Ethiopia releases protest leaders

Thirty Ethiopian opposition leaders have been pardoned and freed from prison just days after being given life sentences over election protests.

Relatives of the Ethiopian opposition members freed from jail celebrate outside Kaliti prison in Addis Ababa July 20, 2007. REUTERS/Barry Malone (ETHIOPIA)

Three minibuses left the prison, while the group's supporters whistled and shouted for joy outside.

The group always said the trial was political and refused to enter a plea, leading to the men's conviction.

Ethiopia came under strong international pressure over the trial, and some donors cut aid.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the right to vote and contest elections would be restored to those pardoned.

But he said the MPs had boycotted parliament for two years and so may be unable to reclaim their seats.

Democracy on trial

Among those freed are Coalition for Unity and Democracy leader Hailu Shawel, the mayor-elect of the Addis Ababa Berhanu Nega and several other MPs and local councillors from the capital.

Mr Meles denied that he was following US orders to free the 30 CUD leaders and eight others convicted over the protests.

Five others were convicted in absentia.

" The Ethiopian government isn't willing and is unable to be run like a banana republic from Capitol Hill. Some individuals appear to be entertaining such illusions," he said.
He also said that some of the international pressure on his government had been "shameful".

'Orange revolution'

The prime minister said the pardon showed the government had "no sense of revenge". " We believe that the sorry saga of the orange revolution is fully behind us," Mr Meles said.

The government said the 30 had confessed to their crimes and had asked President Girma Woldegiorgis for a pardon.

The head of the European Union 2005 election observers in Ethiopia had condemned the life sentences as "farcical" and "inhumane".

After the state prosecutor called for the death penalty, the US urged the government to "promote reconciliation" in the final sentence.

The government always said it could not interfere in the case until the legal process had finished.

Some 193 people died after thousands of people protested against the election results.
Most of those were protesters, killed by the security forces.

Tens of thousands of people were arrested.

The government denied charges of ballot-rigging and points out that it introduced multi-party elections to Ethiopia

Source: BBC