This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-42552643
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Ethiopia to release all political prisoners, says prime minister | Ethiopia to release all political prisoners, says prime minister |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Ethiopia's prime minister has announced the release of all political prisoners and the closure of a notorious detention centre which allegedly used torture to extract confessions. | |
Hailemariam Desalegn told a press conference charges would also be dropped for those still awaiting trial. | Hailemariam Desalegn told a press conference charges would also be dropped for those still awaiting trial. |
The move was designed to allow political dialogue, he said. | |
Ethiopia is accused by human rights groups of using mass arrests and detention to stifle opposition. | Ethiopia is accused by human rights groups of using mass arrests and detention to stifle opposition. |
However, this is the first time the government has admitted to having any political prisoners, previously describing them as "criminals", BBC Ethiopia correspondent Emmanuel Igunza says. | |
Campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the government of using anti-terrorism laws to jail its critics. | |
The exact number of people in detention is not known. However, thousands have been detained since 2015, when there were widespread protests calling for political and economic reforms, prompting a crackdown. | |
Just days ago, 19 people linked to the Ginbot 7, deemed a rebel group by the government, were jailed on terrorism-related charges. | |
Wednesday's announcement included the closure of Maekelawi - a detention facility in the capital, Addis Ababa, which HRW alleged was using illegal interrogation methods back in 2013. | |
The government denied all allegations of abuses at the centre. | |
However, it has now decided the prison will become a "modern museum". | |
A new detention centre will be opened, Mr Hailemariam said, which would comply with international standards. | A new detention centre will be opened, Mr Hailemariam said, which would comply with international standards. |
It is unclear exactly what prompted the decisions, which came after days of consultations within the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). | It is unclear exactly what prompted the decisions, which came after days of consultations within the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). |
However, the privately owned Addis Standard newspaper links it to a day of action across social media at the end of December, raising awareness of the plight of political prisoners. |