SOCEPP (17 June 2015): ON June 15/2015, one of the founders of the legal opposition group, Semayawi Party, Samuel Awoke, was beaten to death near his home in the (Gojjam) town of Debre Markos. He was a candidate of an MP post in the last election. Samuel had been beaten and jailed before. His killers, suspected to be agents of the regime, have not been apprehended.

Further north, in the region of Humera, a leader of the opposition ARENA organization, Tadesse Abrha, was strangled to death on June 16/2015 by a three man assassin squad. Tadese had been warned in the past to leave ARENA and to join the ruling Tigrean party (TPLF). This is the second ARENA member to be killed since December when the Central Committee member, Lijalem Kalayu was killed in Addis Abeba. No killers apprehended in both instances. It is clear for all to see that the regime is behind these killings of opposition leaders and cadres who have refused to break or to stop political dissent. These brutal actions and the imprisonment of dozens of peaceful protesters makes it clear that dissent is repressed in Ethiopia with cruelty and brutality. Time for those who back this repressive regime to the hilt to be heard condemning its gross violation of human rights and its murder of political dissenters.

CONDEMN THE MURDER OF POLITICAL DISSENTERS IN ETHIOPIA!!