Prosecutor presents amended charges in Zone 9 Case
By Mikias Sebsibe, The Reporter
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – A federal prosecutor on Wednesday presented a ten-page amended charge in the case of Zone 9 bloggers and journalists which defense lawyers say is not amended as per the court’s order.
The Federal High Court nineteenth criminal bench on November 12 ordered Federal Prosecutors to amend their charge to include details such as the specific act of terror the defendants are alleged to have committed and the roles and acts of each defendant.
On Wednesday the amended charge was readout in court in the presence of the nine defendants in custody. One member of the group, Soliyana Shimeles, a blogger, is charged in absentia.
The amendment specified two “Terrorist Acts” specified under Article 3 of the Anti-Terrorism proclamation. As per the amendment, the defendants are accused of causing “serious risk to the safety or health of the public or section of the public” and “serious damage to property”.
“There are some changes to the original charge but we do not believe it is amended as ordered by court,” Ameha Mekonnen, lawyer of eight of the defendants, said requesting the court to grant them more days to submit their written comment on the amendment.
The case is adjourned for December 16, 2014 to allow defense lawyers to submit their remark on the amended charge.
Read more at: The Reporter
