Jailed Ethiopian opposition leader undergoes eye surgery

Ethiopia's engineer Hailu Shawel, the jailed chairman of the largest opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (CUD), underwent a major eye surgery at a local hospital on Monday, prison authorities said.

The eye surgery was done at the prestigious Menelik II Hospital by ophthalmic specialists that came from abroad after a series of unsuccessful treatment provided by professionals at home, said a statement issued from the Addis Ababa Prison Administration.

Though the Kaliti prison, at which Hailu was jailed, made various efforts to enable Hailu to receive better treatment, ophthalmic specialists from Menelik II Hospital and the Police Hospital referred him to undergo a major eye surgery, the statement said.

It said Hailu is now in good health following a successful surgery.

It added Hailu is being visited by his families.

Hailu suffered a retinal detachment in his left eye, with loss of vision being imminent unless reversed by an emergency medical intervention, doctors said.

The opposition leader was arrested after he was accused of instigating a street violence in November 2005.

During the street violence, police clashed with CUD supporters, leaving at least 46 people dead. The violence began on November 1 amid protests over a disputed May 15 parliamentary election.

CUD has been boycotting the lower House of People's Representatives (HPR), saying it wants a solution to the contested results of the parliamentary election.

The final election results indicate that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Party, which has ruled the country for the past 14 years, has won 327 seats of the 547-seat HPR, enough to form the federal government.

CUD and another opposition party, the United Ethiopian Democratic Force, were in second and third places with 109 and 52 seats respectively. They held only 12 seats before.

The two opposition parties accuse the ruling party of massive electoral fraud.

Source: Xinhua