News: Regional District Court orders the release of Awlo Media, Ethio-Forum Journalists on 5,000 ETB bond; Family awaits their release
By Mahlet Fasil @MahletFasil
Addis Abeba, August 17/2021 – Yesterday, at a hearing in Awash Fentale District Court in Afar regional state, where Journalists Abebe Bayu and Yayesew Shimeles of Ethio-Forum, Bekalu Alamrew and Fanuel Kinfu of Awlo Media , the court ordered their release on 5,000 ETB bond for each.
Their lawyer Tadele G/medhin told Addis Standard that the court granted bail for his clients and set bail at 5,000 ETB. He added, “Their families finished the paperwork yesterday afternoon but due to the end of working hours, the federal police asked the families to return in the morning.”
Last week, all four Journalists attending two separate court hearings on August 10 and August 12 asked the court to grant them bail. in Both hearings, the court set August 16 as an alternative date to decide on the matter of bail as well as requests by the Federal Police to remand the journalists 14 days for further investigation.
This comes eight days after the release of 10 staff members of Awlo Media were released on August 09 on the warranty of their ID cards. Journalists Abebe Bayu, Bekalu Alamrew, Fanuel Kinfu and Yayesew Shimeles were remanded in prison, awaiting their trials.
Abebe Bayu, Bekalu Alamrew, Fanuel Kinfu and Yayesew Shimeles were first arrested on July 02, 2021 alongside staff members of both Awlo Media and Ethio-Forum. AS
