2015 prison census - Ethiopia: Solomon Kebede
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 14 December 2015 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, 2015 prison census - Ethiopia: Solomon Kebede, 14 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56701f81122.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
| Solomon Kebede, Ye Muslimoch Guday | |
|---|---|
| Medium: | |
| Charge: | Anti-state |
| Imprisoned: | January 17, 2013 |
Police arrested Solomon, the managing director of the now-defunct Ye Muslimoch Guday (Muslim Affairs), as part of a broad crackdown on journalists and news outlets reporting on peaceful protests staged by Ethiopian Muslims against government policies they said interfered with their religious freedom. The government sought to link the protesters to Islamist extremists and attempted to suppress coverage by arresting several local and international journalists and forcing publications to close down, according to local journalists and news reports.
Solomon was held at the Maekelawi federal detention center for weeks without access to his family and with limited contact with his lawyer, according to local journalists.
A few weeks after his arrest, Solomon was formally charged under the Ethiopian anti-terrorism law, according to local journalists. Authorities have not disclosed any evidence against him. In late 2015, he was being held at Kilinto Prison in Addis Ababa and his trial was ongoing, according to local journalists.
