Commentary
Those who've endured torture deserve our respect
By Kristi Rendahl
Kristi Rendahl is the organizational development adviser for a project of The Center for Victims of Torture in St. Paul.
When I tell people I work at the Center for Victims of Torture, they sometimes look alarmed. It isn't an answer that fits within their normal patterns of conversation. Their eyes ask, "You mean, like, torture-torture?"
So I say something like this: Yes, torture-torture. The kind of torture that happens systematically, routinely, in conflicts and police stations around the world. That kind of torture. It's just as horrible as it sounds.
But some people need no explanation at all. A couple of months ago, a taxi driver in St. Paul told me he was Oromo. He asked, "Do you know what Oromo is?"
"Yes," I said. "I work at the Center for Victims of Torture."
"Oh," he said. "Then you know something about the Oromo."
A few weeks later I met an Ethiopian man on a flight out of Minneapolis-St. Paul. When he heard where I worked, he nodded solemnly with a pained expression in his eyes. Quietly, he shared some stories of the horrors he'd seen. I wondered how he got those scars on his face.
In many countries — in many of the very places we work — torture is not a criminal act. Those who commit the most vile acts against a human being cannot be held responsible, even if there is the political will to pursue justice. The perpetrators often continue to live down the street from their victims.
Can you imagine leaving your house when you know that such a person might be outside? For that matter, can you imagine going home? I know what fear is, and it's not something I want to live with day in and day out.
And that is the point. Torture is all about fear and control and deliberate destruction. It's genocide of the mind and of the spirit. To understand this way of treating people, you need to divorce yourself from logic. If you approach it rationally, as if there might be value to it, then your mind is likely to become mixed up in a knot as difficult to disentangle as the root ball of a potted fern.
Today is United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. It's a day to remember those who have seen the worst, yet survived. Too many of our neighbors in Minnesota know exactly what this means. Their resilience should be an inspiration to us. Their experience warrants a moment of humble silence.
Comments (13)
I have passed through serios torture just for being ethnically Oromo.It's a pain that iI will never forget despite I hate to recall it or to talk about it.
As an Oromo Ethiopia means to me a place of no rule of law with no humanity existed,it's a sad.
Torture that of Ethiopian government torturing Oromo, Ogaden and other is quite different! just horrible...sometimes looking humanity separated from politics is rewarding anyways! God is Great anyways!!
So, Kristi, how much are we taxpayers paying you to be a, you know, "organizational development adviser for a project of The Center for Victims of Torture" ?
I hope we aren't paying you by the number of words in your pseudo-title. That would be embarassing.
I have never been physically tortured myself. But I have seen with my naked eyes fresh wounds and scars of torture on others in the hands of Ethiopian officials and security officers. One guy I never forget is a gentle man who took off his shirt and showed his chopped back to the judges without the permission of the court. He said Oromo speaking Tigres tortured me like this. Is there any body who can ask why this is done to human being?
Thank you for the work that your organization does on behalf of victims of torture. For those of us who have not experienced torture first hand, we will never understand its full impact and how traumatizing it is to those who survive. However, we should do all we can to support victims and fight against the continued use of torture around the world. Thank you for reminding Minnesotans (and Americans in general) that there are survivors among us.
Victims of torture at the hands of Ethiopian government are tens of thousands. Few Oromos could escape to tell their experience of the worst inhuman treatment at the hands of those who believe the only way to continue to exploite Oromia and others is by torturing those who ask their rights, the unsubmissives. Tens of thousands of Oromos are now languishing in hundreds of ever increasing prison centers across the empire of Ethiopia. More than 50% of these prisoners of conscience experience the worst torture on the whole world, and thousands die as a consequence. The prominent examples are Gadisa Hirphasa and Alemayo Garba, who were the top performing student at Finfine (Addis Ababa)University before falling into the hands of Tigrian government and killed after dangerous tortures. Gadisa was a student with GPA of 4 in enigineering department and closer to graduation before he was killed by torture.
The agonizing fact is, thousands of victims of torture are perishing on violent seas and at the hands of inhuman gangs in countries like Yeman while trying to escape from torture in Ethiopia. I am Oromo and personally have physical and psycological scars of torture inflicted on me by Ethiopian government and its supporters in foreign country despite my best attemt to escape from torture. The bitter thing about torture happening in Ethiopia is, it could not continue without the support of the West (USA and Europe in particular) to government of Ethiopia(EPDRF).
Ethiopian government has done some u can not imagin. Let the beating and the rest be okay but when they take father from his bussines. I saw the whole family watching their father taken then the shock was when they shoot him right there while his little kids are watching. There is more dead bodies and horrible things they did to their bodies
When I read or see The word "Torture" senses of disturbing are evading all my bodies. I am a victim of this evil torture from Ethiopian Government in both Mental& Physical harassment. But the difficult is the mental one. Surprisingly, some times I found those who tortured me on my to home, work or else. I know them but they aren't. Anyways, I fear torture( especially, hanging & Beating with electrical wire) more than death. Torture is emanated from evil spirit . Thank U!!
don`t make Buzz out of indigenous Oromo people, to get attention. do something about it if you care by being a cure to what came to your attention. wait who is part of problem any way directly or indirectly?or at least try to solve by simply giving us treatment so we can keep maintaining struggle. finally, we are enough of public awareness about who we are, it is the time of change for us. is not time of recognition. thanks for being part of the routine.
I remember one unlucky day in the city of Harar, eastern Oromia, I was asked by a lady working in my department to look for her brother who was murdered together with three others in his home. He was an engineer in eastern Oromia City development. I checked his dead body with three others where it was brought to Hiwot fana hospital. They were all killed by TPLF soldiers in the night. I knew that life is short and as an Oromo i run away from that country. I am coward not to fight this evil people. I heard about this lady shortly, who has two little kids. She couldn't bear what happened to her brother. She moved to Diredawa (about km from Harar) and committed suicide by hanging herself. I know at least 10 atrocities on my cloth friends that ended to death, but this one touched my heart and I want to write a book to remember them, but with the luck of writing culture, I am stacked by pain left in me. Ethiopia is hell to many but mostly to Oromos and Ogadenia, just because they asked for their right.
In response to a comment about Kristi's job title and pay rate, I would say I proudly pay taxes to fund the work people like Kristi are doing, and that more of US money should go toward this type of construction, healing, and awareness.
Hassan Abdulkarim, you were probably percieved as an OLF agent, only the Amara's are being targeted by meles zenawi's TPLF.
Daneil, Sadly, the human right violation on oromo nation is well recorded and there were a victim last time speaking at UN conference in Switherland. Ofcourse Amara and others are targeted because thier leadership is challenged by TPLF. I think Ethiopia can not be easy for Amara to be the sole leader for the near future. We all need to cooperate to bring peace.
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