The Government should listen to the pleas of the Prisons of Conscience immediately

The people should follow the measures taken by the government and exert pressure on it

A press statement given by Unity for Democracy and justice Party (UDJ)

The prisoners of conscience at Kaliti Prison are being subjected to violations that threaten their physical and mental well-being. As indicated by a document coming out of Kaliti Prison, the violations against the prisoners are many. For example, their court cases are intentionally delayed and prolonged. Degrading insults are thrown at them and cruel beatings are being perpetrated against them by the prison police and other officials. In disregard of the fact that they are peaceful political prisoners, they are hand-cuffed and made to be seen by the public with the intention of degrading their morale. They are held with hard core criminals in violation of the law that rules that political prisoners should be held separately. They are prevented from being visited by their friends, relatives, religious and legal counselors, again in violation of their constitutional rights. They are denied adequate medical care when they are sick. They are also prevented from reading newspapers and listening to the radio. They are not allowed to take any kind of education and training as are other prisoners. Writings that are products of their labour are confiscated without any explanation.

The prisoners of conscience have made numerous complaints against the violations perpetrated against them and made pleas to relevant bodies, hoping that someone would listen to them but all in vain. Therefore, they are in the process of taking various measures in search of sympathetic ears at home and abroad. One of these measures is a hunger strike. As a result of there being no one that would listen to them, many prisoners of conscience at Kaliti prison have gone on a three-day hunger strike from June 15 to 19, 2012. The number that we have so far of those who are involved in the hunger strike is 11. However, since there is still no one from the government that would listen to their pleas, they have decided to continue the hunger strike indefinitely. According to the information we have, it is said that some of the hunger strikers are getting physically weak.

If the hunger strike continues, we fear that it could cause serious harm on the physical and mental constitution of the prisoners. Therefore, Unity for Democracy and Justice urges the government to ensure that immediate attention is given to the well-being of the physical and mental health of the prisoners of conscience, that the cause behind their hunger strike is addressed urgently and resolved and that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is allowed to visit the prisoners.
We call upon the Ethiopian people to follow carefully the irresponsible lack of response on the part of government regarding the pleas of the prisoners of conscience and to exert pressure on it to take appropriate measures. We also call upon the International Community to stand on our side in our demand for justice for our prisoners of conscience.