An Ethiopian court has sentenced five people to death and 33 others to life in prison for planning to assassinate government officials, BBC online reports Tuesday.
Prosecutors had said the convicted were part of the Ginbot 7 (15 May) group led by Berhanu Nega, a dissident living in exile. He was among those sentenced to death, as was opposition leader Melaku Tefera.
Mr Melaku was present in the Addis Ababa courtroom with 27 other accused. Some of the defendants have said they were tortured into confessing. The authorities have said they found weapons, including land mines, at the mens homes when they were arrested in April. Lawyers for the defence said they would appeal.
Mr Berhanu was arrested after being elected mayor of Addis Ababa in 2005 and jailed for treason. He was pardoned in 2007 and left for the United States. Ginbot 7 was named after the date of the 2005 elections, which Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s party won, but which the opposi-tion said was rigged.
Rights groups have expressed concern that the govern-ment is trying to silence dissent before Ethiopia holds its next national election in June 2010. Mr Andergachew said Ginbot 7 was ange-red that political and economic life in Ethiopia was dominated by Mr Meles Tigrean ethnic group.
