Ethiopian Ministry of Justice denies accusing opposition leaders

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 12, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — The Ethiopian Ministry of Justice has said that the reports made during the week by the Nation and Satenaw newspapers that the government had filed charges against top opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leaders was a lie and unfounded.

According to the Ethiopian radio, the reports disseminated by the newspapers defiles the ethics of journalism, and they should be answerable to the rule of law.

In a news conference today, the Ministry of Justice said the reports made by the Nation and Satenaw newspapers were unfounded.

Abdulrahim Ahmad, head of crime affairs in the Ministry of Justice, said the reports made by the Nation newspaper in its Saturday, 2 Hamle (9 July), 156 edition, and Satenaw newspaper in its Sunday, 3 Hamle, 209 edition, were untruthful and unfounded.

He said the newspapers had said that the ministry had levelled accusations at some CUD leadership and seven university students, and directed the case to the government prosecutor.

He said according to newspapers’ report the CUD leaders were charged for trying to overthrow the government illegally and inciting violence and disturbances.

Abdulrahim said the printed forms of the legal charges which are being distributed have not been printed or issued by any one in the ministry. In short, the ministry is not aware of the legal charges forms that are in circulation. “I would like to say that the report which says that the charges have been directed by the ministry to the government prosecutor is a baseless lie.”

He also said that since the reports made by the newspapers were seditious, they are answerable to the rule of law.

Material from the BBC Monitoring Service, original in Amheric.