An American citizen who was born in Ethiopia was jailed for six weeks in Arlington County, Virginia, after he was accused of stealing his own iPad. While this confusion might have been quickly settled under more typical circumstances, Abreham Zemedagegehu is deaf, and though he is fluent in American Sign Language, his written English is only rudimentary.
Zemedagegehu was not provided with a sign language interpreter in jail and had no way of communicating with police throughout his imprisonment, which continued despite the fact that there is an entire New York Times article from 2013 focused on him and how he uses iPad. While in jail, he was confused about why he was being detained and was subjected to medical tests he did not understand.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
