WASHINGTON - March 1 - Daniel Bekele is head of policy at ActionAid Ethiopia. Netsanet Demessie is director of the Organisation for Social Justice in Ethiopia, a partner of ActionAid Ethiopia. Both have been active in the Global Call to Action Against Poverty.

On Thursday 23 February their trial resumed in the Federal Court where they are entering pleas of not guilty to the charges of conspiring against the Ethiopian constitutional order.

Prior to that, however, their lawyers requested that their cases and also that of Kassahun Kebede of the Ethiopian Teachers' Association should be separated from the trial of the rest of the accused.

The prosecutors opposed the petition. The court adjourned until Wednesday 1 March when a judgement on this petition will be the court's first business. 

Separately Daniel and Netsanet had appealed against the Federal Court's earlier decision not to grant them bail.

Their appeal was heard by the Supreme Court on Friday 24 February. The Court will deliver its judgement on Monday 6 March.

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