Expand Ethiopian Members of Parliament raise their hands in favour of lifting the state of emergency, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, August 4, 2017. © 2017 ReutersEthiopia’s parliament has just lifted the country’s 10-month-long state of emergency. The government’s emergency powers brought mass detentions, politically motivated criminal charges, and numerous restrictions on people’s movement and communication. In October 2016, at the beginning of the state of emergency, the government promised “deep reform” in response to the year-long protests that left over 1000 people dead. Even though it was abusive and overly broad, Ethiopia’s state of emergency gave the government a window to address citizens’ grievances without the shadow of imminent protests.

Source: Ethiopian News August 07, 2017 20:03 UTC