Sunday, October 4, 2020
Haacaaluu Hundeessaa was an ethnic Oromo musician known for his protest songs [File: Tiksa Negeri/Reuters
Ethiopia on Friday filed terrorism charges against four suspects in connection with the killing of a popular political singer whose death ignited days of deadly protests, a spokesman for the attorney general told the Reuters news agency.
The assassination in June of Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, a musician revered by the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, sparked days of violence in Addis Ababa and the surrounding Oromia region in which more than 178 people were killed.
More than 9,000 individuals including politicians, activists and journalists were arrested in the aftermath of the biggest protests in recent years.
Last week, 2,000 people were charged in connection with the violence.
Among them was prominent media mogul and Oromo opposition politician Jawar Mohammed, charged with violating anti-terrorism, telecom fraud and firearms laws.
State-run media the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation said on Friday the individuals charged with terrorism were working with other suspects still at large to assassinate prominent individuals, to create chaos and remove the government.