Ethiopia has released European Commission staff member and rights lawyer Yalemzewd Bekele from jail, the EU said, welcoming the move but reaffirming that the bloc's ties with Addis Ababa had been damaged, according to Reuters. "The release of Ms Bekele is very good news. We had been extremely concerned about her fate since her arrest," European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel said on Friday. Last week, Addis Ababa expelled two European Union diplomats -- an Italian and a Swede -- saying they had been caught trying to smuggle two wanted Ethiopians out of the country by car. Bekele was one of the two Ethiopians detained near the border with Kenya. Ethiopian federal police spokesman Demelash Hailue said she still faced charges, and he criticised Amnesty International. "She has been released on bail after police completed and presented their case to the prosecution. The charges against her will continue. She was treated humanely during her detention by police," he said.
