Addis Ababa — The Federal High Court, Lideta Branch, first Human Rights bench has ordered the police to detain and bring an immigration authority officer who is accused of failing to appear in court on the case involving former TPLF veteran, Sibhat Nega, his lawyer Tadelle Gebremedhin told Addis Standard.

According to Tadelle, Sibhat Nega opened a lawsuit against the Federal Police crime investigation bureau and Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) in August last year, after he was banned from traveling to Nairobi for medical treatment and his passport was confiscated.

Following the lawsuit the federal high court ruled on 07 December 2022, that the immigration service has no basis to ban Sibhat Nega from leaving the country and ordered for Federal Police crime investigation bureau and Immigration and Citizenship Service officials to appear before the court and give explanation on the matter.

The federal police crime investigation bureau appeared before court on 25 January and explained to the court that it has accepted the court's order and expressed readiness to implement the ruling allowing Sibhat to travel, but the the official from the Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) has failed to show up at the hearing.

The Federal High Court, Lideta Branch, first Human Rights bench has therefore ordered the police to detain and bring the immigration official during the next appointment adjourned on February 1, 2023.

Sibhat Nega, 88, was arrested at the height of the two years war in Tigray and was among 20 senior TPLF leaders who were charged for organizing an illegal group to overthrow the constitutional order, attack the Northern Command of National Defense Forces, inciting youths to fight, looting fuel depots, and killing several members of the Defense Forces.

His charges were dropped and he was released along other TPLF leaders in January 2022. AS