News: Former Amhara state Special Forces commander accused of attempting to dismantle constitution

By Getahun Tsegaye @GetahunTsegay12 

Addis Abeba – Brigadier General Tefera Mamo, the former commander of Amhara regional state Special Forces, was arraigned at the Amhara Region Supreme Court yesterday where he was accused of attempting to dismantle the constitution, a member of the defense team, lawyer Mulu Tadesse told Addis Standard. The court gave 10 days to the investigative team to remand and substantiate its evidence, Mulu said. 

It was on May 17th that reports surfaced stating that Br. Gen. Tefera had gone missing since May 16; this was later confirmed by his wife, Menen Haile, in an interview with a media outlet regarding her husband’s disappearance. It was later reported that the General was detained at a police station in Bahir Dar, the capital of the Amhara region.

Recounting details on the events surrounding the Br. Gen. Tefera’s detention, Shegaw Alebel, another member of the defense team told DW Amharic that the general was detained for two days in a dark cell. 

His wife, Menen Haile, on her part, said that she heard he had spoken to his family members who went to visit him at the Bahir Dar 9th Police Station stating his captors had beaten him in Addis Abeba. Shegaw detailed that the security forces could have arrested him on the condition of suspicion but, he further stated, from the onset, they had not followed the legal due process and had abducted him. 

They were recounting what the General told him, the lawyer said, “On May 16 of 2022, at around 4 pm local time, security forces dressed in civil clothes blocked the road and forced the general into a vehicle also applying force that resulted in minor injuries. ” He also described the scene from the moment Br.Gen.Tefera was ‘abducted’ up to him being transported to Bahir Dar. “They transported him to Bishoftu/Debre Zeit by vehicle and then flew him to Bahir Dar by helicopter,” Shegaw said. 

Yesterday’s hearing was adjourned until May 30, 2022, according to the defense team. AS