Mamushet Amare
Yeshiwas Asefa
ESAT News (August 1, 2017)
Regime prosecutors charged a prominent opposition politician with terror while another was arrested last week in Bahir Dar.
Prosecutors brought charges of terrorism against Mamushet Amare, a former leader of the All Ethiopian Unity Organization, for trespassing the anti-terror proclamation that the regime uses to silence dissent and crackdown on opposition politicians.
Amare was accused of organizing the deadly anti-government protest last year in the Amhara region, recruiting people for opposition parties and armed groups as well as establishing a military training camp.
Amare was accused and detained two years ago for taking part in an opposition rally. Despite providing an alibi that he was at an electoral board meeting on the day of the rally, and subsequent decision by a court for his release, regime security forces kept him in jail for several days.
He was again arrested three months ago and charged with leading and organizing the anti-government protests in the Amhara and Oromo regions of the country where security forces killed hundreds of protesters.
Amare was in and out of prison for over ten times and has been imprisoned for a total of 8 years.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Blue Party, Yeshiwas Asefa, was arrested last week in Bahir Dar where he was following a court case brought against his colleagues following the anti-government protest in the city last year.
Asefa had previously spent over a year in prison accused of terrorism. Authorities did not provide him reasons for his arrest last week.