Sunday 4 September 2016

Fire and Gunshots killed many in Kilinto prison

On 03 September 2016, a fire that broke out and ensuing gunshots have reportedly led to the death and injury of several inmates in Ethiopia’s high security prison, Kilinto, where scores of Ethiopian opposition leaders and activists are held.

People have been trying to inquire about their detained relatives starting from the time the shooting began but they were forced to leave the area by the brutal Federal soldiers who encircled the prison from a distance. Even at the hospitals where corps of their relatives were taken, they were not allowed to get any information about the victims. The hospitals were heavily guarded too.

Until now, the identities of the prisoners hurt have not been revealed but there are reports that show more than 20 inmates have been killed.

Most of the prisoners at Kilinto prison are Oromo political leaders and students who were detained after protest began in  November 2015. Among them are prominent Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) leaders like Bekele Gerba, Dejene Tafa, Adisu Bulala, Gurmessa Ayana, and many others.

The Oromo started protesting in November  2015 when the Ethiopian government announced its plan to expand the capital into the Oromia region, a plan to remove them from their fertile land. However, the government replied to their peaceful protest by firing live bullet at them. It killed, wounded, and detained thousands of the peaceful protesters. This has changed the face of the protest into a revolution leading to the removal of the brutal and undemocratic Ethiopian regime. This revolution has now expanded into the the Amhara region where the Amharas also are demanding the change of government.







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