Ethiopian bloggers jailed on conspiracy charges
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/13/ethiopia-opposition-jailed-conspiracy?newsfeed=true
Rights groups claim Addis Ababa is using anti-terrorism laws to crack down on dissent and media freedoms
Reuters in Addis Ababa
guardian.co.uk, Friday 13 July 2012 12.21 BST
Twenty Ethiopians, including a prominent blogger and opposition figures, have been jailed for between eight years to life on charges of conspiring with rebels to topple the government.
Ethiopia, a major recipient of western aid, claims it is fighting separatist rebel movements and armed groups backed by Eritrea.
But rights groups say the country, sandwiched in the Horn of Africa between Somalia and Sudan, is using broad anti-terrorism legislation to crack down on dissent and media freedoms. Addis Ababa denies the charge.
Blogger and journalist Eskinder Nega, who was arrested last year and accused of trying to incite violence with a series of online articles, was jailed for 18 years.
Five other exiled journalists and another blogger were sentenced in absentia to between 15 years to life.
Opposition official Andualem Arage was jailed for life, as were two other prominent opposition figures, Berhanu Nega and Andargachew Tsige, who are out of the country.
"The court has given due considerations to the charges and the sentences are appropriate," Judge Endeshaw Adane said during the proceedings in the capital, Addis Ababa.
The 20 were charged last year, most of them in absentia, on six counts including conspiracy to dismantle the constitutional order, recruitment and training for terror acts, as well as aiding Eritrea and a rebel group to disrupt security.
They were also accused of belonging to Ginbot 7, a group branded as a terrorist organisation by the Ethiopian government.
Another four people charged alongside them were not sentenced on Friday and were being treated as a separate case, said court officials.
Berhanu Nega was also jailed for life on charges of treason in the aftermath of 2005's disputed parliamentary election, but was later pardoned.
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Received on Fri Jul 13 2012 - 10:15:40 EDT
