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After listening to 29 witnesses of Daniel Bekele and Nesanet Demisse, who are the two civic association defendants under the same file of Engineer Hailu Shawel and the others, the Ethiopian Federal High Court adjourned the trial to October 8, 2007 to hear their defense and prosecutor’s closing statements.
Reminding the release of most of the defendants who have been charged with the same crime with them, Daniel and Nesanet tried to push the court to conclude their case before the start of the Ethiopian new year on September 11, 2007. However, the prosecutor argued saying he needed more time to look through the testimonies and prepare his closing speech and the court need to close for its annual holidays.
The two civic defendants had dropped 131 of their witnesses out of 160 saying their testimonies were similar to those who had already testified in the court.
Among the witnesses were top leaders of CUD including Engineer Hailu Shawel, Dr. Birhanu Nega, Birtukan Midekesa, and Dr. Yakob H/Mariam who testified saying both Daniel and Netsanet had never been members of CUD party.
The famous writer, Mamo Wedineh, the renowned historian Bahiru Zewde, lecturer at Addis Ababa University and consultant of civic associations, Dr. Konjit Fekade were also among the witnesses Daniel and Nesanet had brought in for their defense.
CUD - Lunch at Ras Amba Hotel
(SubSaharan informer) - The Coalition for Unity and Democracy party (CUD) members represented in the parliament expressed their further commitment to continue their struggle together with the released leaders of their party while expressing their delight in their release over a luncheon party organized for those leaders who were released from jail after 20 months in detention.(Picture - Temesgen Zewde (L) and Dr. Hailu Araya (R) )
Elected members of CUD, who joined parliament after the council members of their party were put in jail, organized a lunch party at Ras Amba Hotel to congratulate the released leaders and express their happiness on their release formally.
“For the past 20 months,” said Temesgen Zewde, provisional chairman of CUD party, “we have been reporting in the parliament every week for the release of our party leaders and we are happy to reach the moment where we see them together with us.”
“It isn’t only the leaders who have been released,” Temesgen continued, “but CUD members in the parliament are also free now, as the people had perceived us for being traitors. We are now free of such accusations.”
On the occasion, Birtukan Midekessa thanked the party members in the parliament for organizing the event and affirmed that CUD's struggle will continue. Together with Birtukan, Hailu Araya, Engineer Gizachew Shiferaw, Debebe Eshetu, Muluneh Eyoel, Dr. Yakob H/Mariam were at the event.
Today's Top HEADLINES
-The Elders (Shimagilewoch) start negotiations to free OLF detainees (Amharic)-Explosion kills one and injures three in Addis Ababa
-Red Cross hopes to return to Ethiopian region
-EU gives Ethiopia 5 million euros in new humanitarian aid
-Exodus from Somali capital triples
-Big favourites and strong challengers to contest NYC Half-Marathon
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
-Libya sales deal fuels French row
-Obama, Clinton in new flap, over nuclear weapons
-India, US unveil landmark nuclear deal
-Afghan Doctors Hope to Visit Ailing South Korean Hostages
-South Korea tells Taliban it has limited influence
-Devastating floods hit South Asia
-Homecoming for Iraqi soccer team
-But Mom! The other 61-year-olds get an allowance!
Picture of the day
-The first hijra: Migration to Abyssinia(International Board of Islamic Research and Resources)
-[VIDEO] The Message – first Muslims flee to Abyssinia (Scene from the 1977 movie by Director Moustapha Akkad starring Anthony Quinn)
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