CAT/C/67/D/775/2016 leave and return to Ethiopia safely several times in 2011. It was only when the head of his group was arrested the same year that the complainant began to fear persecution. Prior to that, the authorities had no evidence against him. 5.4 The complainant contests the State party’s claims that his answers during the asylum interviews lacked sufficient detail. His account of the torture that he endured was detailed, and it was the duty of the Swiss authorities to ask additional questions if they considered his responses to be too brief. In contrast, the authorities did not ask specific questions, but often changed the subject during crucial moments. The complainant also described his political activities in Ethiopia several times but was not asked to provide additional details. Thus, he cannot be criticized for having provided evasive or vague answers on this subject. He provided fairly precise answers concerning the organization of Ginbot 7 and was not able to be more specific because information on the internal organization of the party was not provided to ordinary members such as the complainant. The complainant did not contradict himself; he explained several times that he was an activist and member of Ginbot 7 but did not have direct contact with its head. Ginbot 7 has adopted a hierarchical structure in order to protect its members. 5.5 In response to the State party’s comment that the letter attesting to the complainant’s membership in Ginbot 7 is merely a copy, the complainant provides a separate, original letter, issued on 11 June 2017 by a representative of the Ginbot 7 branch in the United States.7 The representative reiterates that the complainant is a member of Ginbot 7 and is actively engaged in such tasks as attending meetings and demonstrations, fundraising and making financial contributions. 5.6 The complainant claims to have intensified his political activities in Switzerland and asserts that such activities have been so frequent and significant that they have undoubtedly attracted the attention of the Ethiopian authorities. The complainant’s tasks within Ginbot 7 include ensuring security, recruiting new members, inviting members to political events, replacing the head of the cantonal party during monthly meetings, participating in discussions and distributing flyers. The complainant has also signed an online petition concerning a legislative bill in the United States supporting the democratization of Ethiopia. 5.7 The complainant provides a letter dated 26 January 2017 from the Secretary of the Ethiopian Human Rights and Democracy Task Force in Switzerland, in which the latter states that the complainant has been an active member since 2015 and has been involved in the holding of various public events. Specifically, on 11 February 2017, he participated in a fundraising meeting for Ginbot 7 and the Ethiopian Human Rights and Democracy Task Force in Fribourg, Switzerland. On 11 February 2017, he also helped to organize a live discussion by Skype with Mr. Nega concerning the current situation in Ethiopia. The complainant arranged for bus transportation, called meeting participants and helped to ensure security during the discussion. 5.8 On 6 May 2017, the complainant appeared at an annual conference held by the Ambassador of Ethiopia to Switzerland at the Ambassador’s residence, in Geneva. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss current political issues in Ethiopia, and the Ambassador invited regional representatives of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front to attend. While the event was officially open to all Ethiopians, it was made clear that only government supporters were welcome. A group of dissidents, including the complainant, were physically forced to leave the meeting room. Three persons were injured during the disturbance, and the conference coordinators called the police. The police questioned the complainant and eight other dissidents and asked them to provide their personal details and identity documents. The complainant does not know whether the members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front filed a criminal complaint against him following this incident. 8 The complainant was interviewed on the ESAT radio station on 8 May 2017 in connection with the incident. This Amharic-language interview is available on the Internet, and the complainant provides a transcript of it. 7 8 8 The complainant also provides the envelope, postmarked in the United States of America on 27 December 2017, that accompanied the letter. The complainant provides three photographs allegedly taken at the conference.