International rights group, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the Ethiopian government has to immediately give clarifications to a bold political announcement made on earlier this week. According to HRW, whiles the decision to release ‘political prisoners’ and to close down a notorious prison facility, the Maekelawi detention center, is welcome news, there was the need for core clarifications and on timelines on execution of the reforms. The views were contained in a press release titled ‘Ethiopia to Free Political Prisoners, Close Prison – Important Steps, But More Rights Reforms Needed,’ issued by the group’s Senior Researcher in the Horn of Africa, Felix Horne. Numerous questions remain regarding timelines for implementation, who qualifies as a ‘political prisoner,’ and how many detainees will be freed. “Numerous questions remain regarding timelines for implementation, who qualifies as a ‘political prisoner,’ and how many detainees will be freed,” the statement said.

Source: Ethiopian News January 05, 2018 01:52 UTC