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Ethiopian president grants full pardon to opposition leaders |
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09:53, July 21, 2007 |
The plea for pardon made by leaders of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) has been approved by Ethiopian President Girma Woldegiorgis, said the country''s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Friday.
He said both the adjudication and the full pardon shows the ensuring of the supremacy of the law.
At a press conference, Meles said the pardon request, approved by the president, will be effective as of July 20, 2007.
He said the pardon plea was approved by the president after being looked into by the Ethiopian Board of Pardon.
The pardon granted to leaders of the CUD, including Hailu Shawel, was given with preconditions, Meles said and added that the Ethiopian Board of Pardon has the right to revise the decision if the leaders of the CUD failed to keep their promises.
Hailu and 37 others were convicted of "trying to overthrow the government through force, treason and inciting violence" in connection with the unrest that followed the May 2005 elections.
Meles said the pardon, granted to the leaders of the CUD, not only will enable them to get released from prison, but also will enable them to take part in the political life of the country individually or as a group while they have the right to continue promoting their political ideals.
The government has repeatedly been expressing that the rule of law should be observed while all the activities it carried out to ensure the rule of law were fulfilled, he said.
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