In particular, HRW mentioned the detainment of Elizabeth Kebede, a volunteer lawyer with the Ethiopian Women's Lawyers Association, one of the leading women's rights groups in the country, who is accused of "disseminating false news in Facebook posts." In addition, the watchdog urged the Ethiopian authorities to drop charges against Yayesew Shimelis, a journalist who criticized the government's response to COVID-19 outbreak on social media, who is accused of violating anti-terrorism law. "The authorities should drop charges against Yayesew Shimelis, release Elizabeth Kebede, and stop detaining people for peacefully expressing their views," Laetitia Bader, Horn of Africa director at HRW, said, as quoted in the press release. Ethiopia has so far confirmed 145 COVID-19 cases and four coronavirus-related fatalities. On March 16, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the first anti-coronavirus measures, which included a call on "media institutions to deliver accurate information to the public."

Source: Ethiopian News May 06, 2020 06:45 UTC