Ethiopia’s government has lifted a state of emergency imposed in October after hundreds of people were killed in anti-government protests.
Lawmakers in the East African country have voted to end the emergency law that restricted a number of rights and led to the arrests of more than 21,000 people.
More than 600 people had been killed in the unrest. The government was able to deal with armed terrorists, anti- peace elements and troublemakers.
In total, more than 600 people were killed in nearly a year of protests that began in the Oromia region and spread into the Amhara region and the capital, Addis Ababa.
More than 8,000 people are still behind bars and are being prosecuted for crimes they are accused of committing during the violence.
The state of emergency was imposed after a deadly stampede at a religious celebration in October 2016 as police confronted protesters who demanded wider political freedoms.
Restrictions under the state of emergency included arbitrary arrests without court orders; limits on radio, television and theatre; and dawn-to-dusk prohibitions on unauthorised movements around infrastructure facilities and factories.