#AbiyMustGo#Ethiopia

What really Happened during #Jawar & #Bekele s arrest

*****************

by Henok G. Gabisa

1 HOUR BEFORE JAWAR/BEKELE’s ARREST:

1. Jawar&Bekele left home to accompany #HaacaaluHundeessaa’s body to Ambo. 

2. They joined the convoy & continued accompanying the crowd. In OMN video you can hear “Jawarfaa dhufaniiruu”- Jawar and them are here 

3. While the conviy is en route to Ambo, Shimelis (Oromia President) &Takele  (Addis Mayor) made phone calls to the Convoy announcing that #HaacaaluHundeessaa is gonna be buried in Finfinnee.

4. They wanted all including Jawar to return to the Oromo Cultural Center in Laghar

5. #HaacaaluuHundeessaa’s body was temporarily held in the Oromo Cultural Center. At this point, I have have chance to talk to Hacaaluu’s friend who was at the center. He confirmed that Shimelis & Takele made decision to return to Addis Ababa.

6. Jawar and Bekele with their security details (8 of them) and several cars carrying Redwan and Yusuf (Jawar’s friends) arrived at the Center- honestly believing (may be surprised)  that Gov’t decided to bury #HaacaaluuHundeessaa in Finfinnee! But it was not!

7. Little did Jawar and Bekele knew the Gov’t was setting them up. How? 

8. Jawar et al were told to enter the Center from behind (not public entrance gate) with a VIP access and attend the service. They did. They thought service is going to be done at the Center.

9. As soon as they entered the gate, they were told to get out of the car. Jawar’s security details were told to disarm themselves.

10. Jawar, as the principal of security details, told them to comply with the govt police order. They all disarmed themselves without any hesitation

11. At this point, Oromia Police was ordered to make an arrest of Jawar and everyone in his convoy- all of them about 35 in total. That includes, Redwan, Yusuf, Sami and Bontu (Bekele’s children), 8 security details and other friends from Jawar family and Bekele family.

12. Oromia police didn’t want to arrest Jawar b/c they didn’t see any crime that Jawar, Bekele & his friends were committing except that they came for funeral serivice of their friend-a prominent Oromo singer who was gunned down a week after he spoke on a media Jawar founded (OMN

13. When Oromia Police resisted the order to arrest Jawar, Abiy personally ordered Federal Commandos to rush to the Center (Lagahaar) to execute the arrest. 

14. Engagement b/n Oromia police and Abiy’s Federal Commandos picked ang got heated.

15. Jawar and Bekele didn’t like the situation. They realized what was happening and they realized Gov’t’s call to everyone to gather at the Center was a set up. 

16. Both tried to cool everyone down and told them that they are ready to be arrested peacefully.

17. At this point, I was in a three way phone call (DC-Texas-Finfinnee) taking note of the situation. I tweeted “Jawar is surrounded. Not legally arrested.”  This is a moment they were cooling down the escalating situation b/n Oromia police and Abiy’s Federal Commando.

18. Jawar and Bekele and their family members all got picked by Federal force and detained in different locations. 

19. Some more friend’s cars who were far behind Jawar’s car didn’t get to the  Center’s gate. So, they weren’t arrested. Some of them shared with us what they saw

Regards,

Henok G. Gabisa

July 2020

Washington DC