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JOHANNESBURG — Video obtained by The Associated Press shows Ethiopian security forces beating, kicking and dragging several protesters in the capital over the weekend.

The protesters were arrested Saturday after a rare demonstration in Addis Ababa by hundreds of people calling for greater freedom in the East African nation.

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The footage was provided by the Oromia Media Network, a U.S.-based opposition broadcasting outlet.

Opposition members and Amnesty International have said several dozen people were shot dead in the anti-government demonstrations across Ethiopia over the weekend.

The government blocked internet access over the weekend and blamed the protests on “foreign-backed forces.”

Ethiopia, a close security ally of the West, is often accused by rights groups of stifling dissent.