedesa, Bir Sheleko, etc), in police stations. Torture victims are varied. People arrested for alleged common law or penal crimes are beaten routinely to get their confessions. Oromo student’s, Oromo civilian’s, Journalists, critics, dissidents, alleged members of opposition
Organizations and fronts, captured guerrillas, etc.—political prisoners—are often tortured unless they are famous and beating them or incapacitating them would expose the regime.
Overcrowded cells, urinating in pails and plastic bags, generally unhealthy conditions of detention, forcing prisoners to sleep on cold and bare cement floors, sleep deprivation are all common in the prisons of Ethiopian TPLF dictator regime. Widespread discrimination (political and ethnic) has made torture systematic, routine and wide spread. Underage children have been jailed in the Maekelawi, in Chilga and other provinces, in many Oromo areas.
After all human being polished off from the land of Oromia, by Ethiopian government the next step all institution could be changed to a gigantic prison. I was impressed with the life of Oromo’s and particularly when I realized that we’re dealing really and truly with life and death.
Galatooma!
VICTORY FOR OROMIA!!
Alemayehu Tilahun G: siifjechan@gmail.com.
