DEBIRETABOR, Ethiopia — The latest in a series of false charges against two Ethiopian evangelists was put to rest Oct. 23.
A court in Debiretabor acquitted the two evangelists of insulting the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) in prison, an accusation made by fellow inmates after the two were jailed on false charges of offering money for people to convert. The charge that the two Christians insulted the EOC was orchestrated by EOC members both inside and outside the prison.
Temesgen Alemayehu and Tigist Welde Amanuel had been sentenced to prison for six months on the false charge of offering money to people to convert but successfully appealed the punishment. After a lower court in Amhara state had thrown out their appeal Sept. 21, the Bahir Dar (state) Supreme Court ordered them to be released after paying a $40 fine.
Before they could be released, however, inmates signed a petition raising the second charge against Alemayehu and Amanuel. On this charge of insulting the EOC while in prison, the judge rejected witnesses’ testimony as contradictory and of no value.
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