O.N.L.F Statement On Unlawful Arrest & Illegal Rendition Of Ogaden Woman Activist Posted by niessuh on February 15 2010 10:44:17
15, February 2010
The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) strongly condemns the unlawful arrest and illegal handover to Ethiopian regime authorities of Bishaaro Wa'adi Shaqlane a senior member of the Ogaden Womens Democratic Alliance (OWDA) and respected businesswoman who had been residing in Hargeisa in northern Somalia. Bishaaro was arrested by authorities of the so-called Somaliland administration on 10 Feburary 2010 and handed over to security officers of the Ethiopian regime shortly thereafter. Bishaaro had fled Ogaden due to the constant harassment of the security services of the Ethiopian regime who targeted her for her activities empowering women in Ogaden. She had been arrested by the Ethiopian regime three times and tortured in prison on both occasions.
She was first arrested in July 2000 for her activities associated with OWDA and beaten in prison. No charges were brought against her and she was denied legal representation. She was released a few months later only to be arrested again in October of 2001 and was beaten again in prison. After several more months in prison denied access to her family or counsel, she was arrested again on October 20, 2006 and was severely tortured having both her arms broken during violent interrogation by security forces before being released from prison for a third time on 31 January 2007. Bisharo fled to Northern Somalia and resided peacefully with her children in Hargeisa before being picked up from her home by the security services of the so-called Somaliland administration on 10 Feburary 2010. She was quickly handed over to Ethiopian authorities soon afterwards.
Bishaaro has escaped persecution in Ogaden and fled to northern Somalia where she registered with the UNHCR under an alias (Shamsa Abdullaahi Hersi) for her own safety given the extensive security cooperation between Ethiopian authorities and the so-called Somaliland administration.
The unlawful detention and illegal rendition of Bishaaro Wa'adi Shaqlane is in line with a recent security cooperation agreement between Ethiopian authorities and the so-called Somaliland administration concluded at the Semrat Hotel in Dire Dawa city in November 2009. The agreement stipulated that those percieved to be ' political opponents' of the Ethiopian regime who fled to Northern Somalia would be detained and immediately handed over to Ethiopian authorities. The Ethiopian security team at the meeting was headed by General Abraham Woldhe Maryam and the security forces of the so-called Somaliland administration delegation was headed by Nuur Ismail Taani (commander of the armed forces) and Mohamed Saqadhi Dubad (police forces) and Hassan Abdi Yusuf representing the intelligence services of the so-called Somaliland administration.
This unlawful arrest and illegal rendition of a civil society leader and woman activist in Ogaden is the first operational implementation of the new security arrangement between the Ethiopian authorities and the so-called Somaliland administration. It represents a violation of international law and is a testament to the blatant abuse of human rights by the authorities of the so-called Somaliland administration.
The ONLF will not tolerate the targeting and illegal renditions of our citizens in northern Somalia fleeing persecution. The so-called Somaliland administration will solely be responsible for the consequences of this action.
