person:omot agwa

Dispatches: Ethiopian Pastor Pays the Penalty for Speaking Out | Human Rights Watch
▻https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/03/15/dispatches-ethiopian-pastor-pays-penalty-speaking-out
▻https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/styles/open_graph/public/multimedia_images_2015/image002_copy_cropped.jpg?itok=tb-_FUA8

A year ago today, Ethiopian security forces arrested Pastor Omot Agwa and six colleagues at Addis Ababa’s Bole Airport and took them to the notorious Maekelawi police station, where torture is routine.

The arrest came several months after Omot, a respected activist from Ethiopia’s Gambella region, served as translator for the World Bank Inspection Panel. The panel investigated the Anuak indigenous people’s allegation that the Ethiopian government was committing widespread forced displacement and other serious human rights violations in relation to a World Bank project in Gambella.

#répression #terres #activisme #Éthiopie

Letter to World Bank President re arrest and prosecution of Pastor Omot Agwa in Ethiopia
▻http://farmlandgrab.org/post/view/25468-letter-to-world-bank-president-re-arrest-and-prosecution-of-past

http://farmlandgrab.org//uploads/images/photos/9627/large_CS_ZQRYWoAQ4uZp.jpg_large.jpeg?1446666183

Dear President Kim,

We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the arbitrary arrest, detention without prompt charge or legal representation, and eventual spurious terrorism charges brought against Pastor Omot Agwa Okwoy by Ethiopian authorities. He is now facing charges that could entail between 20 years and life in prison. The next court hearing is scheduled for November 5, 2015.

As you know, Pastor Omot worked as a translator and assistant for the World Bank Inspection Panel during its 2014 investigation visit to Ethiopia’s Gambella region. He was taken into custody in March shortly after the Inspection Panel publicly released its investigation report. Prior to his arrest, he expressed concern to trusted colleagues that he was under increasing pressure from security officials due to his role in the World Bank investigation. We have little doubt that Pastor Omot’s arrest and prosecution are a reprisal for his role in assisting the World Bank in ensuring accountability for the projects it finances.

As the leader of this public institution, we believe you have an obligation to take action, including by speaking out, to secure Pastor Omot’s prompt and unconditional release.

#éthiopie #répression #peuples_autochtones #terres

How a World Bank Translator Became a Hunted Man | International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
▻http://www.icij.org/project/world-bank/how-world-bank-translator-became-hunted-man

The Ethiopian regime had various reasons for wanting to arrest Agwa, but at that moment, one loomed large: he had recently served as a translator and consultant for an investigation into whether government authorities had used World Bank money to bankroll a campaign of violent evictions targeting Agwa’s Anuak community.

The soft-spoken pastor arranged interviews for the bank’s Inspection Panel, its internal watchdog, with Anuak who told World Bank investigators about beatings, rapes and summary executions by Ethiopian soldiers —placing Ethiopia’s lucrative aid package from the bank into jeopardy. Months later, Agwa translated for a reporter from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on a newsgathering trip to Ethiopia.

Omot AgwaPastor Omot Agwa worked as a translator for the World Bank before his arrest. Image: Dead Donkeys Fear No Hyenas / WG Films

In February 2015, the Inspection Panel released its report, faulting the bank for failing to properly scrutinize the Ethiopian government’s programs before giving money to the regime. Soon after, Ethiopian government agents began hunting for Agwa, visiting his church, his family and leaving messages on his phone, he told human rights groups.

#éthiopie #peuples_autochtones #BM #discrimination #évictions_forcées #censures #violence_d'état #terres #militer