Andualem Aragie, the young charismatic leader of the opposition Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) Party, as well as a close friend of jailed prominent journalist Eskinder Nega, was floored when the convicted criminal suddenly kicked him on the head multiple times and lost control.
Andualem was saved when two other inmates, they themselves known opposition leaders facing “terrorism charges,” intervened and stopped the beating. The felon was on February 13 added to the windowless cell that Andualem shares with 13 other inmates.
The usually fearless Andualem, who didn’t receive any medical help, told his brother and lawyer that he “fears for his life.” They observed Andualem wiping tears, looking depressed and complaining of chronic headache.
Though Andualem espouses his party’s policy of non-violent form of struggle, the Meles Zenawi regime falsely accused of Andualem, and his friend Eskinder, of terrorism.
The following is a report by UDJ President Dr. Negasso Gidada
Around noon time on Thursday, I received information that Andualem was
beaten up by a prison inmate on Wednesday and that someone should come to the prison and see
him. I made calls to his brother and lawyers, asking them if they could
visit him in the afternoon. They could not go to the prison in the
afternoon because the visit hours were only in the mornings.
They visited him on Friday and came to UDJ office to report what they
found out. First of all about Andualem’s condition. Andualem who is
usually emotionally and spiritually strong was down.
He was depressed
and was weeping when he met his brother and his lawyers. He complained
of headache. A small bruise can be seen on his face on the right side
blow his eye. He expressed that he has fear that “they” want to kill
him. No medical care has been given to Andualem so far.
Background:
Andulem is in a prison cell for 14 people in the so called maximum
security zone (Zone 3) with people such as Ato Bekele Gerba of OFDM
and Olbana Lelisa of OPC and Dr. Tilahun Fantahun. The cell does not
have windows.
About a month ago a prisoner named Ibas Asfaw was added to Andualem’s
cell. Ibas has been in prison for 16 years and was once sentenced to
death because of murder. His sentence was latter changed to life
imprisonment. It is said that he has transmittable illness. Ibas is
provocative, insulting and quarrelsome. He takes away food from his
cell inmates by force and gives it away to others. He is frequent
visitor to the office of prison administration and is said that he is
in friendly relations with the authorities there.
Ibas started insulting Andualem sice the 13th of February. He took
away papers Andualem was using to writing his defense case for the
court in two weeks. No one knows where to the papers are taken. On the
14th Ibas comes to the cell at around 13 hours with another prisoner
from outside the cell and closes the door and asks Bekele and Dr.
Tilahun who were resting telling them to get out of the room because
they have something secret to talk with Andualem.
The two refused to
get out. Ibas then went directly to Andualem and kicked him on the
left side of his head. Andualem fall down. Ibas boxed Andualem three
times while he lay unconscious on the cement floor. Ibas is a bully
man and was using his heavy hands. Bekele was trying to push away
Ibas while Dr. Tilahun called the guards. The guards took Ibas away.
It is rumored that he was taken to the prison administration office
and received more than Bir 2,300 and taken to another cell in zone 1.
It is said that he receives money since 2005 because he was injured
during the shooting in prison when many prisoners are said to have
been killed.
To the questions of the lawyers the prison chiefs said that they can
allocate prisoners in any cell they want, that this is administrative
matter, they will deal with Ibas administratively, they can get
Andualem’s papers from Ibas and Andualem can forward appeal and
accusation to the prison administration if he wants to. The prison
administration did not take the matter seriously.
Conclusion:
We suspect that the placing of Ibas in Andualem’s cell is deliberate
and that it was an indirect way of torturing Andualem, humiliate him
and have him morally, psychologically and physically broken down as
usually, as has been done to Burtukan Mideksa and to the prisoners of
the old Soviet BlockCountries.
The Executive Committee of UDJ will discuss on the matter tomorrow and
will decide what action it would take. In the mean time I appeal to
all friends to forward this information to all freedom loving and
defenders of the Human Rights to condemn what happened to Andualem and
demand that he gets medical attention as soon as possible from his
private medical doctors.
Dr. Negaso Gidada,
Chairman of Unity for Democracy and Justice Party
