Kenyan journalist languishes in jail

Kenyan journalist Yassin Juma, who is being detained in Sostegna, Ethiopia, says he has developed health complications and is concerned about his inability to secure legal representation. That’s according to Abdulatif Elemo, one of eight lawyers representing a group of more than 30 suspects arrested in the aftermath of the assassination of Oromo musician Hachalu Hundessa last month. Elemo told The Nation that the Kenyan Embassy does not appear to be committed to hiring him a lawyer. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Juma has been granted relevant consular assistance. He is facing charges of plotting to create ethnic violence.

An Ethiopian court has summoned the head of the country's main Covid-19 hospital to address the health of opposition leader Dejene Tafa. Dejene, from the Oromo Federalist Congress, was detained last month, along with many others, accused of organising and taking part in violence that hit the country. BBC News reports that he was admitted to hospital on 23 July after testing positive for Covid-19 and later discharged. However, his defence team argued that he had no health issues and the police deliberately put him in hospital so that he could not appear in court while they search for evidence to build a case against him.