Ethiopian court acquits 5 bloggers of alleged terrorism charges; 1 still faces other charge
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A lawyer and a journalists' group say an Ethiopian court has acquitted five bloggers of terrorism charges.
Lawyer Amha Mekonnen said the court freed four journalists on account of weak evidence. The bloggers — Abel Wabella, Atnaf Berhane, and Natnail Feleke — are members of a group known as Zone 9 who had been in detention since April 2014.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said a fifth blogger, Befekadu Hailu, was acquitted of the terrorism charges but still faces charges of inciting violence.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ethiopia is ranked fourth on the journalism group's list of the 10 most censored countries. In July, five other journalists and bloggers who had been similarly charged were also freed.