The government must renew its commitment to a new era of respecting and upholding human rights. “The majority of people were arrested for perceived offences which are not recognised criminal offences under international law, such as smoking shisha or consuming khat. Those arrested for taking part in protests on the recent ethnic clashes must all be released immediately and unconditionally. According to the Commissioner, more than half of them – 1,459 people – were arrested in bars and shisha smoking dens. Some of these arrested for chewing khat and smoking shisha have been released.

Source: Ethiopian News September 25, 2018 02:03 UTC