A senior executive at one of Norway’s biggest international companies, Yara International ASA, who spoke on condition of anonymity, admitted: “We regret this has happened. There was a mistake somewhere in the selection process. It is embarrassing the board ended up awarding a despot who has been killing and torturing his own people. That was never the intention of the award.

“I understand there was a successful bid on the part of pro-Zenawi lobbyists, who went at a greater length to influence the selection committee. In the future a thorough examination of records of nominees should be put in place to prevent tyrants, who are obstacles for human development, from being considered for the prize,” he said.

However, he dismissed as unfounded an allegation that linked the African Green Revolution Yara Prize to commercial bribery aimed at luring corrupt African leaders to award multi-million dollar contracts to the company in the lucrative fertilizer business.

It was announced two weeks ago that the Board of the Yara Foundation had chosen to award the first African Green Revolution Yara Prize, to the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for his contribution to improve food security and human nutrition in ways that also protect the environment.

According to the executive, the decision caused a lot of disquiet among many Norwegians and the Ethiopian Community in Norway who inundated the company with emails, letters and phone calls to express their anger. “It is a really awkward situation that we never anticipated. I personally found it seriously damaging for the reputation of the company. In the future, we should never associate ourselves with any tyrants who have blood on their hands,” he admitted.

A refugee from Ethiopia, Yared Tesfaye, who showed me a letter he wrote to Yara International ASA, said: “It is a great shame that the company decided to award Meles Zenawi, who has been killing, injuring, torturing and jailing thousands of Ethiopians. Millions of Ethiopians are facing starvation and hundreds of thousands of others die of hunger each year.

“I am sure the people who have decided to give him an award have no idea of what a green revolution look like. Are they awarding him for his crimes against humanity?” he asked.

Tesfaye wrote to Yara that the company should make an official apology not only to Ethiopians but also to the whole of Africa for insulting their dignity by awarding one of Africa’s murderous tyrants who condemn their people to endless cycles of suffering and oppression.

A Norwegian human rights campaigner, Erika Birger, suggested the award money, worth $200,000, be given to a charity that is truly committed to improving the fate of Ethiopians. “Norwegians are decent people. We are equally offended and insulted by the ridiculous decision to award an African dictator as a “green revolutionary,” she said.

According to Mr. Tesfaye, Ethiopian immigrants in Norway have already formed an anti-Yara prize campaign group to oppose the company’s wrong decision to give this year’s prize to Zenawi. “The award to Meles must be called Yara’s Green Revulsion Award,” he said.