ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The Federal High Court Lideta Branch, has revoked the bail previously granted to former State Minister of Peace, Taye Dendea, and ordered his continued detention while the case proceeds, after he was brought before the court at noon on Tuesday, his lawyer told Addis Standard.
According to the lawyer, Taye was “clandestinely presented” to the court at around 12:00 PM on 03 June without legal representation. “He was presented without a lawyer,” he said. “Such high-profile cases can only proceed either with the presence of the defendant’s lawyer or with a public defender assigned by the court — but this requirement was bypassed.”
He also questioned the timing of the session, saying it was held “during the lunch break,” which he described as “a time not typically used for court proceedings.” The lawyer argued that the hearing appeared to be arranged “specifically to suspend his bail in secrecy.”
Taye was arrested on Monday afternoon from his residence in Addis Abeba, only hours after the Federal Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Federal Attorney General’s appeal to reinstate two previously dropped criminal charges and referred the case back to the Federal High Court.
At the time, his lawyer told Addis Standard that the arrest did not appear to be formally connected to the court’s decision. He said the federal police officers who carried out the arrest told Taye they “only wanted to talk to him at the office,” and that his whereabouts were initially unknown.
The lawyer said that later that night, they were able to confirm that Taye had been taken to the Federal Police Crime Investigation Bureau.
Following the arrest, police searched Taye’s residence around 8:00 PM — a move the lawyer described as unlawful. “A house search is only permitted between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM,” he said. “Conducting it outside this timeframe violates the legal procedure.” He further alleged that “both Taye and his family were misled by conflicting information provided by the authorities.”
He maintained that “multiple legal breaches” occurred in the process. “From the arrest without a new court order, to a night-time house search, and his court appearance without a lawyer — all these actions were in clear violation of established legal safeguards,” the lawyer said.
Taye was initially arrested in December 2023, one day after being dismissed from his ministerial post following his public criticism of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.He was charged with offenses allegedly related to his time in office, including accusations of supporting armed groups.
In August 2024, the Lideta Branch of the Federal High Court acquitted Taye of charges under Articles 251/C and 257/G of the 2004 Criminal Code, which alleged he had posted “propaganda messages in support of anti-peace forces” on social media and made similar remarks in an interview. The court ruled that the content “did not constitute criminal acts” and fell within his constitutional right to express opinions.
Source: Addis Standard
