By Mahlet Fasil @MahletFasil
Addis Abeba – “Journalist Temesgen Desalegn’s bail was denied,” the journalist’s attorney, Henok Aklilu, told Addis Standard.
During yesterday’s court hearing at the Federal High Court First Anti-terrorism Division, the Addis Abeba Police said that Temesgen Desalegn, owner and managing director of a weekly Amharic magazine called ‘Fitih’, release on bail by the Federal Supreme Court had been suspended and the journalist wouldn’t be released, his attorney said.
According to the lawyer, the court accepted the Supreme Court’s decision not to release the journalist, and the Supreme Court adjourned the next hearing for July 14, 2022, to hear the prosecution’s argument that “journalist Temesgen Desalegn should not be released on bail.” Temesgen had appeared before the Federal High Court’s Lideta Division 1 Constitutional Affairs and Anti-Terrorism Court on June 27, 2022.
On July 4th of 2022, Temesgen Desalegn, who appeared before the Federal High Court Lideta Division First Constitutional Affairs and Anti-Terrorism Court on July 4th of 2022 was accused on three counts per article 44(1), (2) and Article 337 (1) of Proclamation No.414/2004 of the criminal code of Ethiopia, including breaches of military and official secrecy and inciting the public through false rumors
It is to be noted that with two yays and one nays, the court had then, however, granted the journalist his release on 100,000 birr bail.
On May 26 of 2022, police arrested journalist Temesgen Desalegn on suspicion of ‘inciting unrest and creating public distrust of the security forces and the government’ and since then he has been in jail. AS
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