The Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES), made the following statement:“On 30 November Ethiopian security forces detained the chairman of the Ethiopian opposition party ‘Oromo Federalist Congress’ (OFC), Professor Merera Gudina, shortly after his arrival in Addis Ababa. Prof. Merera was returning from Brussels where - together with other Ethiopian activists and the Olympian athlete Feyisa Lellisa - he had had a meeting with MEPs on 9 November 2016. Since January 2016 the human rights situation in Ethiopia has not improved at all. Human Rights Watch reports that security forces have killed more than 500 people during protests over the course of 2016. The European Parliament is aware of the difficult situation in Ethiopia and stresses the need to continue to support the Ethiopian people".

Source: Ethiopian News December 05, 2016 17:47 UTC