Hearing adjourned without lifting travel ban on seriously ill dissident

ESAT News (July 7, 2016)

A court in Addis Ababa that was expected to act on the case of an opposition politician whose doctors recommended that he should travel abroad for a lifesaving medical procedure has been adjourned indefinitely without lifting the travel ban imposed on the seriously ill politician.

Habtamu Ayalew, who was public relations head of Unity for Democracy and Justice ,a.k.a  Andinet, has been seeking to travel abroad for medical treatment but the court ended the session without any ruling saying the chief judge was absent from his bench. But witnesses told ESAT that the said judge, Dagne Melaku, was seen in the premises of the court.

Having heard the shocking news, the wife of Habtamu has passed out while at the court and was rushed to emergency care.

A codefendant and who spent 18 months with Habtamu in jail, Daniel Shibeshi, who was also a leading member of Andenet, said they had submitted all the necessary documentations from doctors to the court on Monday and were expecting a positive ruling on the case on Tuesday. He was denied proper medical care in jail.

Not only the brief hearing was adjourned without acting on the case, it also did not set any date for the next hearing.