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For Immediate Release
October, 24 2014, 09:00am EDT
Contact:
Alice Gillham
alice [DOT] gillham [AT] reprieve [DOT] org [DOT] uk
Children of Abducted Brit Tell PM: Bring Our Dad Back
UK
The young children of a Briton who was kidnapped and rendered in secret to Ethiopia have begged the Prime Minister to take action on his case, as he enters his fifth month of detention.
Andargachew 'Andy' Tsege (59), a father of three from London, has been held in a secret location in Ethiopia since his kidnap by authorities at Sanaa airport, Yemen, on 23 June 2014. Mr Tsege, who is a founding member of an Ethiopian opposition party, now faces a death sentence imposed in absentia. The incident appears to be part of a sweeping political crackdown ahead of elections in the country next year.
The Ethiopian government has refused to tell British officials where it is holding Mr Tsege, or allow meaningful contact with UK consular officials or his family. The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, has refused to say whether the state plans to execute Mr Tsege or not. Torture is widespread in Ethiopian prisons, and there are serious concerns about Mr Tsege's treatment in detention.
Mr Tsege's seven-year-old twins have written to David Cameron describing how much they miss their "kind, loving and caring dad", and asking "What are you doing to get [him] out of jail?" Mr Tsege's 15-year-old daughter wrote: "Please, please, please (!) bring him back soon. We miss him so much."
In response, Mr Cameron wrote of the Government's 'deep concern' about the case, and said he has asked for 'assurance that that the death penalty [...] will not be imposed".
Assisted by legal charity Reprieve and law firm Leigh Day, Mr Tsege's family has initiated legal proceedings against the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for its failure to treat Mr Tsege's abduction as a serious breach of international law. The FCO has said that Mr Tsege's disappearance is a "questionable but not a criminal matter", that it does not feel "entitled" to demand his return to London.
Andy's partner Yemi Hailemariam said: "These four months have been agonising - waking up every day not knowing where Andy is, or how he's being treated, is taking a terrible toll on my children and myself. The Prime Minister has told our family that he is taking action, but it seems like next to nothing is being done to get Andy back. The children and I need him here with us in London. The Government must demand his return, before it's too late."
Maya Foa, head of Reprieve's death penalty team, said: "Four months on from Andy's abduction by the Ethiopians, the Prime Minister says he is 'concerned' - but where is the outrage at this flagrant breach of international law, and the ongoing abuse of a British citizen? Andy's small children are terrified of losing their father, his partner is desperate with worry, and we are no closer to seeing Andy released and returned to safety. Enough delays - we need firm action now to bring him home to London."
Reprieve is a UK-based human rights organization that uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantanamo Bay.
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The U.S. Senate on Wednesday refused to pass joint resolutions of disapproval proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders that would prevent the sale of certain offensive American weaponry to Israel, which has killed nearly 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza since last fall.
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"What this extremist government has done in Gaza is unspeakable, but what makes it even more painful is that much of this has been done with U.S. weapons and American taxpayer dollars."
Ahead of the votes, Sanders took to the Senate floor to highlight that his resolutions were backed by over 100 groups, including pro-Israel J Street; leading labor organizations such as the Service Employees International Union, United Auto Workers, and United Electrical Workers; humanitarian groups like Amnesty International; and various faith organizations.
"I would also point out that poll after poll shows that a strong majority of the American people oppose sending more weapons and military aid to fund Netanyahu's war machine," the senator said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "According to a poll commissioned by J Street... 62% of Jewish Americans support withholding weapons shipments to Israel until Netanyahu agrees to an immediate cease-fire."
In addition to stressing that his proposals would not affect any of the systems Israel uses to defend itself from incoming attacks, Sanders argued that "from a legal perspective, these resolutions are simple, straightforward, and not complicated. Bottom line: The United States government must obey the law—not a very radical idea. But unfortunately, that is not the case now."
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Cardin quoted talking points from the White House that were reported on earlier Wednesday by HuffPost. The outlet detailed how officials in outgoing President Joe Biden's administration suggested that "lawmakers who vote against the arms are empowering American and Israeli foes from Iran to the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, which the U.S. treats as terror organizations."
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Center for International Policy executive vice president Matt Duss, who formerly served as Sanders' foreign policy adviser, similarly welcomed the progress, commending those who voted in favor of the resolutions for having "the courage to stand up for U.S. law, the rights of civilians in conflict, and basic decency."
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