The Ethiopian Association in Switzerland (AES) has, for years, been defending the right of asylum seekers here in Switzerland and trying to bring to the attention of the Swiss authorities, international community and pertinent human right organisations the ever-increasing sufferings of Ethiopian asylum seekers in Switzerland by giving a written account to various government offices and through demonstrations staged in Bern and Geneva.

Ever since the adoption of the April 2004 restrictive and inhuman asylum law by the extreme right dominated Swiss government, Ethiopian asylum seekers have been:

• Simply abandoned on the street without any means to live on (some have spent the last rude winter in public toilettes).

• Imprisoned for several months just for attempting to go to another country after they were left on the streets.

• Denied fair trial, the right for representation by their own lawyers, the right to have interpreters when appearing in court.

• Denied medical treatments and follow-ups except in emergency cases.

• Exposed to inhuman and degrading treatments from some cantonal authorities.

• Denied the right to get married and form a normal matrimonial life as they have been assigned to live in different cantons by the authorities (they are told that they can live together when they get back to their country; engaged couples are prevented from getting married)

• Forced to live in abandoned bomb shelters on isolated mountaintops.

• Left without any identification cards which have been confiscated by the authorities.

While this being the facts here in Switzerland, back home, the EPRDF has been overwhelmingly rejected at the ballot box in the latest election and its international political image has been tarnished by the election fraud, the escalated human right abuses and violent terror that is witnessed all over the country.

As support and sympathy to the oppostion was being echoed all over the globe, the ruling party kept on accusing the Diaspora of assisting the opposition financially and serving as their voice in international forums.

In a futile attempt to break the worldwide chain of protests staged in major cities to condemn the massacres of the 24 th May and mend its political bankruptcy, the government has adopted retaliatory measures against Ethiopians living abroad with the aim of breaking the presumed external financial and political support network of the opposition and neutralize the international protest by getting asylum seekers deported back to their torture camps.

The EPRDF has signed agreements with the Swiss government to get Ethiopians deported in exchange for a promised financial package. To this effect the foreign Ministry has instructed the embassies and consulates in Europe to issue travel documents, without any condition, to all Ethiopian that their respective governments are willing to deport.

Accordingly the Ethiopian consulate in Geneva has already started implementing the issuance of the travel document and consequently the deportation process.

• According to the Swiss officials more than 1240 Ethiopian “failed asylum seekers” are facing deportation.

• So far the Ethiopian Mission in Geneva has issued travel documents for 13 Ethiopian asylum seekers whose identities have been provided by the Swiss authorities. The documents have already been submitted to the deporting officials.

• The Mission says they have instructions from the Ethiopian foreign Ministry to issue travel documents to any Ethiopian whom the Swiss authorities want to deport.

• So far an Ethiopian from Canton of Lucerne has been deported.

• The deportation of 2 other Ethiopians from Winthrthur is also scheduled on the 13th of July 2005. They already have all the travel details with Lufthansa and other instructions from the police.

In view of the above mentioned facts and the present dangerous situation in Ethiopia, it is inhuman and unacceptable to deport asylum seekers back to their predators.

• We call the Swiss people and human right organizations to react against the decision of their government from committing regrettable acts.

• We urge the reputed Lufthansa and other airways and airliners not to take part in this inhuman act.

• We call on all our compatriots throughout the world to protest to Swiss embassies worldwide and urge the immediate intervention of international and humanitarian organizations to stop the deportation.

Listen to the VOA Amharic report (Audio file)

Contacts: Meseret +41797768773; Wuhib +41 794798904; Yohannes +41788750678; Hailu +41787565553

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