Ethiopians protest anti-terrorism law
Date 2013/9/30 13:25:41 | Topic: Ethiopia
| Ethiopians have taken to the streets of the capital, Addis Ababa, to protest against an anti-terrorism law, Press TV reports.
The demonstration on Sunday was organized and led by the opposition.
Protesters also demanded political reforms and equality as well as the release of political prisoners.
Leader of the opposition Unity for Democratic Justice (UDJ), Negasso Gidada, called for the government to abrogate the law and “release all political and prisoners of conscience immediately.”
Opposition lawmaker Girma Seifu said, “The very intention of the anti-terrorism law is just to ban the activities of the civil society, the activities of media, and the activities of parties.”
The law was adopted in 2009.
Demonstrators say the government has been criminalizing Ethiopians who express their opinions about government policies ever since. They also say Addis Ababa must clarify its broad definition of terrorism.
However, the government says the opposition is seeking to glorify convicted terrorists and is “downplaying the danger” Ethiopia is facing as a result of terrorism.
According to the New York-based independent Committee to Protect Journalists, over ten journalists have been charged under the anti-terrorism law. The committee says Ethiopia has the highest number of exiled journalists in the world.
Human rights groups accuse Ethiopia’s government of using the country’s anti-terrorism legislation to end peaceful dissent. The Ethiopian constitution, however, guarantees the right to freedom of expression.
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