Updates from the resumption of the trial at Kaduna High Court follow below. For details of the campaign, how to help and the background to the trumped up charges please visit the FreeZakzaky campaign page.
[12.36] The trial is adjourned until 23-24 April 2020.
[11.35] The trial is adjourned. Details to follow.
[11.15] As the court session resumes, counsel to both parties, Sheikh Zakzaky and Malama Zeenah have all moved to the Judge’s chamber as the Prison head is summoned.
[09.37] Court has taken a short recess. It will resume at 12noon.
[09.35] The Judge summons the Prison head, inquiring at to why the the defendants have been blocked from getting medical attention.
[09.33]Prosecuting attorney, Bayero Dari, stated that they had followed court order. Because the prison had requested that they be given the names of the doctors to come and were given by the Sadau Garba chamber. The Prison Board has written to the government. 4 doctors, 3 of them are from the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and 1 from Kaduna State.
And all 4 of them went to look at the defendants. Dari stated that he had all the documentation confirming what he had said.
He said if the problem was that the Sheikh’s Doctors had to go to the hospital, they should be taken to a hospital for review. The Board of Prison denied this. If they say that everything must be done within the prison.
The Judge expressed his dissatisfaction at how the case is been handled. He said there was no way to denied medical attention to a defendant.
[09.27] The counsel appealed to the courts to compel the Prison authorities to allow their doctors to treat them. He said that because of the order was issued by the court, he said that the Doctors should be allowed to treat him.
He urged the court to remand the application for their doctors to treat them. He said that currently Mallama Zeenat was bleeding from her nose and mouth. He said this proves that the defendants are in a serious condition. He said that they needed urgent help from his doctors
[09.24] The judge arrive the court. Sheikh Zakzaky’s counsel introduced. Sadau Garba sought the court’s permission for Abubakar Marshall to lead the session, at the absence of leading counsel Femi Falana. The Judge agreed.
Abubakar Marshall told the court that in the previous session, the judge had ordered the prison authorities to allow the Sheikh’s Doctors to treat him and his wife. The prison authorities refused to do so despite being issued a warrant previously by the court.
