NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 1 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is offering consular assistance to Kenyan journalist Yassin Juma who was arrested and charged in Ethiopia early this month.
Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo said a consular officer at the Kenya Embassy in Addis Ababa Ethiopia last week visited Juma at the Sostegna police station.
“Yassin Juma expressed gratitude at the visitation and appeared to be in good health,” she said.
CS Omamo added that during the visit it was established that Juma is in good condition and getting legal representation.
Juma was presented in court on Tuesday alongside four other suspects, among them an Ethiopian journalist.
Reports indicate that he was arrested while covering protests that erupted in Ethiopia’s Oromia region following the death of the controversial musician Hachalu Hundessa.
Hundessa who was perceived as an activist for the Oromo ethnic group was shot dead by unknown assailants while driving in the capital Adis Ababa, sparking violent protests that left several people dead.
Juma is reportedly said to have been arrested because of his close relationship with the controversial musician, one of few people who openly criticized Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
