Abbay Media News
Dawit Hailu
Mr. Bekele Gerba, an Ethiopian prisoner of conscience and lecturer at Addis Ababa University, is seriously sick and his life is in grave danger due to denial of medical treatment.
In spite of the fact that Mr. Gerba’s illness becomes more serious, his appeal to get permission for medical treatment was not accepted by prison authorities. His daughter, Ms. Bontu, in her interview with Deutsche Well (German) Amharic service, claimed that her father health condition is deteriorating.
Furthermore Ms. Bontu Bekele stressed that her father is still suffering in the notorious Ethiopian prison with an elevated high blood pressure and associated headache.
Although Mr. Gerba pleaded with prison officers to give him access to medical treatment in order to alleviate the pain, they told him to double up the dose instead and take the medicine twice a day.
Since neither the prisoner nor his attorney have not told the reason why Mr. Gerba has been denied medical access, Ms. Bontu and the attorney are taking the matter to the appropriate court and seek grant of medical intervention.
Bekele is a devoted advocate of non-violence struggle and a high ranking member of the Oromo Federalist Congress. He has been in and out of prison and he was recently arrested along with tens of thousands who were imprisoned during the nonviolent protest that has swept Ethiopia from all corners.
