by Engidu Woldie
ESAT News (March 25, 2018)
A dozen members of the opposition, activists, and journalists have been detained in Addis Ababa. Some of the detainees include the recently released opposition, political leaders, and journalists.
Among them is leading opposition figure, Andualem Arage and award-winning journalists Eskinder Nega and Temesgen Desalegn, who were released last month after almost seven years of imprisonment, according to a Facebook post by Serkalem Fasil (Nafkot Eskinder), wife of Eskinder Nega.
The list also includes bloggers, journalists, and activists who were gathered for a social event at the residence of Temesgen Desalegn. Blogger Befeqadu Hailu is among the detainees.
Serkalem wrote, quoting her sources at the police station in the capital where they were held, that security forces were interrogating the detainees why and who adorned their gathering place with a flag, the Ethiopian tricolor without the pentagram at the center.
The pentagram at the center of the flag had become unpopular since its introduction by the TPLF regime shortly after it controlled power in Addis Ababa. Waving the plain tricolor flag without the pentagram during protest demonstrations and public gatherings; and adorning places of gatherings with the red, yellow and green solid flag has become a sign of rejection of the ethnic dictatorship and a symbol of defiance.
It is not clear if the detention was a brief one or if they were in for a long haul.
[This story is developing]