At least 1,500 arrests in Ethiopian state of emergency, claims news agency

State-run media says since declaring the six-month state of emergency, authorities have made vast numbers of arrests to quell protests Ethiopian authorities have arrested more than 1,500 people since declaring a state of emergency less than two weeks ago, according to a statement published by state-controlled news agency Fana.

The command post, a body set up by authorities to oversee the state of emergency, said 1,120 people had been arrested in the towns of Shashemene and West Arsi – south of the capital, Addis Ababa – for “violence and property damage”. read more