What did Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba say in their statement today?

He has been "wrongly arrested" for the past 18 months following the assassination of artist Hachalu. • George: They described their arrest as "political". He said the arrests were intended to keep the ruling party out of the political arena so that it could get a better vote. 
 .He said the civilian casualties in Oromia, Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, Afar and Amhara states were tragic.
 • The damage to the country and its people over the past 13 months cannot be undone; He says there is little chance we will be able to avoid further damage. • He said the government's recent response to peace and understanding should be confirmed by concrete and irreversible actions. He called on the outside world to play a positive role in ending the ongoing civil war in Ethiopia and bringing peace and stability to the Horn of Africa.
 • He urged foreign powers to refrain from escalating the conflict by providing political and material support to the militants.
 • To conduct a credible investigation into the murder of artist Hachalu Hundesa; Members and supporters of the Oromo Federalist Congress and the Oromo Liberation Front have demanded their release.
 • George: One of our lawyers says we would like to pay special tribute to Abdul Jabar Hussein.
 • We would like to express our gratitude to the Federal Police and the guards and administrators of Kaliti Prison for their special respect during our contact.

Comments