Yonathan Tesfaye, a Former Public Relations Head of the Blue Party, one of the East African country’s main opposition parties was charged with stirring unrest and inciting terrorist acts.
He regularly posted statements on Facebook that criticised the government’s handling of protests which started in November 2015 in the Oromia region.
The Oromo people living in the region, which includes Addis Ababa, feel excluded from political and economic power.
Advertisement
The protests then spread elsewhere in the country.
Human rights groups said hundreds were killed during clashes and rioting which calmed down after the government imposed a state of emergency in October.
The sentencing came a day after journalist Getachew Shiferaw was found guilty of stirring “revolt.
“He faces a maximum of 10 years in jail,’’ the report quoted the charge sheet as saying.
Amnesty International said both Tesfaye and Shiferaw’s verdicts was “a further slap in the face for justice in Ethiopia.
It accused the authorities of using the judiciary to silence dissent.