News: Fed. Court suspends prosecutor’s witness hearing against Jawar et. al
Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Hamza Adane and Dejene Tafa haven’t appeared at court hearings since May 26,2021
By Mahlet fasil @MahletFasil
Addis Abeba, November 1, 2021– The prosecutor’s witness hearing against the defendants in Jawar Mohammed’s file which was set to be held today was suspended after the defense team appealed to Federal Supreme Court cassation Bench objecting an earlier decision by the Federal High Court to resume prosecutors witness hearing without Four defendants in the file who declined to appear in the hearings.
In July, Four of the defendants in the file; Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Hamza Adane and Dejene Tafa told the court that they do not want to attend the hearing citing the summary execution of detainees, maltreatment of prisoners in detention and extrajudicial killings in different parts of the country.
Their lawyer Kedir Bulo told Addis Standard that on July 28,2021 the Federal High Court, Lideta Branch, First Constitutional and Anti-Terrorism Bench decided to hold the prosecutors’ witness hearing between November 1-5, 2021 in absence of the Four defendants. The lawyers therefore appealed at the Federal supreme court cassation Bench, to reverse the federal high court’s decision to proceed with prosecutor’s witness hearing.
Kedir added that the prosecutor also appealed at the Federal Supreme Court Cassation Bench for the second time objecting the decision by Federal High Court, Lideta Branch, First Constitutional and Anti-Terrorism Bench to hold prosecutor’s witnesses hearing in open sessions.
The hearing at the Federal High Court, Lideta Branch, First Constitutional and Anti-Terrorism Bench will proceed after the Federal Supreme Court Cassation Bench passes decision on the defendants appeal.
The Federal Supreme Court will hold the next court hearing on November 16,2021. AS
