(Dec 24, 2011, Manchester)--A student who says he was arrested for using Skype in Ethiopia has had his deportation to his homeland blocked – for now.
Yidnek Haile, 31, a post-graduate student at Manchester University, was due to be flown back to Ethiopia on Thursday, until a high court judge ruled that he needed more time to look at the case.
Supporters of Yidnek say he would face a lengthy jail term and police beatings if he was sent back, just for using Skype – an internet telephone service that is illegal in Ethiopia. The ruling means that the Home Office, who planned to deport Yidnek at 7pm on Thursday, cannot do so until a final decision is reached by the court.
Yidnek, an IT trainer, was charged by police in Ethiopia – where using non-government telephone companies is banned – last year after showing people how to use Skype in the internet cafe in which he worked.
The former Ethiopian student leader fled to the UK and sought asylum last December, saying he had been repeatedly arrested and beaten by the Ethiopian authorities. Read more from Manchester Evening News »
Yidnek Haile, 31, a post-graduate student at Manchester University, was due to be flown back to Ethiopia on Thursday, until a high court judge ruled that he needed more time to look at the case.
Supporters of Yidnek say he would face a lengthy jail term and police beatings if he was sent back, just for using Skype – an internet telephone service that is illegal in Ethiopia. The ruling means that the Home Office, who planned to deport Yidnek at 7pm on Thursday, cannot do so until a final decision is reached by the court.
Yidnek, an IT trainer, was charged by police in Ethiopia – where using non-government telephone companies is banned – last year after showing people how to use Skype in the internet cafe in which he worked.
The former Ethiopian student leader fled to the UK and sought asylum last December, saying he had been repeatedly arrested and beaten by the Ethiopian authorities. Read more from Manchester Evening News »
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