The Ethiopia Federal First Instance Court based in Addis Ababa on Tuesday granted bail to 11 police officers accused of negligence in a June 23 bomb attack. The bomb attack at a mass rally held in support of reformist Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed left two people dead and more than 50 injured. The 11 police officers which include Girma Kassa, Deputy Head of Addis Ababa Police Commission, are accused of security lapses which allowed the bomb attack to happen. The police officers were granted bail with amounts ranging from 220 U.S. dollars to 550 U.S. dollars. The Ethiopian government has so far refrained from mentioning specific organizations it suspects of being behind the June 23 bomb attack, although five civilians are currently on trial charged with direct involvement in the bomb attack The June 23 mass rally, which was held in Addis Ababa and other major cities across the Ethiopia, was organized to give credit to the various activities taken by the Ahmed administration. Ahmed, who took the prime minister position in April, has made various decisions that mainly aimed to bring about peace and unity among ethnic groups in the country. Xinhua
