If found guilty, Muhiyadin could face up to five years in prison. “Officials in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State should stop wasting public resources on prosecuting a journalist whose only crime was criticizing political elites on Facebook,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “Authorities should release Muhiyadin immediately and drop the criminal case against him. Prior to his arrest, Muhiyadin said on Facebook that he had been threatened for his reporting. Ali Abdijabar, a deputy commissioner for police in the Somali Regional State, did not immediately respond to CPJ’s requests for comment via messaging app.

Source: Ethiopian News March 12, 2024 19:05 UTC