Peoples’ Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (PAFD) released a statement on July 7, 2020, which vehemently condemns the assassination of Hachalu Hundessa- a ‘national hero’ and ‘a cultural icon of the Oromo nation’ admired by millions urging the government to immediately allow an independent, impartial, effective, and transparent investigation into his killing to bring those who are involved in heinous crime to justice.
The group also called upon the government to release Oromo political prisoners including Jawar Mohamed, Bekele Garba, members of Oromo Liberation Front’s executive committee, and to abstain from using violence against protestors in a bid to undermine their constitutional rights.
The PAFD appealed to the oppressed peoples of Ethiopia to stand in unity and solidarity with the Oromo nation and calling upon all the international nations to stand with the Oromo nation currently subjected to State-terrorism following Halaaluu’s gruesome assassination.
Press Release by Peoples’ Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (PAFD) (External Affairs Committee).
July 07, 2020.
We, the members of PAFD are deeply saddened to learn the gruesome assassination of the Oromo’s iconic and renowned singer and songwriter Hacaaluu Hundessaa on June 29, 2020 whose culprits are possibly politically motivated assassination. It is important to assert that the assassination of this young artist at his tender age is not a unique phenomenon to the Oromo nation. Instead, there were dozens of Oromo artists assassinated by the EPRDF’s government machineries in allegation of OLF membership in the past 29 years. Besides, his brutal assassination has revolted the Oromo nation and those nations and nationalities in Ethiopia who support the national cause of the Oromo from the bottom of their hearts. The Oromo nation and the rest of nations in Ethiopia those who believe in equality are shocked and cannot recover from their anguish until his assassins are brought to justice.
Following the assassination of the Oromo’s hugely respected and adored artist; PM Abiy Ahmed’s government become obsessed with Oromo demonizing campaign and finally embarked on a full-scale Oromo terrorizing operation in the entire Oromia. Therefore, the regime’s apparatuses are targeting the Oromo’s nationalist politicians with extra-judicial incarcerations. After ensuring the imprisonment of the Oromo nationalist prominent political figures including Bekele Gerba, Jawar Mohammed, Dr Shigut Geleta, Michael Boran, Kennesa Ayyana and hundreds of others; the PM’s government shut down the Oromo Medias including OMN with all its journalists that has ended in the entire closer of the internet in Ethiopia.
The successive regimes of the Ethiopian empire had targeted the Oromo and the other oppressed nations and peoples for the period of over a century. However, the magnitude and the extent of the massacres committed and extra judiciary arrests of the Oromo, Sidama and the rest nations of the country since the current regime has assumed power in April 2018 remain huge compared to his predecessors’ 28 years crimes. Since the PM Abiy has rebranded his former party EPRDF to create Exclusive Prosperity Party (PP/EPP); evidences show that the Oromo people are increasingly targeted in all directions by PP to be executed by a highly armed government forces in all villages, towns and districts of the entire Oromia that is under the state of emergency. We categorically condemn those anti-Federalism groups disguised their motives under the pretext of PP simply because primarily they target the largest federalist force in Ethiopia, the Oromo nation to weaken their people and bury their national aspiration for equality and genuine self-rule- with the grand objective of suppressing the entire oppressed nations and peoples step by step in Ethiopia.
Categorically condemning the assassination of the Oromo’s iconic singer, we demand the federal government to immediately allow an independent, impartial, effective, and transparent investigation into his killing to bring those who are involved in heinous crime to justice. We demand the release of all political prisoners and full investigations into gross violations of the Oromo’s human rights by unconditionally lifting state of emergency from the land of Oromo and the rest of the oppressed nations and peoples. We urge the unconditional release of all the Oromo’s political prisoners including the indicated, the journalists and the resumption of the OMN is independent media practices.
The PAFD call up on the oppressed peoples of Ethiopia to stand in unison to fight against the tyrannical rule of Ethiopia. The PAFD calls upon all the international community to stand with the Oromo nation currently subjected to State-terrorism following Halaaluu’s gruesome assassination. Hacaaluu’s songs and Lyrics mobilized the Oromo revolution of 2015-2018 that has brought the previous barbaric regime to its knees. Since his assassination, over 500 protestors were executed in the Oromia’s state by the military and security forces of the government of the Ethiopian PM, Abiy Ahmed who is the 2019 Noble peace Prize Laureate; sadly, who suddenly became ruthless dictator. Moreover, as indicated, hundreds of Oromo’s high-profile nationalist politicians were unlawfully incarcerated, and tens of thousands of Oromo civilians were mass arrested where the torture is rampant. We demand the Ethiopian government to unconditionally stop State-terrorism in Oromia.
Finally, we send our deepest condolences to the families of barbarically executed singer, Hacaaluu Hundessaa and show our consistent and unrestricted solidarity to the Oromo nation until justice is served on behalf of the assassinated singer and the wider Oromo nation.
The PAFD always works for and speaks up for the voiceless peoples in Ethiopia.
Freedom and Justice for All Peoples in Ethiopia!
Issued by the Peoples’ Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (PAFD).
July 07, 2020
