The verdict against these five people confirms that Ethiopia's anti-terrorism law is being used to crush independent reporting and peaceful political dissent. The Ethiopian courts are complicit in this political witch-hunt. Getting a fair trial in a political case in Ethiopia today may be impossible. The prosecution should drop the charges against these defendants and instead investigate their allegations of torture.

Ethiopia's anti-terrorism law has faced consistent criticism since being passed [JURIST report] in 2009. Most recently, in December, two Swedish journalists were convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison for supporting terrorism and entering Ethiopia illegally. There, the court did not find credible the journalists' argument that they entered into the country with a terrorist group in order to gain access to an area restricted to journalists. In response, HRW argued that the law is being used to suppress journalists [JURIST report], that the trial was unfair and that the Swedes should be released immediately [press release]. Similarly, in August, JURIST guest columnist and former executive director Abigail Salisbury argued that the Ethiopian government is using the law to suppress journalists and opposition groups in order to maintain its hold on power [JURIST op-ed]. In July, HRW called on the government to stop using the law to repress free speech [JURIST report].