Hailu Kebede (Tigrinya: ሃይሉ ከበደ) is foreign affairs head of Salsay Weyane Tigray, an opposition party in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.[1] Native from Togogwa, he publicly denounced the Togogwa bombing during the Tigray War and alerted the international media[2] Hailu Kebede was arrested in Addis Ababa by the Ethiopian authorities on 13 August 2021.[3] He is as a political prisoner as of 16 August 2021[update].[4]
Hailu Kebede | |
|---|---|
| ሃይሉ ከበደ | |
| Head of Foreign Affairs of Salsay Weyane Tigray | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Togogwa, Tigray Region |
| Political party |  Salsay Weyane Tigray |
| Occupation |
|
Professional life
editHailu Kebede is also a civil engineer who manages a construction company.[citation needed]
Politics
editHailu Kebede is foreign affairs head of Salsay Weyane Tigray.[1][5]
2020-2021 Tigray War
editAt the start of the 2020-2021 Tigray War, Hailu was hiding on the outskirts of the Tigray capital, Mekele, listening to bombardment and gunfire.[1][6] Later during the war, he was very vocal about war crimes:
- jointly with his fellow party members, they collected data from witnesses of killings of civilians[1]
- he publicly denounced the Togogwa bombing and alerted the international media,[2]
- he witnessed the euphoria in Mekelle when the town was liberated from Ethiopian soldiers[6]
- he called for negotiations, and investigations into the looting and the massacres[6]
- he briefed diplomats and others about the war[7]
This is the least-documented war. The world will apologize to the people of Tigray, but it will be too late.
— Hailu Kebede, foreign affairs head of Salsay Weyane Tigray, Associated Press, 11 February 2021[1]
Arrest
editHailu Kebede was arrested in Addis Ababa by the Ethiopian authorities on 13 August 2021. As of 16 August 2021[update], he remains in jail.[4] The charges are: having cast his vote in the 2020 Tigray regional election, reporting ("misinforming") about the Togogwa airstrike, and participation in the Tigray War.[3] In an interview, one month before his arrestation, Hailu said that he did not feel safe in Addis Ababa, but he insisted that he wanted the plight of the Tigrayan people to be known to the world.[6]
On 18 August 2021, his court appearance was delayed; according to his friends, Hailu was kept in prison in order to avoid US envoy Jeffrey Feltman meeting him.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Associated Press, 11 February: 'We'll be left without families': Fear in Ethiopia's Tigray
- ^ a b BBC, 29 June 2021: Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: What happened the day a bomb hit a market
- ^ a b VoA Tigrigna, 17 August 2021:ላዕለዋይ ኣባል መሪሕነት ሳልሳይ ወያነ ብርክት ዝበሉ ክስታት ተመስሪቱዎ (trans:If you do not find what you are looking for then just ask)
- ^ a b Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 200 – 16 August 2021 Europe External Programme with Africa
- ^ VoA Tigrinya, 7 January 2020: ብምምራፅን ፕሮግራም እቲ ውድብ ብምፅዳቕ ዛዚሙ (trans:If I clean up the program, I will clean up)
- ^ a b c d CBC News, 2 July 2021: "As it happens" – episode transcript
- ^ a b Associated Press, 18 August 2021: New wave of Ethiopian detentions of Tigrayans includes kids
External links
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