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News: Ethiopia editor-in-chief sentenced for a year and half in prison, time he already served

Mahlet Fasil

Addis Abeba, May 26/2017 – In what came as a big moment of relief to family and friends,  despite it being a further blow to freedom of the press in Ethiopia, the federal high Court 19^th criminal bench has this morning sentenced Journalist Getachew Shiferaw editor-in-chief of a local Amharic newspaper Negere-Ethiopia, established by the opposition Semayawi (Blue) Party to one year and six months in jail, a time period he has  already served since his first arrest on December 25, 2015.

Accordingly, Getachew is expected to be freed  as of the court’s ruling this morning because he will be entitled to four months of good time credit per one year of his incarceration.