IT-TLETTAX-IL LEĠIŻLATURA P.L. 5299 Dokument imqiegħed fuq il-Mejda tal-Kamra tad-Deputati fis-Seduta Numru 360 tal-15 ta’ Lulju 2020 mill-Ispeaker, l-Onor. Anġlu Farrugia. ___________________________ Raymond Scicluna Skrivan tal-Kamra .. To European Parliament Malta representative European Parliament Liaison Office in Malta Europe House 25 4, St Paul Street Valletta VLT 1215 Malta To Speaker of the House of Representatives Parliament of Malta The events unfolding in Ethiopia are deeply troubling. Following the assassination of Haacaalu Hundeessaa, a popular Oromo artist and activist, by Ethiopian security forces in the capital, Addis Ababa, Monday night,29 June 2020, after our beloved artist assassinated, mass demonstrations erupted across the country. Tension is very high, and tens of thousands of protesters are on the streets to express their outrage about the senseless killing of their beloved icon. Prominent opposition leaders from Oromia Jawar Mohammed pro-democracy activist, Oromo opposition leader Bekele Gerba and other many Oromo politicians have been arrested. Internet is shut down as are some private media outlets including Oromo media network. Evidence is sketchy and intermittent, but there are credible reports indicating widespread upheavals, including violent confrontations. The Goverrunent's attempt to restore calm seems to have had little impact. In fact, it appears that the reaction of the security forces has deepened the frustration and anger of the grief-stricken masses. According to Human Rights Watch and amnesty international, the authorities' heavy­ handed crackdown 'could make a volatile situation even worse.' State media reported a death toll approaching more than 350 people. Other sources quote numbers that are much higher. The situation is such that things can get out of control easily. And the fact that the government blocked access to internet has added another layer of complication and anxiety. Human Rights Watch's Hom of Africa director, Laetitia Bader, said: "Ethiopian authorities should respond to reports of protests in Addis Ababa and other cities and towns following the killing of popular Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa by acting urgently to reduce tensions and to ensure security forces do not make a combustible situation worse. The government should order security forces not to use excessive force or carry out arbitrary arrests, including against protesters, as they have often done in the past." The internet blackout and closure ofOMN was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a non-profit organisation promoting press freedom worldwide. "Ethiopian authorities' persistence of old patterns of censorship in response to crises, when the public most needs access to timely news and information, is deeply disappointing," said sub-Saharan Africa representative Muthoki Mumo. "Authorities should immediately end the internet blackout, free the Oromia Media Network journalists detained in the course oftheir work, and guarantee that members of the press can report on this moment of protest without fear for their safety or of losing their liberty." The young and talented artist whose life was brutally cut short hailed from the Oromo people. Although the Oromo people demographically is the majority, the Oromo people have been at the receiving end of decades of repression, humiliation, and slaughter. Haacaalu Hundeessaa's cold-blooded murder has touched a raw nerve, deepening and further inflaming the historic grievances and resentment felt by the Oromo nation. This came on the top of the horrendous killing of Ariti Shununde by the security forces weeks back. The 32-year old Oromo businessman was shot in the back because his phone rang, according to Amnesty International. The Oromo people feel that they are being targeted. And if the Oromo people feel threatened and marked for collective punishment, this could lead to unforeseen large­ scale communal strife, even civil war. All citizens and all communities could be adversely affected, especially if law and order break down completely. Situations like these create environments in which purveyors of hatred and bigotry exploit and whip up primordial passions. Ethiopia is a complex country with a long history of authoritarian regimes deeply rooted in a culture of violence and epidemic of protracted conflicts and repression. The latest manifestation of this grim reality became evident between 2007 and 2017 when the Ethiopian Defence Forces cordoned off the vast plains of the Ogaden and turned them into killing fields on the pretext that the government was fighting insurgents. Government forces perpetrated what Human Rights Watch meticulously documented as war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial killings, mass incarceration, widespread torture, burning of villages, rape as a weapon of war, economic blockade and starvation. The whole infrastructure and assets of the Oromia State were mobilized and deployed to target entire communities and mark them for collective persecution and mass murder. Tens of thousands were slaughtered with impunity. This is an urgent appeal to you to do everything humanly possible to closely monitor the dangerous and potentially calamitous situation unfolding in Ethiopia, and to show your solidarity with Oromo people. Sincerely, Oromo community Malta feJ~ p; \\\4 Arvt~ :b JY 6liZ6tt..JJ. .