Following tensions with the authorities, hundreds of members of Ethiopia’s main Christian Orthodox church have been detained in recent days, according to lawyers representing the religious institution.
Ayalew Bitanie, the head of the church’s legal team, said that there were more than 200 people being held in police custody.
According to Mr. Ayalew, the majority of the detainees were kept in the capital city of Addis Ababa and its surrounding districts, but some of them were transported to an army camp more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of Addis.
Youth organisers and a popular preacher are among those arrested.
Some were brought before a court in Addis Ababa, where authorities claimed they were investigating them for potential offences relating to terrorism and attempts to dismantle the constitutional order.
Tensions began after a breakaway group of clergy in the country’s Oromia region appointed bishops and the main church’s highest body accused the authorities of supporting the group.
As the nation gets ready to host the annual African Union summit in Addis Abeba, there is an uneasy calm following the church’s decision to postpone rallies it had organized.
Platforms for social media and messaging, such as Facebook, Telegram, and YouTube, remain restricted.
Author-Roberta Appiah
