Abbay Media News
Dawit Hailu/ Yassin Ibrahim
The authorities in Ethiopia have sentenced nineteen Ethiopians accused of terrorism-related offenses and convicted by the federal high court to jail terms ranging from three years and ten months to 16 years and six months.
All the defendants have been arraigned for having a strong tie with outlawed Patriotic Ginbot 7 Movement for Unity and Democracy that has become increasingly threatening and kind of unstoppable force to the Ethiopian government especially in the northern territories of Gojjam, Wollo and Gondar.
The Ethiopian federal court’s 19th Criminal Bench presided over the case of fourteen defendants under the file of Getahun Beyene et al. The court gave the highest sentence of 16 years and ten months to term Dr. Asnake Abayneh and Alemayehu Negussie; the two were, respectively, the second and fifth defendants. 1st defendant Getahun Beyene was given 9 years and fourth defendant Brazil Engida was served with 15 years of jail time. The same bench sentenced Bantewossen Abebe to a lowest term of three years and ten months. In addition the 4th Criminal Bench sentenced five defendants for a prison term of 14 to 15 years.
All the defendants were arrested following the unprecented anti-government protests in Amhara regional state in September and October of 2016. The popular uprising was triggered by the attempted forceful midnight kidnapping of Colonel Demeke Mekonnen by members of Tigray regional police.
Colonel Demeke Mekonnen was a former TPLF fighter turned leader of the ‘Wolkayit movement’. The movement demanded the right of the people of Wolkayit to be Amhara, practice Amhara culture and stay in Amhara regional state. The protesters initially came out to defend the Colonel from being arrested and extradited to Tigray. That protest is also known for coining the now famous slogan “The (spilled) Oromo blood is our (Amhara) blood”.
Similar and large scale protests were also taking place in the Oromia Region before and after the uprising in Amhara state and that too ended with arrest of thousands of Oromos. During this period the Ethiopian government jailed famous Oromo political leaders like Mr. Bekele Gerba and Dr. Merera Gudina of the Oromo Federalist Congress and many others.
There are many Ethiopians that were arrested during the 2016 uprising and are still waiting for their court date. Recently the Federal High Court 4th Criminal Bench ruled that Negist Yirga and 5 others under her file should start defending themselves against the charges brought on them by the federal government of Ethiopia.
