ADDIS-ABABA (Halbeeg)- Thousands of newly freed political prisoners in Ethiopia will enjoy the freedom to live in the horn of African nation after the country passed a new law that grants amnesty to political prisoners.
The Eastern African nation has been carrying out security-obsessed rules to silence opposition for the last half-century.
In April this year, the country chose Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed who carried out reforms in many parts of the country’s system.
According to the state-affiliated news agency Fana, the law will pave the way new system which ends the brutality of the country’s law enforcement agencies.
“The law grants amnesty for individuals and groups either under investigation or convicted on treason, crimes against the constitutional order and armed struggle,” Fana reported.
30,000 detainees
In response to the three massive demonstrations conducted by Oromo, the largest Ethiopian ethnic group, Reuters says the previous government led by the then Hailemariam Desalegn, detained around 30,000 people, often under harsh anti-terrorism laws.
Among those detained were students, opposition leaders, journalists and bloggers.
The security forces also killed hundreds of people majority Oromo as others end up through the enforced disappearance conducted the country’s secret agency.
Breathtaking reforms
After Dr. Abiy took the office, he ordered the released of tens of thousands of detainees.
Among those on the parole are hundreds who were waiting to be the hungman guests.
Several of the political prisoners who freed say they were tortured and held underground in solitary confinement for months.
Abiy this month sacked the head of the prison service and other senior prison officials hours before a Human Rights Watch report detailed torture at one notorious prison and urged the government to hold officials to account.
Human Rights Watch said this week Abiy is yet to commit to investigating the torture of detainees, the killing of protestors by security forces and other serious abuses.
The group called on the government to repeal the anti-terrorism law, to protect free speech and remove the possibility that Ethiopians can be charged for expressing dissident views.
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