Ethiopia’s rights body calls for investigation into the killing of a prominent opposition figure

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI
Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s state-appointed rights commission is calling for an investigation into the killing of a prominent opposition figure who was recently released from prison. Bate Urgessa was gunned down on Tuesday night while visiting his hometown in Oromia, Ethiopia’s biggest region. That’s according to the Oromo Liberation Front, a legally registered opposition group. The circumstances of his death are not immediately clear. An outspoken critic of the government, Bate spent several stints in prison over the years. The head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission seeks an investigation by both the Oromia regional and Ethiopian federal authorities.