Urgent Action: Prisoner of Conscience Needs Urgent Treatment (Ethiopia: UA 27.18)

Ethiopian prisoner of conscience Bekele Gerba has been denied access to specialised medical treatment that he urgently needs. He has high blood pressure which is affecting his sight, leaving his left eye operating at 25% capacity. He was sentenced to a year in prison after being held in contempt of court twice.

1) TAKE ACTION
Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:

• Immediately grant Bekele Gerba permission to seek necessary, specialised medical treatment, such that his blood pressure is brought back into a safe range and his eyes are treated;
• Release Bekele Gerba immediately and unconditionally, as he is a prisoner of conscience detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression; and
• Refrain from using ‘contempt of court’ to silence and prevent Bekele Gerba and others from exercising their human rights.

Contact these two officials by 23 March, 2018:

Federal Attorney General
Getachew Ambaye
Jomo Kenyata St.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
P.O. Box 1370
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Your Excellency

Ambassador Kassa Tekleberha
Embassy of Ethiopia
3506 International Drive, NW, Washington DC 20008
T: 202 364 1200
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Ambassador

2) LET US KNOW YOU TOOK ACTION

Click here to let us know if you took action on this case! This is Urgent Action 27.18
Here’s why it is so important to report your actions: we record the actions taken on each case—letters, emails, calls and tweets—and use that information in our advocacy.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION: Word or PDF
• GET INSPIRED: Read about the people you have helped
• READ TIPS for writing effective letters and emails
• CONTACT US: [email protected]