Responding to reports that Ethiopiaโs Federal High Court has found prominent Ethiopian journalist Getachew Shiferaw guilty of โprovocation of revolt,โ Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty Internationalโs Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, said:
โTodayโs groundless ruling is a further slap in the face for justice in Ethiopia and proof of the authoritiesโ continued willingness – despite its stated commitment to reform – to misuse the criminal justice system to silence dissent.
โGetachew did nothing but share publicly-available information โ to convict him of provoking revolt with the risk of a 10-year jail term, away from his loved ones, is cruel and unacceptable.โ
Getachew, 33, was editor-in-chief of Negere Ethiopia, an online newspaper linked to the opposition Semayawi (Blue Party). He was arrested in 25 December 2015. He faces a maximum of 10 years in jail.
Last week, the same court convicted former Blue Party spokesman Yonatan Tesfaye of โencouragement of terrorismโ simply for expressing himself on Facebook. He faces up to 20 years in jail.
Getachew will be sentenced on 26 May.
