PM Abiy Ahmed Announces Release of Hundreds of Prisoners Ahead of New Year

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the release of hundreds of prisoners under a pardon ahead of the 2019 Ethiopian New Year. The move follows the successful conclusion of the national dialogue, which the Prime Minister noted demonstrated the ability of Ethiopians to resolve differences through discussion and reach a common consensus.

The government took this step to initiate the national dialogue process with a spirit of love and forgiveness, and to demonstrate its commitment to implementing the recommendations emerging from the consultations. The Prime Minister emphasized that dialogue is preferable to conflict, stating that the era of using arms and force has passed, and expressed hope that the new year will see an expansion of the political space.