The announcement came less than two weeks after the government promised to free jailed “politicians,” without giving details on who and how many people would be freed. The protests led to hundreds of deaths and prompted parliament to declare a 10-month state of emergency in 2016 to quell the unrest. Most of the others are accused of involvement in ethnic clashes in the country’s south, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcast Corporate reported. “The suspects will be freed Wednesday after receiving training today and tomorrow,” Attorney General Getachew Ambaye told Fana BC. Merera was taken into custody in 2016 shortly after returning from Europe where he spoke out against the state of emergency.

Source: Ethiopian News January 15, 2018 17:37 UTC