ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – An Ethiopian court on Friday denied bail to a group of individuals accused, among other charges, of plotting to assassinate government officials and inciting rebellion within the army.

Prosecutors filed five charges against 46 suspects early this month, mainly of conspiring to "dismantle the constitutional order", smuggling arms, as well as recruiting and arming members of an opposition group.

"Due to the gravity of the situation, the court will uphold the prosecutors' request and deny them bail," judge Adam Ibrahim said.

Out of the total number, 32 were present in court with the rest said to be in the United States, Europe, Eritrea and Sudan, according to the government.

The group had been detained and held incommunicado for more than a month, but moved to the capital's main prison two weeks ago where their families and lawyers have been granted visiting rights.

One of the defence lawyers told AFP on condition of anonymity that some of the accused were subjected to torture.

Five are still said to be held in solitary confinement, the source added.

The court adjourned the trial until June 29 with prosecutors expected to present 94 witnesses.

Ethiopian authorities in April said they had unearthed a plot, by senior serving and former military officers aligned with the Ginbot 7 (May 15) opposition group, to kill top officials and attack key infrastructures.

With the next general elections a year away, the authorities accused the group's leader Berhanu Nega, currently in exile, of masterminding the alleged plot.

Berhanu, 51, was one of the leaders of the now-defunct Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) which won an unprecedented number of seats in the 2005 elections, which observers said fell short of international standards.