Ethiopian musician Teddy Afro has been convicted of manslaughter in relation to an incident in the country's capital Addis Ababa back in 2006 in which a homeless man was killed in a hit-and-run accident. The singer, real name Tewodros Kassahun, stood accused of running the man over and driving away without reporting the incident, as well as being charged with driving without a licence, and is expected to receive a prison sentence of between five and fifteen years. When the court's verdict was delivered, Kassahun objected, but was silenced by his lawyers.
Fans of Afro, Ethiopia's biggest pop star, believe that the charges are fabricated and politically motivated; his music was used as an anthem for anti-government protesters during the country's 2005 elections. Details about the actual evidence presented in the trial are sparse, though we do know there is confusion over which date the man actually died on, so how they claim to know that it was Afro that did it is anyone's guess. There were two possible dates cited for the homeless man's death; on one, Afro was out of the country, the second, he claimed to be out with friends. The court was not convinced by those claims though, and delivered a guilty verdict, despite this confusion.
Leaving the court he told journalists: "I never killed anyone, I didn't get justice from this court".