Ethiopia lessons in repression: violations of academic problems, HRW

denied freedom of association, and that the government remains in command of the university administration.
One student told Human Rights Watch, “The students just dropped these demands when they went back.” 216 A
professor expressed frustration that the strike had failed to achieve academic freedom. “Yesterday a student said
the only change he sees since the strike is the color of the ID card,” he said. “They changed the president and vice
presidents and put in a new dean of students. But those behind the scenes are still there. Directors, members of
the senate, and the current [president and vice presidents] were hand-picked.” 217
Ironically, the only student demand that was granted was the one the government refused to grant during
the strike last year: removal of uniformed police from the campus. On September 17, 2001, 272 private security
guards took over campus security after two months of training. 218 Students said the climate is now freer than
when police were there. A number of students recalled a particularly notorious police commander known as
Yared who had repeatedly called students into the campus security office for questioning when the police
maintained an official presence on AAU. Although students said that such practices have ended, some said that
undercover security agents and students who double as informants continue to harass students, especially Oromos,
on campus. 219
The administration apparently allows some student associations to operate. Dr. Tetemke Mahri, academic
vice president, said in a news interview, “We don’t allow religious and political activities. Other than this [the
students] are free to hold meetings.” He added that the university discouraged associations based on ethnic
background. 220
Students interviewed by Human Rights Watch, however, indicated that the university denied many the
right to association. One said that even the poetry club had been banned. He told Human Rights Watch that
students interested in poetry have met clandestinely since the strike: “They had asked for permission and the
administration replied orally—it is not good, you should be dormant until the situation improves.” 221 Political
parties do not carry out any activities on campus. A handful of students openly participate in opposition parties,
but an official of the EDP said that most have requested to be secret members. 222
Students told Human Rights Watch that religious associations (including Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim,
and Pentecostal) and associations of students from each regional state, divided largely according to ethnicity, do
in fact exist on each university campus. They say the most active of these is the Tigrean Development
Association. There is apparently an Oromo Development Association as well. However, all of the Oromo
students interviewed for this report, as well as students and professors of other ethnicities, complained that
Oromos consistently had been denied permission to form associations of their choice. One said, “Oromos must
meet outside the campus. We ask the administration for permission to meet every year when freshman come, and
they say no. We gave them a letter, and they said, ‘Why do you give this to us?’” Students or former students at
Addis Ababa University, Bahir Dar University, and Awassa Agricultural College said they belonged to
clandestine Oromo associations. Two students complained that security agents accuse them of sympathizing with
the OLF and harass them when they gather in groups of even two or five students on campus. “As five students
we cannot get together or police will come displace us. This happened to me last year. . . . We can’t talk about
food on campus, . . . university elections, or anything.” 223
216 Human Rights Watch interview, Addis Ababa, July 23, 2002.
217 Human Rights Watch interview, Addis Ababa, July 23, 2002.
218 “Campus Security Force Replaced with Civilians,” News and Views, Addis Ababa External Relations Office, Issue No. 1,
November / December 2001.
219 Human Rights Watch interviews, Addis Ababa, July 16, 19, 22, and 29, 2002.
220 Yakob Adugna, “The students do not have more rights than any other Ethiopian citizen,” Sub Saharan Informer.
221 Human Rights Watch interview, Addis Ababa, July 19, 2002.
222 Human Rights Watch interview, Addis Ababa, July 29, 2002.
223 Human Rights Watch interviews, Nairobi, July 10 and 12, 2002 and Addis Ababa, July 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, and 24.
Human Rights Watch
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January 2003, Vol. 15,No. 2 (A)