Our dad, Andargachew ‘Andy’ Tsege from Islington, London, was kidnapped by Ethiopian security forces from an airport in Yemen in June 2014. He is now held in a brutal prison in Ethiopia. We're not able to speak to him, and we have no idea what is going to happen to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqmqj0Pvmfg
In 2009, the Ethiopian regime said that they would execute our dad for his political activism. Now they’ve kidnapped him - and they are even preventing British consular staff from checking on his welfare. Time is running out to save his life.
Please, Prime Minister, tell the Ethiopians to let our dad come home.
Andy made Britain (London) his home in 1979, after fleeing political persecution by the Ethiopian government. He is a prominent opposition activist, working towards a democratic Ethiopia. In 2009, the regime said that they would execute our dad if he ever returned.
Since Dad’s disappearance, our family has been in agony. We still don’t know where our dad is being held, or how he is being treated. The only glimpse we’ve had of him was when he was paraded on Ethiopian state TV giving a forced 'confession' in July 2014. He looked thin and unwell.
So far the Ethiopian government has ignored British requests for ‘assurance’ that our dad will not be executed. We also know that torture is very common in Ethiopia, and we are desperately worried about his safety in detention.
Dad is a kind, loving and caring man – we are so worried about him and miss him so much. We need him home with us in London.
Please, Prime Minister, tell the Ethiopians to let our dad come home. His kidnapping and detention is a serious breach of international law – please take firm action with the Ethiopian authorities and demand his return to the UK without delay.
(This petition was written by Yemi Hailemariam, Andy’s partner, and their children: Helawit, Menabe, and Yilak.)
