FILE PHOTO: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attends meetings of Heads of State and Government on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia January 17, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo ReutersADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia has pardoned more than 13,000 people in the past six months who had been charged with or convicted of treason or terrorism, state-affiliated media said on Tuesday. After the reformist Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in April and began defusing long-standing tension with neighboring Eritrea, a six-month amnesty was introduced for those held under provisions of an anti-terrorism law that critics say has criminalized dissent. The government is now in discussion with opposition politicians and civil society groups to make amendments to the anti-terrorism law. (This story corrects paragraph 5 to make clear groups legalized in June)(Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by George Obulutsa)

Source: Ethiopian News January 22, 2019 13:07 UTC