By Staff Reporter
October 27, 2020 (Ezega.com) -- Ethiopia’s High Court on Tuesday handed down 5 years to life imprisonments against five individuals who were found guilty over the failed assignation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The individuals were found guilty of killing two people and wounding more than 150 others by throwing a hand grenade during a rally held on June 23, 2018 in support of the reforms Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had introduced, the court’s prosecutor said.
Accordingly, Tilahun Getachew who threw the bomb at the the Prime Minister but fell short in the crowd was sentenced to life imprisonment,
The court sentenced the remaining four individuals namely Getu Girma, Brhanu Jafar, Bahiru Tola and Desalgn Tesfaye for 23, 22, 17 and 5 years of imprisonment respectively.
The suspects were charged under terrorism law over a failed attempt to assassin Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during a pro-government rally in the capital Addis Ababa.
The rally was organized to praise Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for the outstanding reforms he had managed to introduce in the country three months after he assumed power.
The explosion occurred a few minutes after Prime Minister Abiy made a speech to the gathering. Relating to the spot and timing of the explosion, some attendants of the rally meanwhile suggested that the bomb attack was meant to kill the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, leaders of the National Movement of Amhara (NAMA) are put under house arrest in Addis Ababa while they were readying to deliver a press conference on the planned demonstrations on Wednesday and next Sunday.
NAMA has set to organize multiple demonstrations across the Amhara region on Wednesday to protest the unfolding killings and displacement of ethnic Amharas in Oromia, Benishangul Gumuz and recently in Gura Ferda districts of South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regions.
The demonstrations also aim to denounce failures and unwillingness of the federal and regional governments to stop and defend the people of Amhara from targeted attacks and bring the perpetrators before justice.
Ezega learned that machine guns which are fixed on several cars are patrolling the towns in Amhara region where several people in the region vowed to hold the demonstrations despite rejection of the planned demonstrations by regional and federal governments.
NAMA in a statement said it can not lead, organize and mobilize logistics to the region’s towns from Addis Ababa as Addis Ababa police deny the leaders to leave offices. Hence it said it can not hold the demonstrations.
The Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice denounced the government's decision to bar the demonstrations as opposed to the rights of citizens as stated in the Ethiopian constitution.
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