Ethiopian Actor Seeks Asylum in America After Fleeing due to Repeated Harassment

Source: BBC News

Ethiopian actor Znah-Bzu Tsegaye has on Monday sought asylum in the US after leaving Ethiopia about two months ago, Voice of America reported.

The popular actor was in the weekly soap opera “Sew Le Sew” on Ethiopian state television.

Znah-Bzu Tsegaye left Ethiopia because of “repeated harassment and for being Amhara,” Zehabesha reported.

Human Rights Watch said security forces killed at least 100 people at protests in the Amhara region in August but the government denies this.

In an interview with Voice of America’s Amharic service, the actor said Ethiopian security forces had carried out “atrocious actions” and he had decided not to return home until the “regime is changed.”

“It is sad to respond with bullets to people’s demand for their rights,” he added.

At the root of the recent demonstrations in Amhara is a request by representatives from the Welkait Amhara Identity Committee that their land, which is currently administered by the Tigray regional state, be moved into the neighbouring Amhara region.

The Oromo people in Ethiopia have also been protesting against the government, saying they have been excluded politically and economically.

[Photo by John Iglar/CC BY-SA 2.0]