11-11-2016
Blogger Befeqadu Hailu
Security officers from the Ethiopian government’s new ruling clique Command Post re-arrested the co-founder, blogger, and author Befeqadu Hailu this morning. The reason for his arrest is said to be his interview with the Voice of America (VoA) last month.
It is to be recalled that Befeqadu and his friends Abel Wabella, Natnail Feleke, Atnaf Birhane and Soliyana Shimelis (in absentia ) will appear at the Federal Supreme Court on coming Tuesday, November 15 for the fifth time after the prosecutor appealed their case.
Police informed Befqadu that the reason for his arrest is his VOA Amharic interview on October 31, 2016. He is now transferred to Kotebe Police Station
Befeqadu is a member of Zone9 blogging collective and was one of seven bloggers (one in absentia) and three independent journalists arrested in April. Three months after their arrest all ten of them were charged with Ethiopia’s infamous Anti-Terrorism Proclamation.
After a year and a half trail which was largely marked by several inconsistencies and prosecutor’s inability to provide concrete evidence, a federal court has cleared all of them in July 2015. However, upon appeals from the prosecutor Befeqadu and four of his co-defendants (Natnail Feleke, Atnaf Birhane, Abel Wabella & Soliyana Shimelis, the later in absentia) were re-appearing at the Federal Supreme Court. The hearing was adjourned for the fifth time until Tuesday Nov. 15.
Befeqadu was also facing another criminal charge for allegedly “inciting violence” to which he was released on bail. It is not clear if his re-arrest has anything to do with both cases.
Source: Zone 9 and AS
