Urgent Action Demanded: International Amhara Associations Union Urges Global Community to End Crisis
 

The International Amhara Associations Union (IAAU) has issued an urgent and unequivocal call to the international community to demand the immediate release of all Amhara political prisoners in Ethiopia. The organization warns that the silence of global powers is enabling a campaign of ethnic persecution and systematic violence that is escalating toward a humanitarian catastrophe.

The petition, released today, details a harrowing account of the plight of thousands of Amhara, including politicians, journalists, historians, and activists, who have been abducted and imprisoned without charge since 2023. They are confined in military camps like Awash Arba and are being denied basic human rights, including legal counsel and medical care. Citing a desperate letter smuggled from within the prisons, the IAAU highlights reports of systematic torture, solitary confinement, and the denial of fair trials.

"Their voices must be heard before it is too late," the petition states, calling on human rights organizations like Amnesty International to intervene.

The life of prominent political prisoner Christian Tadele is at immediate risk. Having been denied medical care, there are grave fears he may die in prison. His case is a stark and urgent symbol of the brutal neglect and deliberate cruelty facing all Amhara detainees.

The IAAU's appeal further outlines a pattern of grave crimes committed under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's barbaric regime, including mass killings, forced displacement, and drone strikes on civilian targets. The petition points to the horrific April 17, 2025, drone strike on a school in East Gojjam, which killed over 120 people, most of them children. Today, 4.8 million children in the Amhara region are denied access to education.

The violence has escalated into a humanitarian catastrophe since 2021. For the past two years, the regime has waged a full-fledged war against the Amhara people, with a continuous campaign of genocide. In Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz, Amhara communities face attacks from state-backed militias. Hundreds of thousands were killed, displaced, or persecuted during the 2020-2022 northern war, yet they received no international response. The Amhara have been deliberately excluded from peace talks, including the Pretoria Agreement, despite being among the most affected groups. The region is under military siege, with communication blackouts and a fertilizer embargo pushing millions toward famine. Even in Addis Ababa, Amhara face arbitrary arrests and home demolitions.

The IAAU's demands are clear and non-negotiable:

• Immediate and Unconditional Release of all Amhara political prisoners, including Christian Tadele, Tadios Tantu, and Yohanes Boyalew.
• Maximum Political Pressure on the Ethiopian government to end the military siege in the Amhara region.
• Unrestricted Access for international observers to all prisons and detention camps.

The IAAU's message to the European Union, the United States, the United Nations, and the African Union is pointed: "Break your silence. Use every diplomatic, political, and legal tool at your disposal. Silence is not an option; it is complicity."

The IAAU concludes with a stark warning: "Every day of inaction costs lives, deepens suffering, and pushes Ethiopia closer to total collapse. We urge you to act now—to restore justice, save lives, and open the path toward a truly inclusive and peaceful Ethiopia."

The silence from the international arena is complicit in the suffering of the Amhara community. As ethnic violence continues to rise, the situation stresses the pressing need for immediate intervention. Ethnic persecution is a violation of basic human rights and should never be tolerated, yet it is happening in front of our eyes.

We implore the United Nations, the African Union, and other international bodies of influence to exert pressure on the Ethiopian government to take accountable measures and work toward peaceful resolutions. We believe that their collective influence can urge Ethiopian authorities to release political prisoners and cease the violent actions that perpetuate suffering.

We are at a critical juncture. The decisions and actions taken by the global community will either lead us toward alleviating the sufferings of thousands or allow this grave injustice to persist. The time to act is now, to halt the ethnic persecution and restore peace and human dignity.

Please join us by signing this petition and standing with the Amhara people in their pursuit of justice and freedom. Together, we can make a difference.