The Ethiopian Parliament on Thursday lifted the parliamentary immunity of Christian Tadele. He was arrested in August 2023 from his residence in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa days after the Ethiopian government imposed a State of Emergency in the Amhara region of Ethiopia where the government launched a military campaign to “disarm” Fano forces within a few weeks – a mission that has not yet been accomplished.
According to sources, two members of the parliament opposed the motion to lift Christian’s parliamentary immunity and two others abstained. The number of parliamentarians who voted in favor of the motion is unspecified.
Christian was a chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee for audit and inspection. He joined the Ethiopian parliament under the National Movement of Amhara (NaMA) ticket – an opposition party that is now increasingly seen as a traitor. Nama has accepted a one cabinet seat – on the basis of an offer from the Prime Minister.
Soon after he was taken from his home – beaten in front of his spouse – , he was briefly arrested in Addis Ababa and then transferred to Awash Arba where he was kept for months under harsh prison conditions including desert climatic conditions.
Ethiopia’s Minister for Justice, Gedion Timothoes, justified the motion in the parliament saying that the Federal Police investigated that “Christian Tadele had been working with organs that are operating to demolish the constitutional order through force in the Amhara region.”
Christian had been known for his stern question to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in the Ethiopian Parliament. At one point, he asked the prime minister to resign for failure to protect the security of Ethiopians.
The conflict in the Amhara region of Ethiopia is still going on. In February 2024, the Federal government extended the state of emergency in the region on alleged grounds that “there are some unfinished works in the region.” Human Rights Organizations in the country and abroad have released statements exposing rights in the region including extrajudicial killings and drone attack against civilians.
