EHRC calls for investigation into the killing of Bate Urgessa

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) called for an investigation into the killing of a prominent opposition figure recently released from prison. Bate Urgessa was gunned down on Tuesday night in his hometown of Meki in Oromia, Ethiopia’s biggest region, according to the Oromo Liberation Front, or OLF. He was a political officer with the OLF, a legally registered opposition group that boycotted elections in 2021. The OLF said it has information indicating that Bate “was shot dead,” adding that it’s investigating…An outspoken critic of the government, Bate spent several stints in prison over the years…In February, he was arrested alongside Antoine Galindo, a French journalist, as the two met at a hotel in Addis Ababa. They were accused of working with rebel groups in a “conspiracy to spread chaos.” Galindo was released after one week, and Bate was released a few days later. (AP)