The Criminal Court Rotating Bench in Ethiopia’s Somali region passed the verdict against the Al-Shabaab members who were accused of engaging in “terrorist activities” in the region, the court said Thursday in a statement.
The convicted had faced criminal and terrorism charges on provisions of the Ethiopian Federal Criminal Code of 2004 under Articles 32(1)(a) and (b), 35, Article 3(2); and the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Crimes Proclamation No.1176/2020.
They were charged and convicted for “leading and participating in terrorist activities.”
They were also charged for their “association with Al-Shabaab”, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, with their membership and involvement dating back to 2022.
The regional branch court did not mention if all the 81 Al Shabaab members have an association with Al-Shabaab’s July 2022 attack inside Ethiopian territory.
Part of the charges said the accused had participated in Al-Shabaab’s operations since 2019, “receiving training, engaging in jihadist warfare, and executing missions aligned with the group’s religious and political goals.”
They were also accused of destabilizing the public, attacking government entities, and undermining the state in operations spanning several local areas in Afder and Shebelle zones in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia.
MG/abj/APA