Sunday, September 11, 2016

Ethiopia Pardons Muslims Convicted of Opposing Government's Moderate Push

AP reports that in Ethiopia on Saturday, the chief prosecutor pardoned around 1,000 convicts upon the approach of the Ethiopian New Year and Eid al-Adha.  Among them were 135 Muslims convicted on anti-terrorism charges of religious extremism.  The pardoned convicts had participated in months-long anti-government protests in 2012 when the government encouraged the teaching of the moderate Al-Ahbash form of Islam and required that it be taught in an Addis Ababa religious school. [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]