Winnipeg Free PressFewaz Hargaaya
THE Canadian government is looking into the case of a Winnipeg man jailed in Ethiopia, while his friends and family in Transcona worry and wonder how to help.
Fewaz Hargaaya, 26, was arrested earlier this month on a visit to the country he fled as a five-year-old with his family.
He was arrested for having walkie-talkies and held because he is Oromo, an ethnic group struggling for self-determination. After his arrest, police found sponsorship documents he brought from Canada that are critical of the Ethiopian government's treatment of its people. His sister, Iftu, who lives in Winnipeg, said the government has accused him of being involved with the Oromo Liberation Front.
The man's family hasn't been able to contact him since he was locked up in Dire Dawa in one of Ethiopia's notorious prisons.
The Canadian government is trying to help.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Affairs is aware of the detention of a Canadian citizen in Ethiopia," said spokesman Claude Rochon in Ottawa. "Consular officials in Addis Ababa and in Ottawa are providing consular assistance to the family."...Read more
Ethiopia: Oromo Prisoners to Be Charged as Terrorists New York Times - Apr 7, 2011
Oromo: Mass Arrests Appear Politically Motivated UNPO - Apr 11, 2011
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