Petition to Thank Al Jazeera’s The Stream for Giving the Oromo Nation Voice

July 07, 2013

The following is a petition initiated by concerned Oromo human rights activists to thank Al Jazeera’s ‘The Stream’ for giving the Oromo nation voice. To sign the petition, CLICK HERE

The Petition

Al Jazeera The Stream/English: We Appreciate Al Jazeera for Airing Oromo’s Persecution in Ethiopia

Oromo, the single largest [over 40 million population] ethnic group in Ethiopia, is under repression of successive Ethiopian regimes for more than a century. Generally speaking, Ethiopia is a prison of Oromo people. Over the last 130 years, in Ethiopia, the power is under two minority ethnic groups [namely, the Amhara and Tigre]. The Oromo and other southern nations (Ogaden, Gambela, Afar, Sidama, etc) are repressed by the northern, better known as Abyssinian [Amhara and Tigre], regimes. The Oromo people are uniquely targeted by consecutive Ethiopian regimes because of their resources, geographic strategy, and fear from their majority in number.

Oromos are languishing countless human rights abuses and yet untold stories of persecution. As human rights activists, we are advocating for the God-given rights to human beings and their dignity as the United Nations identified in its The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

“Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,”

We are witnessing the fate of Oromo under the successive Ethiopian regimes since it becomes our crucial concern. True media like Al Jazeera should be appreciated to show the countless untold stories committed against the Oromo people. In Ethiopia, there are more than 25,000 political prisoners, of which 90% are Oromo prisoners.

According to the Oromia Support Group (OSG), a non-political organization which attempts to raise awareness of human rights abuses in Ethiopia, as of May 2012, it has reported 4,407 extra-judicial killings and 992 disappearances of civilians suspected of supporting groups opposing the government – where most of these are Oromo.

The current regime has sold out more than 3 million hectares of fertile land to the foreigner investors after forcefully displacing Oromo farmers from their ancestral land. The grabbing of land ended the indigenous people without shelter and foods. This displacement of the Oromo people accompanied by limitless human rights violations set the Oromo to be the vast number of immigrants in the Horn of Africa.

Currently, there are situations that engaged in genocidal cleansing in East Hararge zone of Oromia by the armed forces of the Ethiopian regime. In Central Oromia, thousands of people and their livestock died due to the industrial pollution directly released to rivers and lakes. Forests, including a UNESCO’s registered and privileged as diversity of living habitat located in Ilu Aba Bora zone of Oromia, are dismantled by the TPLF’s company (EFFORT).

Successive Ethiopian regimes developed lofty discrimination that mainly targeted the Oromo people. This trend apparently observed among, both the past and current, Ethiopian regimes and affiliates. Since the current regime is reassuring the subjugation, marginalization and repression policy of the old regime, both systems are incorporate and consent among each other on the Oromo cause.

We very appreciated your recently broadcast story Oromo seek justice in Ethiopia (guests – Fido Ebba, Mohammed Ademo and Jawar Mohammed) - The Stream - Al Jazeera. There are countless human rights abuses against Oromo. We urge all media like Al Jazeera to dig out and show to the world. We believe Al Jazeera The Stream will continue to be the voice of voiceless people. We thank all the Al Jazeera teams.

To sign the petition, CLICK HERE