Rights group calls for details of 39 "disappeared" people

The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) clashed with the government on Tuesday over claims that 39 people “disappeared” after being held by the security forces. The group argues that the whereabouts of some 39 people who were held by security forces are unknown. But government officials described the findings in an EHRCO report as “extremely dubious”. “This is not correct," a senior government official told IRIN. "They are being driven by a political agenda.” EHRCO dismissed the accusations. “The whereabouts of 39 people who were abducted by security forces at different times still remain unknown,” it said in a report issued on Tuesday, in which it named the individuals. Security forces picked some of the 39 more than five years ago, according to the report. The organisation called on the government to release the 39 and let their families know where they were being held and the condition they were in. It also called for compensation for the individuals or families who had been illegally held.