WRITTEN QUESTION E-3476/03 by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Disappearance of Ethiopian, a former coordinator for EU Aid.
Date: 2003-11-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Ethiopia, political violence, right to justice

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/463

(2004/C 88 E/0475)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3476/03

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 November 2003)

Subject: Disappearance of Ethiopian, a former coordinator for EU Aid

Mr Amanti Abdisa Jigi was head of the development department of the Oromo Relief Association (ORA)
before the Ethiopian office was forcibly closed and all assets were seized by the Ethiopian government in
1996. ORA was an officially recognised relief agency whose contributors included Norwegian People’s Aid,
Comic Relief, Christian Aid and the European Commission. Mr Abdisa challenged this closure in court, but
to no avail. On 20 August 2000 Mr Abdisa was upon his arrival to the Addis Ababa airport, escorted off
of the plane in transit to a conference in Kenya and detained by Ethiopian Government forces. On
25 January 2003 Mr Abdisa was seen being transported from the Bole area of Addis Ababa, near the
airport, to a destination believed to be the Shoa Robit prison. His detention violates both international law
and the Ethiopian constitution which states that anyone who is detained should be brought to a court
within 48 hours and given a prompt and fair trial according to international standards.

Since the European Commission has committed EUR 500 million to its programme in Ethiopia over the
next four years, is the office aware of Mr Abdisa’s disappearance? Can the Commission indicate whether or
not it is planning to question various levels of the Ethiopian Government about the control of prisons,
namely Mr Abdisa’s whereabouts and the official legal charges against him? ORA covers the territory of
the Oromo Liberation Front Oromia region, which makes up about 40 % of the total population in
Ethiopia. Challenges in this region have consequences for Europe as there is an ORA office in Germany
helping Ethiopian refugees.

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(10 December 2003)

The Commission has made several unsuccessful attempts to trace Mr Amanti. Neither the Ministry of
Justice, nor the Federal Prisons Authority has any record of his whereabouts. Following the Honourable
Member’s information that Mr Amanti may be in detention in Shoa Robit, the Commission Delegation in
Addis Ababa contacted, through a Member State, the Federal Prisons Authority requesting a search in the
Shoa records. The Commission will keep the Honourable Member informed of any progress.

Any further information which may assist in the search for Mr Amanti would be very welcome to the
Commission. In the Commission’s experience, the Ministry of Justice and Federal Prisons Authority are
helpful
in providing information, even in potentially sensitive cases, as long as records exist. The
Commission is concerned that, for a variety of reasons, such records may simply not exist for Mr Amanti.
No organisation in Ethiopia contacted by the Commission has any records of Mr Amanti.

(2004/C 88 E/0476)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3496/03

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(24 November 2003)

Subject: Colombia (cid:1) ELN hostages

In a video recording released by Reuters, the Colombian guerrillas of the Ejército de Liberación National
(ELN) have shown that the seven tourists kidnapped on 12 September, whilst visiting Indian ruins, are
alive.