Ethiopia releases more than 600 federal prisoners, including opposition figures
More than 600 federal prisoners were released on September 10, including opposition figures Christian Tadele and Chane Kebede; 28 others reportedly remained detained after declining pardon applications.
In short
- More than 600 federal prisoners were released on September 10, including opposition figures Christian Tadele and Chane Kebede; 28 others reportedly remained detained after declining pardon applications.
Ethiopia released more than 600 federal prisoners on September 10, 2026, including opposition figures Christian Tadele and Chane Kebede, according to reports by The Reporter and Wazema Radio. The releases followed months of intervention by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
The Reporter identified Tadele as a member of parliament from the National Movement of Amhara and Kebede as a former leader of the EZEMA opposition party. It reported that the measures combined pardons for convicted prisoners with the conditional withdrawal of charges in pending cases.
The process did not free everyone concerned. Both outlets reported that 28 detainees remained in custody after declining to submit or sign pardon applications. The reports do not provide the full terms governing each individual release.
At a September 10 briefing, EHRC chief commissioner Berhanu Adelo described a five-month effort to review cases and engage federal authorities, according to The Reporter. The newspaper said the federal releases covered detainees from Amhara and Oromia, while regional administrations were conducting separate processes.
Wazema reported that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed linked the decision to a request from National Dialogue Convention delegates in his September 11 New Year message. The releases therefore form part of the government's stated response to the dialogue process; they do not establish that other detention cases have been resolved.
