Ethiopia releases thousands of prisoners for Julian New Year

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

September 10, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) – Ethiopia celebrated its entry into the year 2003 yesterday, in the wake of the federal and two regional governments announcements on Friday that they have freed over 9,000 prisoners in an amnesty.

Ethiopia, like Eritrea, follows the Julian calendar in which the New Year falls on, what is in the more commonly used Gregorian calendar, 11 September.

The Oromiya state government has released 4,721 prisoners, state chief, Abadulla Gemeda said, including 158 women. Gemeda urged the recipients to repay their respective communities by actively participating in the country’s recently launched development and transformation plan – to create an ambitious 15% growth in the Ethiopian economy over the next five years.

Similarly, the Amhara regional government freed over 3,500 inmates. In amnesties signed by Ethiopian president, Girma Weldegiorgis, the federal government also freed 1,378 prisoners from detention centers across the country.

The pardons were given to prisoners who meet the pardon board’s set criteria, after having been evaluated by the regional boards of pardon and approved by presidents of the respective regional governments.

The prisoners granted amnesty, were those who had served most of their prison terms and those who had shown disciplinary improvements during their imprisonment.

During the past few years, the Ethiopian government has granted amnesty to tens of thousands of convicts as part of the nation’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the civil society by promoting values of solidarity, forgiveness and national spirit, as well as strengthening the economy with the contribution of the pardoned.

(ST)