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Ethiopia: Christians arrested for 'spreading hatred'

By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) - Last month, six church committee members from Kilto, Ethiopia, were found guilty of destroying the public's trust in government officials and spreading hatred.

According to Barnabas Aid, the six had dared to write a letter to their church leadership describing the persecution they have endured as Christians living in the Muslim-majority Silte zone. The letter was later leaked to local media and then went viral.

As a result, government officials sentenced church committee leader Yemariam Worke to eight years and eight months in prison and the other five members of the committee to five years and six months each. They were all then transferred to a prison in Worabe, the capital of Silte zone.

In the letter, the six had complained of discrimination in employment, the destruction of their church buildings, physical attacks and even death threats.

Ethnic Silte people voted to create a separate zone in a referendum in 2001.