EU House tells Ethiopia to release jailed blogger

The European Parliament has joined the list of people demanding the release of Ethiopian journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega.In an open letter to the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Members of the European Parliament (MEP) called for Nega’s immediate release from prison.Officials from the European Union and the legislators said they had been keenly following the matter, which was not in line with their human rights doctrine.“The use of vague anti-terror legislation to silence legitimate expression threatens to seriously undermine the credibility of efforts to address real security threats to the region,” MEP wrote.Though MEP were divided on how to relate with the new Desalegn-led government, they agreed that the country’s repressive laws should be reviewed to avoid political unrest.The blogger was in July this year sentenced to 18 years in prison for violating the country’s anti-terrorism laws and associating with ‘terrorist group’ Ginbot 7.He was also accused of advocating the idea of a revolution to the public, similar to those that had taken place in neighbouring Arab countries.EU representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, after the sentencing, spoke of the severity of the sentence and expressed concern that the legislation would greatly affect the freedom of expression in Ethiopia.When an appeal against the 18-year-jail term came up for hearing Wednesday, an Ethiopian court further delayed it.