Teshale Abera, 42, was President of the Oromia State Supreme Court in Ethiopia, a position he took up in 2001, having been a President of the High Court since 1997. One of 15 children, born in the Oroma area of Ethiopia, he originally joined the police force before studying for a law degree and graduating in 1994. Married to Feleke Seblewongel Taddesse, they have two children, a son aged 15, Jigsa, and a daughter aged eight, Nimona.

Teshale Abera arrived in the UK for a conference in November 2006 and sought political asylum, having first established that his family were safe in Uganda. He had disagreed with many of the policies of the ruling EPRDF Government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, especially after the suppression of the people following the elections of May 2005, where 193 people were killed and many more detained. The level of unlawful detentions has been brought to international attention by both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Judges Teshale Abera, Wolde-Michael Meshesha and Frehiwot Samual have all been forced to leave their country for fear of reprisals, including detention, torture and death.

Teshale Abera made his first application for asylum in November 2006, and his second in April 2007. He is still awaiting the outcome and lives alone in council accommodation, receiving £40 a week in benefit.

Teshale’s story in his own words

My wife and I had been talking for a year about the impossibility of staying in Ethiopia. To work professionally in Ethiopia, you must align yourself to the interests of the ruling party and support their agenda, rather than sticking to the law. The Government puts itself above the law. Professional proficiency and legality is immaterial — in any undemocratic nation you cannot complain. As a person working in the judiciary, I was expected to support such agenda. My position became impossible.

It was a real problem. My wife didn’t want to leave. The security forces were monitoring us. They came to our home. They told us to make our children spy on the people next door. They suspected them of being part of a banned organisation — the OLF (Oroma Liberation Front) — so they could detain them. I said my son was too young, it was too traumatic and risky for him. I finally told them he cannot do that. The Government security officer said I must show evidence of my commitment to the Government in this way. They accused me of not having commitment. As President of the Oromia State Supreme Court I should demonstrate it.

We had a good life. I was a graduate from law school and had been working at a senior level. There is no legal position beyond the president of the supreme court. I am not thirsty for positions, I was offered the job. I worked hard and had tried to introduce many reforms.

The house we lived is Government owned. It is one of the best houses in a good area of Addis, called Bole. It is a villa in a compound on two floors, with three bedrooms, kitchen, a dining salon, kitchen, bathroom and garden. We had a cook and a maidservant. We were given services by the Government, two cars and a driver. I was also offered security protection but I didn’t use this. I was highly paid, a professional, and not a poor man. The children went to one of the best schools in Addis. My wife has been studying Management at one of the Universities. She already has one Diploma in Agriculture. I could have earned more if I worked in private practice as a lawyer, but I chose to serve my country as a judge.

I would prefer to be at home. I don’t think those assessing your application understand that.

There is one area where I failed. I was less available to my family than I should have been. That makes me sad. Especially as my young daughter is very close to me, and always waited for me. She wouldn’t eat her dinner until I came home. I should have served my family better but I was working very hard on the reform agenda. There were so many people imprisoned without charge when I came to my job. We tried to reform a lot of things. We wanted more transparency, we wanted more independence, we wanted a system that was accountable and disciplined. A system that was independent of the Government agenda.

My second interview for asylum was OK. The office is in Croydon. They sent me a travel card for the day, and it took about two hours to travel. I was optimistic when I went. I waited for about an hour when I arrived and originally I thought my case was forgotten, but then they called me. I was interviewed by one man for about an hour. He had my full statement and I thought he understood it. He was indifferent and very formal. I asked him how long I would have to wait for a decision, and he said it would be decided within 10 — 15 days. So I was expecting to hear in the middle of April. Now it is 10 weeks later.

I didn’t eat or sleep, I was so anxious. My thoughts were distracted, and I had no concentration. When I read a book I couldn’t concentrate. Sometimes I read books but after I turned the pages I realise I am not reading, I am just counting words. I am not really reading.

I used to neutralise this anxiety by going out, and visiting the library. I use the email there to contact friends. I write and receive messages. I read the newspapers in the library. I don’t have much interest in what I am reading because you see many strange things there. I want to be engaged, but things you read in newspapers here are not relevant to you.

Now I am convinced that things will not go the way I want. I haven given up expecting things from people. It is the only way to save myself. I was very anxious about it for two months, but lately I began to organise myself because I was worried about my family. My wife is very anxious about things and she is physically sick. She has developed some nerve problem in her face, a paralysis. I am praying for her. My boy can’t go to school, but my daughter has started. I needed to get some money to them from Ethiopia, which I have managed to do. And then I began to convince myself I must not think about this business. It beginning to drive me mad.

I am trying to forget that I am waiting. It’s the only means to comfort oneself. Everyday I try to do something. The library, the church. I call my family every day. I am reading The Third Way, by Alvin Toffler. It is a book written 30 years ago, and it tells many things about Europe, but it says nothing about Africa. Africa is not in his imagination. I began to do a t’ai chi class, but I am not emotionally settled. I see Dr Michael at the Foundation once a week. It is very good. I am blessed when I visit Dr Michael. I unpack myself.

But when I look back, I think I am doing nothing. I am doing something meaningless. I don’t know why they give me £40 and keep me idle. It can’t be productive for the British Government. It is illegal for people to work but it should be possible to give something back for the £40. In my country, I prefer to work in my profession. We should be given a chance to work, for free, not against payment.

When I was back home, I thought the international community would know how things were in Ethiopia, but they don’t. Amnesty has reported on it and human rights activists know. The ambassadors know precisely what is going on. The politicians know, but prefer not to think about it.

The problem with international communities, is whether or not it is a matter of national interest. If it doesn’t affect the national interests of the UK, the States, or European countries, they will not respond. What is happening in Ethiopia is considered to be internal, and not of national interest to developed countries. But I think Ethiopia could become as bad as Rwanda, Sudan and Zimbabwe. The current Government in Ethiopia — the EPRDF — can’t move ahead. I think there will be an internal struggle to get rid of the Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi. The resistance we are now observing from the young people is intense. There are a lot of detentions in secret detention centres.

The authorities suspected me of being a member of the CUD — Coalition for Unity and Democracy. This opposition party won a lot of seats at the election, but their leaders were arrested and thrown into jail and are still there. I choose not to be political because I am a judge. I must be above politics. As a judge you analyse the political and legal position. I have made it clear to the Government that I am not political, even though I thought their actions were wrong. But they still threatened me and my family. If I go back I will be detained, and they may make a case for treason. I could be tortured and killed. It would not be good.