This archive report was first published on 6 August 2020.
On August 5, 2020, an Ethiopian court made a significant decision in the case of Kenyan journalist Yassin Juma, ordering his release on bail. The court's ruling came after Juma's fourth appearance in court since his arrest in Addis Ababa on July 3.
According to Kedir Bullo, one of Juma's lawyers, the court ordered Juma's release on a 3,000 birr ($85) bail. The decision was made after the lawyers argued that the police had failed to provide concrete criminal charges against Juma and that keeping a foreign citizen in prison for over a month without pressing charges was against the law of the land.
Mr. Juma was arrested on July 3 from the home of Jawar Mohammed, an activist and critic of PM Abiy Ahmed. Mohammed is also the founder of Oromia Media Network (OMN) and is being held by Ethiopian authorities, accused of crimes related to undermining authorities.
The charges against Juma include incitement, involvement in violence, plotting to create ethnic violence, and plotting to kill senior Ethiopian officials. These charges are similar to those leveled against several opposition politicians after protests erupted following the killing of popular Oromo musician Hachalu Hundessa on June 29.
