[ad_1]
By Staff Reporter
October 14, 2020 (Ezega.com) – The alleged murderer of a prominent Ethiopian singer from Oromo, Tilahun Yami, has pleaded not guilty, Ezega.com learned.
Two months ago, Tilahun pleaded guilty to having killed singer Hachalu Hundessa, whose death sparked ethnic riots that left at least 200 dead in late June and early July.
The Oromia police chief said 145 civilians and 11 security personnel were killed in the Oromia region alone after the singer’s death. Ten people died in the capital, Addis Ababa.
Tilahun Yami’s three other co-defendants, namely Kebede Gemechu, Abdi Alemayehu and Lamrot Kemal, also pleaded not guilty during the court hearing in the Federal High Court on Wednesday.
The suspects were charged in accordance with terrorism law and the first, second and third suspects said that they could not afford to hire lawyers as long as no lawyer was willing to represent the fourth suspect.
In a briefing on Wednesday, Attorney General Gedion Timothewos said the government has brought charges against more than 3,000 people suspected of having ties to deaths and property damage that occurred after the murder of artist Hachalu Hundessa.
Ethnic Amhara and Orthodox Christians were the main victims of the targeted attacks after the artist’s death. Opposition groups accused the government of failing or unwilling to stop the targeted attacks as soon as possible.
Hachalu’s songs focused on the rights of the country’s Oromo people, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, and became anthems in a wave of protests that led to the fall of the previous prime minister in 2018.
Gedion said that the attorney general’s office has adjudicated more than 12,000 files in the first quarter of this Ethiopian fiscal year.
He also said that his office received a total of 12,239 files and was able to resolve 12,037 of them. The artist Hachalu was shot dead on June 30 in Addis Ababa at a place called Gelan Condominium.
According to the Attorney General, the government has recovered 412 million Birr from people convicted of economic crimes in the first quarter of this Ethiopian budget year.
Gedion said the Attorney General has changed the way he penalizes economic criminals who will be punished not only by imprisonment but also by denying them the fruits of their crimes.
“We learned that those who were convicted of economic crimes must lose ill-gotten gains,” added the Attorney General.
The attorney general has established a new direction that focuses exclusively on recovering ill-gotten gains.
_____________________________
Join us on social media:
Like Ezega.com on Facebook and get regular updates from Ethiopian News.
Get the latest news from Ethiopia by following us on Twitter @Ezega_Official.
Follow Ezega on LinkedIn for Ethiopia jobs and Ethiopia news today.
[ad_2]
