Ethiopia charges Swedish terrorists
Tigrai Online
Sept. 07 2011
Two Swedish journalists who illegally crossed into Ethiopia's Somali Region with rebels in July have been charged with promoting terrorism, an official said on Wednesday.
Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye entered the province from neighbouring Somalia with a team of fighters from the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). They were subsequently wounded in a security operation which killed 15 rebels.
Addis Ababa has blacklisted the ONLF as a terrorist group, and recently-adopted anti-terror legislation outlaws "promotion" of the insurgents' activities.
"State prosecutors have charged them with assisting and promoting terrorism professionally, engaging and participating in terrorist conducts, and entering the country illegally without a permit," government spokesman Shimeles Kemal told Reuters.
Two rebel fighters detained during the operation also face the same charges, he added. The suspects will appear in court on October 17, a justice ministry spokesman said.
Envoys from the Swedish embassy in the capital were not immediately available for comment, but had previously confirmed they had access to the journalists.
The rebel group blamed the authorities in Somalia's neighbouring semi-autonomous region of Puntland, which enjoys close ties with Addis Ababa, for the journalists' arrest. They say Puntland notified Ethiopia of their movements.
Source Reuters
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