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WORLD NEWS Thursday 18 January 2018

Ethiopia releases top opposition figure from prison

By ELIAS MESERET told The Associated Press.
Associated Press Another 361 detainees
BURAYU, Ethiopia (AP) — were freed Wednesday
Ethiopia’s top opposition across southern Ethiopia,
figure and hundreds of oth- and several hundred oth-
ers were released from pris- ers across the country are
on on Wednesday as part expected to be released in
of the government’s recent the coming months.
pledge to free detained The releases come after
politicians and “widen the Prime Minster Hailemariam
democratic space for all” Desalegn’s surprise an-
after the worst anti-govern- nouncement earlier this
ment protests in a quarter- month that the govern-
century. ment planned to release
Merera Gudina led the imprisoned politicians and
Oromo Federalist Congress close the notorious Maeke-
party and was arrested a lawi prison camp.
year ago under the coun- His comments came af-
try’s state of emergency ter the most serious anti- Opposition leader Merara Gudina, centre, walks with his supporters after his release, in Burayu,
after he returned from Eu- government protests since Ethiopia, Wednesday, Jan. 17 2018. Ethiopia’s top opposition figure and hundreds of others were
rope, where he had briefed the current government released from prison on Wednesday as part of the government’s recent pledge to free detained
lawmakers on widespread came to power in 1991. The politicians and “widen the democratic space for all” after the worst anti-government protests in
and sometimes deadly demonstrations demand- a quarter-century.
anti-government protests in ing wider freedoms began (AP Photo/Elias Meseret)
the East African nation. in late 2015 and engulfed The U.S. Embassy said in a and hundreds of other de- freedom of expression or
Merera was released along much of the restive Oromia statement it was “encour- tainees in Ethiopia today simply for standing up for
with 115 others from a fed- and Amhara regions be- aged” by the new releases. must only be a first step to- human rights.”
eral prison on the outskirts of fore spreading into other “We are aware that re- ward freedom for all prison- Ethiopia’s government has
the capital, Addis Ababa. parts of the country, lead- views of additional cases ers of conscience in the East long been accused of ar-
He was met by thousands ing to a months-long state are underway and hope African country,” Netsanet resting critical journalists
of youths in his adopted of emergency that has they will be conducted in Belay, Amnesty Internation- and opposition leaders.
hometown of Burayu out- since been lifted. the same spirit. We under- al’s research and advoca- Rights organizations and
side the capital, with some Tens of thousands of peo- stand these efforts as part cy director for Africa, said opposition groups have
chanting anti-government ple were arrested, and re- of the government’s deci- in a statement. “Hundreds called for their release, say-
slogans. portedly hundreds were sion to accelerate demo- of prisoners of conscience ing they were arrested on
“If the government is genu- killed, while one of Africa’s cratic progress.” continue to languish in jail, trumped-up charges and
ine about dialogue, then fastest growing economies “The release of opposition accused or prosecuted for punished for their points of
we will consider it,” Merera was disrupted. politician Merera Gudina legitimate exercise of their view.q

Nigerian army releases 244 suspects who denounced Boko Haram

By HARUNA UMAR the released females said most of those detained have turned a new leaf them. They are granted
Associated Press she was accused of being have been picked up at and are ready to help pro- amnesty if they denounce
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) a cook for Boko Haram and random and without rea- vide the government with Boko Haram’s radical ideol-
— Nigeria’s army released was held by Nigerian au- sonable suspicion, includ- information. ogies. Last year more than
244 Boko Haram suspects thorities for about a year. ing women and children. Borno State Governor 800 Boko Haram fighters
who have denounced their Nigeria is trying to show it Former detainees have Kashim Shettima com- participated in the de-rad-
membership in the deadly is making progress against described malnutrition, mended the military its on- icalization program under
extremist group, Nigerian the extremist group that mistreatment and deaths going efforts against Boko the Safe Corridor Initiative,
army officials said Tuesday. has killed more than 20,000 in the facilities. The public Haram. Nigeria’s govern- said Nigeria’s defense chief
Those released Monday in- people during its eight- release Monday of the ex- ment set up a de-radical- Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin.
cluded 118 adult males, 56 year insurgency. Nigeria Boko Haram suspects at ization program in 2016 for He also mocked the par-
women, 19 teens and 51 has arrested thousands of the military barracks in Mai- arrested Boko Haram fight- ents of the remaining miss-
children, according to op- suspected Boko Haram duguri was done to mark ers who wanted to quit the ing girls, saying they should
eration commander Maj. members in recent years Nigeria’s Armed Forces Re- group. The program houses consider his members as
Gen. Rogers Nicholas, who and is holding them in over- membrance Day. Young ex-Boko Haram insurgents their sons-in-law because
said they were freed after crowded military detention men were paraded at the in a military-controlled facil- the girls are “happily”
participating in a de-radi- facilities. event in Maiduguri, telling ity where they participate married to Boko Haram
calization program. One of Human rights groups say the state governor they in exercises to rehabilitate fighters.q