afrol News, 1 November - The escalating violence has already left at least six persons dead in Ethiopia, being killed by national police forces. At least 25 others were severely wounded at the shooting, where the police responded to street protests against the election results announced in September of the 15 May elections.

There are no signs that the current wave of violence will come under control. Following the killing of six protesters, new protests against the police shootings are currently taking place in the Piazza district of Addis Ababa.

Yesterday, thirty drivers who joined the protests by honking their horns were detained. Large numbers of suspected members of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) are reportedly being taken from their homes by police.

According to human rights groups, at least five leaders of the CUD have been detained: the President of the CUD, Hailu Shawel (MP), who was reportedly beaten on arrest; the Vice-President of the CUD, Birtukan Mideksa; Berhanu Nega (MP), Major of Addis Ababa; Getachew Mengiste (MP), senior member of the CUD; and Gizachew Shifferaw, a member of the Executive Committee of the CUD.

Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, aged 73, the former Chair of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council who is ill with a painful spinal complaint, was also said to be detained from his home today, the human rights group Amnesty International reports today.

Amnesty today condemned the "excessive use of force" by the police and the "arbitrary detention of members and suspected members of the CUD." The group called on the Ethiopian government to "stop the use of excessive and lethal force against protesters and to either immediately charge or release anyone detained in relation to the protests."

The human rights group in a statement said that it considered those named above to be "prisoners of conscience arrested solely for the non-violent expression of their political opinions" and called for their immediate and unconditional release and guarantees that they will be not be ill-treated.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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