The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
January 4, 2018

Ethiopian Leader Promises to Close Notorious Jail, Release Political Prisoners
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Ethiopia, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said Wednesday he would
release all of Ethiopia's political prisoners and close a notorious
prison that human rights groups have labeled a torture chamber. Amnesty
International welcomed the surprise announcement, saying that if
authorities follow through, it will mark the "end of an era of bloody
repression in Ethiopia." Ethiopia remains a major U.S. ally in Africa
despite its long history of human rights abuses and its record of
silencing journalists, protesters and opposition political parties.


.