“They were furious, they were saying things that really undermined the judiciary,” Ameha said. Though the OFC officials have been imprisoned for more than two years, that jail time won’t count for the six month term for contempt of court, Ameha said. The protests left hundreds dead and prompted parliament to declare a 10-month state of emergency in 2016. Originally charged under the country’s terrorism law, the court last July downgraded Bekele’s charges to “provocation” under Ethiopia’s criminal code. Speculation that Bekele would be released began earlier this month after Hailemariam told reporters that the government would free some jailed politicians “in order to improve the national consensus and widen the democratic platform.”But the prime minister provided no details, and none of the many politicians jailed in Ethiopia have been freed since the announcement.

Source: Ethiopian News January 12, 2018 17:26 UTC