Keleb Siyoum Abera Imprisonments Interview by journalist Jemal Countess (USA)

“My name is Keleb Seyoum Abera. I am Ethiopian. I am Amhara.
My activities past and present - I am a political opposition I am a human rights advocate. On account of this TPLF or EPRDF the ruling party had imprisoned me for four years in Kality prison. The Abiy administration, the OPDO administration has imprisoned me for another two years altogether I've spent six years in prison.
I have a master's degree in chemistry. I am also a mother of three children. I am married.
During my six year imprisonment my son was seven months old when I was jailed my mother had been caring for him but my mother because of my imprisonment did not live for a whole year after. Without her being sick or going to the hospital she fell while on the streets and I lost her because of anxiety because of my situation.
When I was released I didn't get to see my mother alive. She died while I was still in prison. While I was in prison.
Similarly, Fasil Getenet my brother-in-law… I was imprisoned in 2007 in the month of Hamle (July) it was a day after my graduation with a master's degree that I was arrested by the TPLF administration on Hamle (July) 2nd . My brother Fasil Getenet who is a healthcare professional, a pharmacist, was kidnapped and taken. It has been eight years since we don't know whether he is dead or alive. He just disappeared and that was that. They accused him of giving me information and they took him and there's nothing we know about his whereabouts till date.
On account of this his father, the father of Fasil Getenet also died because of anxiety he refused to eat or drink, he passed away without knowing what became of his son.
Similarly, when I was arrested my son was seven months old. He wasn't breastfed my mom was caring for him and then she passed away, they were also chasing my husband to arrest him, so my son had to grow up with different relatives for four years my sister had to drop out of school to help raise him. After four years of imprisonment I was released. Then I joined Balderas party, Balderas for Democracy. As we were engaged in the struggle I was imprisoned again with a Eskinder Nega in Kality Prison. At the time my second born was 10 months old I left her to go to prison. Again, I was released after two years imprisonment, I continued my political struggle and had another baby. When I was still at home and my baby was only four months old they came, kidnapped me and took me to Mexico Crime Investigation Unit of the Federal Police and imprison me there. My baby was nursing at the time so they took her with me and they imprisoned a four month old baby.
After some time my baby got sick on top of that they never took me to court there are no courts anyway. Then I was released on bail. What happened after that was they took my husband to Awash Arba and imprisoned him there. I was placed under house arrest I was not allowed to move around. They got orders to limit my activities from the Arada court, for me to stay at home and not move around. In this way I was kept at home forcibly. Then I got very tired of life itself.
While I was in prison for six years I wrote two books. One was titled “Hagar Sitamit” ( loosely translated “when a country is in labor”). The second one was titled “Yemeriwoch Sera - Yetekadew Amhara ena Addis Ababa” (loosely translated “Plots of Leaders - The Betrayed People of Amhara and Addis Ababa) I have given or written these books so I have fought politically and written books and been a voice for my voiceless people.
All in all the regime in Ethiopia is Anti Amhara. It’s making mothers cry, making them bleed. Mothers today are watching their children massacred by drones in front of their doorsteps they are being killed with a barrage of bullets.
Today Amhara, our identity has become our crime and we are being killed by them they are wiping us out, we can't live, we have been exiled, we have been beaten, we have been butchered, the regime has buried us with drones, we can't live in our own country. We love Ethiopia but we can't live as Ethiopians we can't live as Amharas.

They are chasing and killing us. I had to leave the country I love into exile because the regime had prepared a death warrant and we lived through a lot of suffering and fear I had to depart my beloved country I am here in Uganda.
I have established Global Fano Media with other partners in the struggle and I am doing my media work I am currently being a voice for the Amharas the mothers the farmers that are facing the slaughter I say that the international media needs to be our voice they need to echo our cries”.

By Jemal Countess (Journalist)