[ad_1]
By Mahlet Fasil @MahletFasil
Addis Ababa, September 9, 2020 – Kedir Bullo, attorney for Ethiopia-born US citizen Misha Adem Chiri, said Addis Standard that his client did not appear for a hearing postponed for today because he was detained again by the Oromia Regional State Police after being released on 20,000 bonds from the federal police detention center.
Kedir said that Misha’s family and his defense team are unaware of Misha’s whereabouts at the time of this news release. Yesterday he was released from the Addis Ababa primary school, which currently serves as a detention center, after his family handed over the bail money and all the administrative paperwork was completed. However, Misha was immediately arrested by members of the Oromia Regional State Police after his release.
On September 2, federal prosecutors charged Misha with criminal charges for violating Proclamation No. 761/204 on fraud against the country’s telecommunications, article 9/1. The charges were filed in federal criminal court 20 of the Sala Lideta in the absence of Misha and her defense team.
The criminal charges were brought despite Misha receiving a 10,000 birr bail from the Arada Federal Court of First Instance along with Dejene Tafa from the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), OMN journalist Guyo Wario and businessman Korssa Dechassa. However, the police appealed the decision to the Federal Superior Court. Although the Federal High Court upheld the lower courts’ decision on bail, the police have continued in pre-trial detention and investigating Misha prior to the charges on September 2.
Today’s hearing was postponed to render a verdict on the prosecutor’s demand that witnesses give their statements behind closed curtains. However, Misha was not brought to court by the Oromia police who have the defendant in their custody, Kedir said.
The presiding judge has requested an explanation from representatives of the federal police as to whether the accused was released according to the court’s decision and whether he was formally transferred to the Oromia police. the judges also issued a similar request to Oromia police and ordered federal prosecutors to help search for Misha’s whereabouts, according to Kedir.
Misha is arrested again despite the court’s second decision to uphold its decision to release him on bail. The presiding judge has reprimanded the police for violating the court’s ruling and demanded that the police reveal Misha’s whereabouts.
Consequently, the hearing was postponed until September 21 to obtain a response from the federal police and the Oromia region, according to Kedir.
Misha adem, who returned to Ethiopia and volunteered as an IT assistant at Oromia Media Network, was one of more than 30 people arrested along with Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba after the June 29 murder of artist and activist Oromo Hachalu Hundessa. HOW
[ad_2]
