Ethiopian opposition says jailed leader's health 'deteriorating'

An Ethiopian opposition group on Saturday warned that the health of its jailed leader was "deteriorating" since she was sent to prison thirteen months ago. Birtukan Mideksa, head of the UDJ party, was initially sentenced to life on treason charges in 2005 after her party accused the regime of vote rigging in that year's elections, but was pardoned two years later. The sentence was reinstated in December 2008, however, after authorities claimed the 36-year-old had obstructed the terms of her pardon by denying that she had "expressed remorse" in political rallies held in Europe. "Her mental health is deteriorating and she is suffering from insomnia," former president Negasso Gidada told journalists. "We know from her mother that she was taking up to 12 tablets a day just to be able to sleep," he added. Birtukan's mother and her her daughter are the only two people to be granted visitation rights. Negasso, who served for six years as president before falling out with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in 2001, said Birtukan had suffered a nervous breakdown nine months ago.