Letter to Yemeni Presidnt on the Detention of Andargachew Tsege, Secretary General of Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy

June 30, 2014

H.E. Field Marshall Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi

President,

Republic of Yemen

Sana’a, Yemen

Your Excellency:

Re: Yemeni: Detention of Andargachew Tsege, Secretary General of Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy

We are writing to express our grave concerns regarding the unlawful and unwarranted detention of Andargachew Tsege, Secretary General of Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice Freedom and Democracy while in transit at Sanaa International Airport on June 23, 2014.

We are particularly concerned that the continued illegal detention of Mr. Tsege, a renowned critic of the Ethiopian government is politically motivated and against international law.

We urge the Government of Yemen to release him immediately and unconditionally.

Mr. Tsege a well-known pro-democracy and human rights advocate in his ancestral homeland, Ethiopia, presents no threat to Yemen or to the Yemeni authorities.

Mr. Tsege was imprisoned in Ethiopia for his political activities during the ill-fated election of 2005 and has escaped assassination attempts by the dictatorship whose brutality, is well documented even by the United States State Department.

It is now universally recognized that the Ethiopian regime subjects political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and critics of the government in general, to persecution including threats, intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detentions, politically motivated trials, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings.

It’s unconscionable that the Government of Yemen would hand Mr. Tsege over summarily to the security forces of the country whose persecution of its critics at home and abroad is well documented.

We would like to call your Excellency’s attention to the doctrine of non-refoulement, now recognized as a norm of customary international law. As such all persons are protected under international human rights law from return to any country where they would be in danger of being subjected to torture and extra-judicial killings. Such is the case of Mr. Tsege and we urge your government to adhere to these recognized principles aimed at protecting human rights.

We respectfully write this letter:

• To convey our profound concerns for the security of Mr. Tsege and to request his immediate and unconditional release.

• To call upon the Government of Yemen to respect its solemn obligations under international law to protect Mr. Tsege from arbitrary detention

• To request your Excellency to use the powers vested in your office to stop any illegal renditions the government of Ethiopia may have requested

We would like to impress upon you the long and historical ties between the Yemeni and Ethiopian people and we urge you to protect the security of our compatriot and to release him immediately.

We also trust that Yemeni authorities would not engage in any harmful acts that would endanger the well-being, safety and security of Mr. Tsege. It should be self-evident that such acts would only bring about adverse consequences for the future relations between the peoples of Yemen and Ethiopia.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of our highest considerations.

Sincerely,

Berhanu Nega, Ph.D.

Chairman

Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice Freedom and Democracy