News: Two weeks after his rearrest, first court appearance, Fed. court grants Fed. police 14 days to remand Ethiopian Herald editor Tsegaye Hagos

By Mahlet Fasil @MahletFasil 

Addis Abeba, September 08/2021 – Judges at the Federal First Instant Court have today granted the federal police 14 days to remand and investigatie Tsegaye Hagos, an editor at The Herald, the english language publications of Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) Today. 

Tsegaye Hagos was presented to the Federal First Instance court for the second time since his arrest on August 24, 2021. The Federal Police asked the court for an additional 14 days for investigation. Representatives of the federal police presented their findings in which they said that the suspect was leaking information to Dimtsi Weyane (DW), arguing that material evidence is available against him.  

His brother spoke to Addis Standard about the events surrounding his arrest, he explained that the federal police had taken Tsegaye from his office on August 24 2021. He added, “We have been providing food since his arrest but we are not allowed to communicate and visit him.” 

Tsegaye on his part told the court he was arrested 10 months ago and kept in prison for two months before being released on bond for lack of material evidence against him. He also argued that he is innocent of all charges against him. 

After hearing both defense and police arguments, the court granted an additional 14 days for the police to investigate and produce its evidence, and gave an alternative appointment September 23, 2021. 

Tsegaye Hagos was first arrested on November 07, 2020, three days after the outbreak of armed conflict in Tigray region alongside three other journalists. He was later accused alongside 10 others of collaborating with the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) and others to cause ethnic conflict, to smear the government, and to violate the constitution. He was released two months later on bond before being arrested again two weeks ago. AS