Concerns are growing over the detention of Selam Girmay, who remains in custody in Maichew, Southern Tigray, without a publicly known formal charge, amid wider controversy over attempts by officials in Tigray to portray the "Ashenda in Black" campaign and calls for justice for murdered women as politically motivated or potentially criminal activity.
According to an update from people following her case, no formal charge against Selam has been made known as of Sunday. Her detention on Friday is reportedly connected to wearing black and her participation in calls for "Justice for Zewdu."
The source described the accusations communicated verbally by authorities as unclear and insisted there was no legitimate basis for her detention beyond her expression of support for justice for Zewdu.
Detained in a Male Holding Area
Of particular concern to Selam’s family is the reported location of her detention. According to the update, she continues to be held in an area with male detainees, described as the men’s ward or compound, rather than in a separate women’s detention facility.
Her family has repeatedly appealed to authorities to move her, arguing that the arrangement creates concerns for her safety. Those appeals have reportedly produced no result.
The family says this issue has become an even greater source of anxiety than the detention itself.
On Sunday morning, relatives were initially prevented from seeing Selam and were reportedly told that she was not permitted to meet anyone. After repeated arguments and efforts to contact the officer said to be in command, permission was eventually granted and family members were able to visit her.
The officer identified in the account as the commander who brought Selam to the detention facility on Friday has reportedly not been available since then. Her family says it searched for him at his office and other locations where they were told he might be found, without success.
Police officers on duty reportedly told the family that they were simply following orders and could not resolve the matter themselves.
Release Her or Bring Her Before a Court
Those campaigning for Selam’s release say authorities should either free her immediately or, if they believe an offence has been committed, formally charge her and bring her before a court.
They are also demanding that she immediately be transferred from the male detention area and placed in an appropriate separate facility for women for as long as she remains in custody.
Ashenda in Black
Selam’s detention comes against the background of this year’s Ashenda in Black campaign, a peaceful initiative by women and activists who called on participants to wear black during Ashenda in remembrance of women killed in Tigray and to demand justice, particularly in the case of Zewdu Haftu.
Zewdu, 32, was brutally killed in Mekelle during the Ashenda season in August 2023. Her case subsequently became a symbol of broader concerns about violence against women, impunity and political interference in Tigray’s justice system.
The campaign transformed the traditionally colourful Ashenda celebration into an opportunity for peaceful remembrance and protest: wearing black, remembering Zewdu and other victims, and demanding accountability rather than remaining silent.
In the period leading to Ashenda, however, government and security officials increasingly portrayed the campaign as something more sinister than a peaceful demand for justice. Statements by officials sought to associate Ashenda in Black with political agendas and activities threatening security and public order, effectively criminalizing participation in what is clearly a nonviolent civic campaign.
That reaction became part of the campaign’s significance: women were not calling for armed confrontation, but using clothing, remembrance, slogans and peaceful public expression to challenge impunity.
A Stark Contrast With the Zewdu Case
The detention of Selam has also revived anger over what activists describe as a striking contradiction in the handling of Zewdu’s case.
Two men were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with Zewdu’s killing before the convictions were later overturned following controversy over missing digital evidence. The case was accompanied by allegations of interference with investigators, prosecutors and judges.
One of the defendants, Yared Gebreselassie, was subsequently accused in connection with the killing of another woman, Mulubrahan Mekonnen Welegiotgis, adding to public outrage surrounding the justice system.
Yared Gebreselassie is the son of Colonel Gebreselassie, a senior Tigray military figure who previously served as deputy commissioner of the Tigray Police Commission and later as commander of Army 22, a connection that has intensified public concerns and allegations about possible political and military interference in the handling of his son’s case.
Against that background, activists argue that authorities appear capable of detaining a woman for demanding justice while the failures surrounding the prosecution of those accused of killing women remain unresolved.
The statement accompanying Sunday’s update put the contrast starkly, arguing that releasing people accused of taking lives while imprisoning someone for saying "Justice for Zewdu" sends an unmistakable message about governance and justice in Tigray.
A Test of Peaceful Civic Space
The case is therefore becoming about more than the detention of one woman.
Ashenda in Black represents an attempt to turn grief into peaceful civic action, remembrance rather than violence, black clothing rather than weapons, and public demands for accountability rather than revenge.
Originally published on UMD Media Facebook on 2026-08-23T09:00:00-06:00. Source: https://www.facebook.com/getachew.UMDMedia