| Dear friends, For forty years, Dr. Fikru Maru was one of the top cardiologists in Sweden. After fleeing a totalitarian regime in Ethiopia, he settled in Sweden, where he attended medical school and devoted his life to saving others. But now, he could die inside an Ethiopian prison, after being arrested on false charges. Dr. Maru has suffered from several pneumothoraxes recently, which is air or gas that collects in the chest and can cause lung collapse. His friends — including Frank Ashall, a fellow doctor and Care2 member — are terrified that if he isn't freed soon, they will lose him permanently. Dr. Maru wanted to bring high quality medical care to people with heart problems in Ethiopia, so he helped establish a heart hospital there. But when he arrived at the Addis Ababa airport with essential supplies for the new hospital, the authorities arrested him and claimed he had smuggled in the equipment. That was seven years ago. Since then, he has been cleared of all charges, re-arrested, cleared again, and now re-arrested yet another time. Of course, the real reason the Ethiopian regime wants Dr. Maru behind bars is because of politics. Dr. Ashall says that if the Ethiopian government wants you in jail, it will find a way to keep you there, which is why the authorities keep inventing reasons to lock Dr. Maru away. Now, the cardiologist is trapped inside an overcrowded prison while his health is failing. When his daughter visited him recently, he was barely even allowed the chance to hug her — despite the fact that it could be their last hug together. And all this because he wanted to establish a heart hospital and bring heart procedure supplies into his country of birth. Thank you for all that you do,  | | Miranda B.
The Care2 Petitions Team |
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