ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — A human rights organisation in Ethiopia said Wednesday that the government has been holding three of its members without charge for more than two weeks in the west of the country.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) said three members of its branch in Nekemte, 220 kilometres (135 miles) west of Addis Ababa, were detained on August 23 after police came to search their homes.
“Three of our members in Nekemte have been detained without an arrest warrant for 16 days,” Tesfaye Desalegn, the group’s public relations officer, told AFP.
“They were looking for arms and papers they claimed were used to incite violence, but even though nothing was found, they haven’t released or tried them yet,” he added.
Regional security officials have not responded to appeals, he added.
In a statement, the group urged the government to either release the three or press charges against them.
Nekemte lies in the Oromo region, where rebels have been battling the government for years.