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The Federal Court of First Instance on Monday heard the case of Meskerem Abera, a YouTube presenter. On the same day, the investigating police told the court that the suspect was involved in riots and that she was paid to separate the Amhara region from the federal government.
The suspect’s lawyers argued with the investigating officer, who asked for an additional 14 days. Investigating police told the court that they had asked for more days, that they were gathering evidence against the suspect, and that they were going to arrest her accomplices.
The suspect’s lawyers, for their part, told the court that her client was clearly doing her job in the media and that the police allegations were in violation of the media law, and asked not to give the police more time to investigate. She added that the suspect had a 7-month-old baby, was breastfeeding and had a permanent address.
The court, which heard arguments from both sides, is scheduled to review the case and make a decision today. The court today rejected the objections of the suspect’s lawyers and granted the police 13 days to investigate. According to the court’s decision, the next date of the hearing is June 7.
Meskerem was arrested by security forces in Addis Ababa on her return from Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Airlines.
In a related development, Solomon Shumye, a television host and presenter who was arrested by police on Friday morning, appeared in federal court on Saturday morning. Investigating police requested 14 days for Solomon to be investigated, but the court granted police nine more days and rescheduled the May 22 hearing. [Evening Radio]
