THE SIDAMA LIBERATION MOVEMENT WITHDRAWS FROM THE ETHIOPIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS AMID WIDESPREAD RIGHTS ABUSES
ፎቶ ኣገሬሰላም ኣሮሬሳ(ፌስቡክ) Press Release United Sidama Parties for Freedom and Justice 14 April 2013 The 14 April 2013 local government elections in Ethiopia have been marred by widespread abuses of the representatives and supporters of the Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM), which remains the main opposition political movement in the Sidama region. The SLM accuses the regional and Sidama EPRDF cadres of continued intimidation, harassment and persecution of its representatives and supporters during the period leading up to the elections. The SLM members in all 19 districts of the Sidama administration who were nominated to contest in the stated elections have often been arrested and imprisoned for prolonged period of time to intimidate them and deter them from contesting the elections. The elected SLM representatives were barred from freely campaigning in the Sidama region. To the astonishment of the Sidama people and in an outright contempt to any democratic principles, Duka’l