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ETHIOPIA: JAILED OPPOSITION LEADERS FACE TREASON CHARGES December 17, 2005
Apunyu Bonny
(SomaliNet) Ethiopian opposition leaders and other people were on Friday 16th charged with treason, genocide and other crimes for allegedly inciting violence after the May 15 parliamentary elections.
Chairman of the largest opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), Hailu Shawel, and other 130 people are to face charges of high treason, armed rising of civil war, attack on the political or territorial integrity of the state, genocide and outrage against the constitution. If convicted, the suspects could be punished by no less than 15years, life imprisonment or death, said federal prosecutor Shemeles Kemal.
The 131 detainees were denied bail and were asked to stay in custody, Kemal said there is "ample evidence" that the suspects could go into inducing violence and committing crimes if they are released on bail
Two weeks ago, during the street violence in the country's capital Addis Ababa, in which police clashed with CUD supporters, at least 46 people died. Between Friday and Saturday police released 4,138 people. The violence began November 1st amid protests over the parliamentary elections. CUD has been boycotting the lower House of People's Representatives (HPR), saying it wants a solution to the contested results of the parliamentary elections.
The two opposition parties, CUD and another opposition party, the United Ethiopian Democratic Force (UEDF), accused the ruling party of massive electoral fraud in the final elections which indicate that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Party (EPRDF), which has ruled the country for the past 14 years, has won 327 seats of the 547-seat HPR, enough to form the federal government.
The two opposition parties, CUD and another opposition party, the United Ethiopian Democratic Force (UEDF), were in second and third places with 109 and 52 seats respectively. They held only 12 seats before.