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Ethiopian authorities have charged the country’s most prominent opposition figure, Jawar Mohammed, and 23 others with crimes related to terrorism and other criminal activities, the attorney general’s office announced on Saturday.
The charges relate to violence that erupted in the capital Addis Ababa and the Oromia region after popular singer Hachalu Hundessa was shot dead in the capital on June 29.
Hundessa was a prominent voice in the anti-government protests that led to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed coming to power in 2018.
The charges, filed Wednesday, include “attempting to incite ethnic and religious conflict to turn citizens against their fellow citizens.”
Other critics of Abiy were charged, including another prominent Oromo activist, Tsegaye Regassa, and former Abiy ally turned critic Birhanemeskel Abebe.
The 24 suspects were scheduled to appear in court on Monday, the statement from the attorney general’s office read.
They could face life in prison if convicted.
Read more: Ethiopia’s democratization in danger
Who is Jawar Mohammed?
The media mogul-turned-activist is part of Ethiopia’s Oromo ethnic minority, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. He has great support among the youth of the Oromia region.
The Oromo helped bring Abiy to power in 2018 and Jawar returned to Ethiopia after a stint in the United States.
The president initiated sweeping political reforms, but since then ethnic tensions and intercommunal violence have been on the rise.
Jawar has strongly criticized Abiy’s postponement of the general election, scheduled for August. The government’s mandate expires at the end of next month, but no new date has been set for the elections.
Jawar has been in jail since the July riots. His lawyers have repeatedly claimed that he was imprisoned for his political views and have called for his release.
‘Unethical’ detention
His attorney Tuli Bayissa told the Associated Press news agency that the charges shocked the legal team. She said she could not comment on them because she found out only by reading the official announcement on social media.
“This is unethical. I have not heard anything like this,” he said. She expects to receive details at her court appearance Monday.
Read more: Opinion: Ethiopia is on the brink of failure
kmm / sms (AP, dpa, Reuters)
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