Three elected officers of the Ethiopian Teachers Association who were released from unlawful detention last month experienced torture and other abuse, Education International said in a press release April 3.

Tilahun Ayalew, Meqcha Mengistu and Anteneh Getnet were arrested by government security agents in December and appeared more than 10 times in court during their three months in custody.

No explanation for their arrest or detention was given, but EI informs that the three teachers were repeatedly beaten in custody in an effort to compel them to confess to the ETA’s involvement in supporting a rebel opposition front.

All three suffered severe injuries as a result of the physical assaults while in detention. Ayalew now has a fractured leg bone. Mengistu sustained persistent bleeding in one ear and now has hearing problems. Getnet has scars on his arms and forehead and both his arms are now deformed. Last May, Getnet reportedly almost died from serious injuries sustained during an abduction and severe beating at the hands of unidentified assailants.

The men are now attempting to resume normal lives in Ethiopia, which is proving difficult. Ayalew and Mengistu are fighting their school administrations to be reinstated to their teaching duties, while the series of harsh abuses Getnet has endured over the past year has left him physically unable to resume teaching in the near future.

CAUT was among many organizations worldwide that responded to EI’s urgent action appeals to Ethiopian authorities in January. EI says the massive show of solidarity from affiliates, along with Amnesty International’s declaration that the men were prisoners of conscience, was instrumental in securing their release.

EI says it will continue to monitor the situation together with the ETA, and will try to ensure the full reinstatement of the teachers.