On April 30, 2014, Ethiopian federal police reportedly fired live ammunition at a group of student protesters at Ambo University, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, killing at least 9 people.
 
Since April 25, 2014, students had been demonstrating throughout the Oromia region against the planned expansion of the Ethiopian Capital, Addis Ababa, which they allege would encroach on land owned by Oromo farmers.  In response, Ethiopian security forces have reportedly beaten and fired live ammunition against protesting crowds.  While the Ethiopian government has confirmed the death toll at nine, witnesses have reported as many as 47 people killed in the attacks.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the apparent use of disproportionate force by police against students engaged in the non-violent exercise of protected human rights, including free speech and association.  In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, such incidents have a chilling effect on academic freedom and undermine democratic society generally.  That harm is compounded when such attacks occur on campus, thus undermining institutional autonomy.
Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27251331
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/05/ethiopia-brutal-crackdown-protests