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The Ethiopian government said it is charging prominent media mogul-turned-politician Jawar Mohammed and 24 other people with crimes including terrorism and incitement to violence, and will face a judge Monday morning.
The charges, announced Saturday, relate to violence following the shooting death of popular Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa in June, where some 239 people were killed in clashes with security and inter-ethnic attacks.
Hachalu, beloved among the Oromos, sang about the marginalization felt by his ethnic group, both politically and economically.
Charges posted on Facebook
If convicted, Jawar and the others, including politician Bekele Gerba, could face life in prison.
The charges include “trying to incite ethnic and religious conflict to turn citizens against their fellow citizens,” as well as firearms and telecommunications fraud violations.
The attorney general’s office published the charges against the 24 in a Facebook post on Saturday, surprising many, including Jawar’s attorney.
His attorney Tuli Bayissa told Associated Press Newswire that he could not comment on the charges because he was not informed and only saw them on social media. He believes the charges are politically motivated.
The charges, announced on Saturday, relate to violence following the shooting death of popular Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa in June, where some 239 people were killed in clashes with security and inter-ethnic attacks.
Hachalu, beloved among the Oromos, sang about the marginalization felt by his ethnic group, both politically and economically.
Jawar originally supported Abiy and responded to his call for the exiles to return home and help rebuild the country. Both men are Oromo.
Although Abiy won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his peace work with Eritrea, his domestic policies have angered many, including Jawar, who turned against him and said the prime minister has not done enough. by the Oromo people.
In an opinion piece published in The Economist last week, Abiy said that those who opposed his reforms were trying to incite hatred between ethics and interfaith.
One of Jawar’s timely criticisms of Abiy focused on his decision to postpone the general elections scheduled for August, due to Covid-19. No new date for the elections has been announced and Abiy’s term ends in October.
Activists have criticized why charges have been brought against the 24 suspects now, when they were arrested nearly two months ago.
Others believe that these charges could fuel ethnic tensions again in Oromia.
