Ethiopia: singer Teddy Afro jail term reduced

Jimma Times

Ethiopia's Federal Supreme court decided to cut the six years sentence of famous singer Teddy Afro Wednesday morning.

Teddy Afro, full name Tewodros Kasahune, was sentenced for manslaughter in a hit and run incident that killed a homeless man in the capital city. According to local sources, the tedious appeal process has long been ongoing and both local and international Ethiopian pressure played a role in the new court decision.

The court reduced the sentence by four years. Teddy Afro has already spent a year in prison and he is expected to be released in a few months.

The singer has always denied the charges, saying he had the car accident days after the homeless man was hit and killed. Thus many Ethiopians believe he was convicted for political reasons since Teddy's songs have often been used by opposition supporters, particularly since the disputed 2005 national election when 193 unarmed protestors were gunned down by government security forces. So far no policemen who fired on the protestors have been charged for the post-election killings.