The farce continues – #freefikru

The case of Dr Fikru Mary, the Swedish cardiologist detained in an Ethiopian prison since 2013 I’ve written about before, has taken an unexpected turn.

On Friday Fikru developed a spontaneous pneumothorax and was taken to hospital. On Saturday protests in the Qilinto hospital escalated into violence. Somehow the building caught fire and gunfire ensued. At least 23 prisoners were killed. The part of the prison where Fikru was held has been evacuated and the prisoners have been taken to other facilities outside Addis Abeba. It is very unclear whereto he will be sent when he is discharged from hospital. There is a substantial risk that it isn’t to somewhere where his relatives can make sure he gets his insulin and proper food. This is turning into an emergency.

Today I met with Fikru’s daughter, Emy Maru and the Swedish lawyer who has been working on the case ever since the arrest. He confirmed that there are no charges of bribery. Instead Fikru is accused of gaining ”inappropriate advantage” through his relations with the Director and Deputy Director of the revenues and customs authority. Basically, when Fikru was charged with the attempt to smuggle medical supplies into the country, the case was closed by the prosecutor after contacts with the Directors.

It is of course difficult for the prosecution to provide evidence that Fikru was involved in this process. That is probably why the last day in court, before the two month summer closing, the burden of proof was put on Fikru. The court decided that he needs to provide evidence of his innocence. The farce continues. I just hope Fikru’s health is good enough to survive it.