Abbay Media
Shiberu Tamerat
Several people were killed by security forces a day after Epiphany in the city of Woldiya following a protest that started in the city.
The government of Ethiopia officially admits seven people were killed, however, residents of the city interviewed for this report put the number of dead and wounded higher than the government reported. According to some eyewitnesses, children in their early teens and the elderly were among the dead.
One of the victims of the massacre on the day after Epiphany, January 20th, 2018 was the widely known Gebremeskel Getachew of the city’s iron craft works. The victim was in his mid-thirties, married and a father of a five-year-old girl. Those who knew Gebremeskel closely describe him as a hardworking person. Gebremeskel owned and operated an iron craft workshop and was building a business center in Weldiya.
A BBC reporter interviewed the brother of the late Gebremeskel Getachew, Kidane Getachew to understand how the family is dealing with the untimely death of their beloved son, husband, father and a brother.
According to his brother, Gebremeskel was returning from the tradition of escorting the Holy Ark of Saint Michael (Tabot) back to its church on Jan 20, when he was gunned down by security forces in the area known as Electric Power Authority. Kidane bitterly recounts “they shot my brother five times in different parts of his body and their intentions were clear, they wanted him dead”.
Kidane remembers “as soon as I heard there was chaos in the city, I started calling his cell phone frantically, he didn’t answer. I waited for his call, nothing was coming through. I was worried. I decided to look for him at the hospital. I found the blood-soaked dead body of my brother with five bullet wounds; a bullet wound to his neck, his stomach, chest and a bullet wound to his genitals. I could not believe what I saw with my own eyes. What they did to him is brutal. All they needed was a single bullet to kill him. His family’s spirit is crushed. A loving son who respected both his parents senselessly murdered. Not only did they kill him, they also broke his surviving family emotionally”.
According to Kidane, when Gebremeskel returned from escorting the Holy Ark to the area known as Electric Power Authority, the neighborhood was calm and peaceful. “I don’t know why they wanted to kill him. So far no one has said why they killed him” said Kidane.
A month ago the family of Gebremeskel lost one of their beloved son, a younger brother who died from natural causes. Kidane bitterly recounts “his family was still bereft and grieving the loss of his younger brother, a few days away before the younger brother’s 40th-day memorial when another tragedy befalls our family again”.
The Sunday following the death of his brother, security forces were making it difficult for the family to prepare for the burial of his brother Gebremeskel. “Wake was held overnight at Woldiya’s Saint Mary Church and we started heading towards St. George Church for the burial ceremony, when security forces started shooting live ammunition and tear gas on the funeral procession causing disruption” recalls Kidane.
Mr. Gedu Andargachew and other officials from the region spoke with the family of the late Gebremeskel at their residence. Kidane and his family requested from the officials a full investigation of the crime committed against their brother and to bring those responsible for his murder to justice.
The officials of the region have also promised the residents a thorough investigation of the crimes committed against the victims and that a complete report of the findings will be fully disclosed to the public once it’s completed.
The night before yesterday, Revina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the United Nations human rights division officially said: “The United Nations is gravely concerned about the action taken by security forces in Woldiya”.
The commission requested an independent investigation and to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice.
