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Addis Ababa: Riots erupted in six Ethiopian prisons after the parliament pbaded a law granting amnesty to dissidents, said Wednesday
the past two days, inmates have tried to Escape by lighting fires in the prisons. Fana Broadcasting Corporate, state-affiliated, reports:
A fire in a prison in the northern city of Mekele killed two people, Fana said, but it is unclear whether the fire is related to the riots. According to Fana, government spokesman Kbadahun Gofe said, "The violence came a few days after the Ethiopian parliament pbaded an amnesty for dissidents accused of crimes such as the Constitution.
Kbadahun said the riots were due to a lack of "understanding" of the amnesty law.
Prisons affected by the riots were in the north of the Amhara region, the cap. The stay was part of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's reform program, which saw the Ethiopian one-party government make peace with various opposition groups.
Since taking office in April, thousands of prisoners, including prominent opponents, have been released.
Abiy also announced a series of economic reforms and led a vertiginous peace process with neighboring Eritrea.
The media reported that the prison leaders had been fired for "failing to fulfill their responsibilities and respecting the human rights of prisoners".
Human Rights Watch sounded the alarm over torture, rape and famine in a notorious prison in the country. Somali Region
The reforms represent a radical departure for the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) which, together with its allies, controls its seat in parliament.
