Politics
338 Ethiopian Detainees Sign Pardon Conditions as Release Process Advances
TIKVAH Ethiopia · 2 weeks ago · Read the Full Story on TIKVAH Ethiopia
AI SUMMARY
Following EHRC mediation, 338 of 362 detainees who signed pardon conditions are expected to be released, though families report no releases have occurred yet.
- The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission mediated a process allowing detainees to be released via pardons after signing specific conditions.
- Out of a total of 362 detainees, 338 have signed the pardon conditions while 24 have refused.
- Detainees expected to be released include Christian Tadele, Dr. Kassa Teshager, Dr. Chane Kebede, and Assistant Professor Maregu Biyazin.
- Although the Ministry of Justice initially wanted to press charges—fearing the prisoners would escalate the conflict if freed—a directive from higher authorities mandated that they could only be released through amnesty.
- The responsibility-acknowledgment form required for amnesty was not issued uniformly to all prisoners; those facing severe charges regarding destruction in the Amhara region refused to sign the preconditions and remained in custody.
- Prisoners with minor charges agreed to sign the conditions for release; notably, Christian Tadele signed because his firearm was legally registered and his statements regarding the state of emergency lacked criminal intent.
- While negotiations and EHRC monitoring are underway to ensure the government does not re-arrest the prisoners on pretext after release, families of the detainees reported being largely kept in the dark and noted that no prisoners have been released yet.
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