Renowned journalist Yassin Juma gets major breakthrough after spending 50 days in jail

Yassin Juma is a renowned Kenyan journalist who has been locked up in Ethiopia for no fault of his own and after 50 days, he can now celebrate his freedom going by recent developments.

Also read: COVID-19 positive journalist Yassin Juma speaks of his plight behind police cells in Ethiopia

Just yesterday, his distressing letter from Ethiopia’s unsafe police cells went viral after airing his plight, as a COVID-19 patient who received no medical treatment for his condition, holding to the belief he would not make it out alive.

Following uproar from the Kenyan public, Ethiopian Attorney General yesterday, August 18 ordered for Mr Yassin’s release from police custody.

“According to the office of the Attorney General, Juma was detained wrongfully because of language barrier,” the journalist’s lawyer Abdulletif Amee stated in a report seen by Daily Nation.

Also read: Kenyan journalist Yassin Juma tests positive for Coronavirus

This left Mr Amee questioning the motive behind his client’s detention for something as mere as language barrier.

“Is it convincing enough to say he was detained because of misunderstanding? Is that a tactic to escape from liability?” Mr Amee continued.

Yassin Juma and nine other suspects’ trial kicked off yesterday morning though he did not appear in court following his COVID-19 positive status.

The public prosecutor opposed Mr Juma’s bail grant, asking for an additional 15 days, a request the court utterly rejected.

August 18, Kenya demanded for Mr Juma’s urgent release bearing in mind orders from an Ethiopian court to free the journalist after meeting bail terms, that were defied.

“The Ministry is deeply concerned that despite the decision of the court, Mr Osemo is still in police custody. The continued detention of this Kenyan national despite the decision of the court and payment of bail is highly regrettable and has caused immense anguish and anxiety to him, his family, the people and the government of the Republic of Kenya,” reads in part a letter by Kenya to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry dated August 12.

The former NTV journalist, born Collins Juma Osemo, had been set for release on August 5 after paying up the stated $85 (appr. KShs 9,200) bail according to court orders. He was arrested on July 3, 2020.