HRW: At least 75 Killed in Ethiopia Protests

Local Editor

Human Rights Watch said Saturday that at least 75 people were killed during weeks of protests in Ethiopia which have seen soldiers and police firing on demonstrators.

"Police and military forces have fired on demonstrations, killing at least 75 protesters and wounding many others, according to activists," the HRW statement mentioned.

However, there was no immediate response from Addis Ababa, but a government spokesman has previously put the toll at only five dead.

On the contrary, the organization received credible reports that security forces shot dozens of protesters in Shewa and Wollega zones, west of Addis Ababa, in early December.

Pictures appeared on social media, apparently showing bloodied protestors and armed police firing tear gas at student demonstrators.

Protests began in November when students opposed government proposals to take over territory in several towns in the Oromia region, sparking fears that Addis Ababa was looking to grab land traditionally occupied by the Oromo people, the country's largest ethnic group.

Relatively, Deputy Director for Human Rights Watch's Africa Division Leslie Lefkow said that: "The Ethiopian government's response to the Oromia protests resulted in scores dead and a rapidly rising risk of greater bloodshed."

She further added that: "The government's labeling of largely peaceful protesters as "terrorists" and deploying military forces is a very dangerous escalation of this volatile situation."

For their part, rights groups have repeatedly criticized Ethiopia's use of anti-terrorism legislation to stifle peaceful dissent.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team