ActionAid is calling on the Ethiopian government to free two anti-poverty campaigners who have been held for 45 days without formal charge.
A spokesman for the nongovernmental organization told VOA that the two campaigners are innocent and that their continued detention without charge is “illegal.”
The two were detained during a crackdown on anti-government demonstrators, journalists and opposition politicians.
ActionAid identified the two as Daniel Bekele, a lawyer who works for the NGO in Addis Ababa, and Netsanet Demessie, executive director of the Organization for Social Justice in Ethiopia, an ActionAid partner.
Brian Kagoro [KAH-GORE-OH] is ActionAid’s Africa policy manager in Nairobi, Kenya, said: “Our position is that they have been wrongly detained and that their detention – continued detention – violates both Ethiopian law and international law. They’ve been in detention for over forty days without trial, without a formal charge.”
Mr. Kagoro said an Ethiopian court has denied bail for Mr. Daniel and Mr. Netsanet. They are scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
