Addis Abeba — Human Rights Watch has urged Ethiopian authorities to release the brother of slain opposition politician Batte Urgessa and at least 11 others detained in connection with his murder.
In a report released Tuesday, the international rights group also called for Ethiopia to seek international support in investigating Batte's death.
Batte Urgessa, a political officer of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), was found dead on April 10, 2024, in Meki, in the East Shewa Zone of Ethiopia's Oromia. His body was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head, and photographs circulating on social media showed him bound and face down in a dry stream bed.
On 07 May Addis Standard reported citing a letter by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) addressed to the Oromia regional state government, including President Shimelis Abdissa, that the Commission was "forced to quit," its investigations in Meki city, East Showa Zone, Oromia Region, three days after its team of investigators began to gather witness testimonies from the scene that showed a trail of activities implicating government security forces in the assassination.
HRW said following the killing, local police arrested 13 suspects, including Urgessa's younger brother, Millo, and a family friend, Ebba Wane. Many of these individuals remain in detention without formal charges.
Milo Urgessa was arrested shortly after his brother's funeral, following an interview in which he stated that witnesses near the location where Batte was killed observed individuals removing Batte from a "ranger," a term commonly used to describe a government security vehicle.
The rights group reports that on June 12, a Meki district court ordered Millo's release, but he continues to be held in detention. An individual familiar with the case told Human Rights Watch, "Security officials are saying they don't know about him [Milo], that he is not held by them."
Earlier this month, Addis Standard reported that Milo remains incarcerated despite a court order for his release.
Human Rights Watch expressed concern about the detainees' whereabouts, noting that while Millo and Ebba are held in the Meki police station, the locations of others are unknown, potentially putting them at risk of mistreatment.
"The Ethiopian authorities' detention without charge of the murdered opposition leader's brother and others suggests that the government is more concerned about preventing the truth from coming out than uncovering it," said Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
Batte's case has drawn international attention, with the United States, United Kingdom and European Union calling for a thorough investigation into Urgessa's death.
However, HRW highlighting the Ethiopian government's past record on investigating human rights violations, urged the need for an international role for a credible investigation, given the sensitivity and importance of the Batte Urgessa case.
Bader concluded, "concerned governments should make clear that the brazen murder of an opposition politician needs an investigation with significant international participation."
This call from Human Rights Watch comes amid broader concerns about Ethiopia's justice system and human rights situation.
In a separate report released today, Amnesty International criticized the continued failure of African and global human rights bodies to address ongoing human rights violations in Ethiopia effectively.
Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, noted that millions of Ethiopians have been denied justice despite ongoing conflict. He stated that human rights violations in the Amhara region continue "without progress towards accountability." Reports of atrocities in Tigray and abuses in Oromia have also largely been ignored.
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Chagutah pointed out that despite claims of commitment to justice, Ethiopian authorities have not halted these violations. He referenced Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's recent denial of army involvement in massacres, calling it "an ongoing denial of past and present crimes."
Amnesty International emphasized that African and global human rights bodies were established to address such violations and ensure accountability. The organization stated that the failure to fulfill these duties sets a concerning precedent, suggesting that perpetrators of international crimes can evade justice.
Chagutah urged these bodies to bring Ethiopia back onto their agenda and engage both publicly and privately on the situation in the Amhara region. He called for United Nations member states to reinstate Human Rights Council scrutiny of Ethiopia and for urgent investigations into alleged crimes by relevant UN and African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) mechanisms.
