An Ethiopian court on Wednesday passed a guilty verdict against terrorism charges on 24 Ethiopians, who included politicians and journalists.
While many people had feared the imposition of the death penalty, however, the federal prosecutors requested for life imprisonment for the defendants. Only eight of the defendants appeared before the court while the others were being tried in absentia.
The defendants were arrested last year after the government accused them of having a link with a banned opposition group, which the government labeled them as terrorism organizations like Al Qaeda.
Ethiopia’s controversial terrorism law remains a top agenda by human rights organizations and activists, which Ethiopia denies as not meant to silence the opposition or press freedom.
During the hearing, one of judges, Endeshaw Adane said that freedom of speech can be limited in some cases when it undermines national security and interest.
Five of the defendants, including a journalist and an opposition figure, will reappear in court on July 13, to present their mitigating circumstances.
So far, two Swedish journalists and a number of Ethiopians were earlier sentenced to ten years and above under the terrorism law, which Ethiopia enacted last year. A Kenyan national is also in jail facing terrorism charges by Ethiopian federal prosecutors who accused him of having links with the Somali Islamists, Al Shabab and entering Ethiopia for terrorism activities.
Ethiopia is among the few African nations to have a terrorism law. Ethiopian opposition parties have always strongly criticized the law saying that the government is using it to violate freedom of speech and press freedom.