Yemen extradites abducted opposition figure to Ethiopia

WASHINGTON, DC – Yemen has extradited a top opposition figure to Ethiopia where in 2009 he was sentenced to death in absentia.

Andargachew Tsege, secretary general of Ginbot 7 for justice, freedom and democracy, was abducted from Sana’a Airport on June 23 by Yemeni security officials when the opposition leader was in transit from Dubai to the Eritrean capital, Asmara.

“Yemen has inflicted on Ethiopians a wound time wouldn’t heal,” a strongly-worded Ginbot 7 statement warned on Friday, vowing a punitive measure that”would match Yemen’s crime.”

On Thursday, Ana Gomes, member of the European Parliament, expressed anger at the silence of the British government over the abduction of Andargachew Tsege, who is a British national.

“I’m shocked with this blatant violation of the principle of non-refoulement by Yemeni authorities and seriously disappointed with the lack of visible action on the part of the British authorities, to secure the protection of Mr. Tsege,” Gomes said in a letter addressed to William Hague, secretary of State of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom.

The EU lawmaker said she was informed that Andargachew was already extradited to Ethiopia, where “his life and physical integrity are in great danger and that he will be wrongfully accused of crimes he didn’t commit.”

The abduction of the opposition figure has sparked outrage among Ethiopians around the world, with calls ranging from protest rallies at all Yemeni embassies around the world to vowing unspecified retaliatory measures against the officials in Addis.