The opposition members had been imprisoned for [what the Meles Zenawi government said was] inciting violence in an attempt to overthrow the government following 2005 elections amid allegations that the balloting was rigged.
Dozens of relatives and supporters outside Kaliti Prison cheered, waved Ethiopian flags and whistled in joy as three minibuses carrying the freed opposition members left the facility.
Some of those inside the buses made the V-for-victory sign, which is also the symbol of Ethiopia’s opposition. The crowds pursued the minibuses in other vehicles, and the 38 were dropped off at their homes.
They were released only minutes after Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told journalists the government had pardoned them. They had been sentenced to various prison terms, including life, for inciting violence in an attempt to overthrow the government.
Meles had said he hoped the pardon “conveys the message that people are given a second chance as long as they seek it.” The prisoners had written the government asking to be pardoned.
Meles said that the prisoners’ right to vote and seek public office also had been restored. A Federal High Court ruled on Monday that those sentenced to life would have those rights permanently revoked and others would be barred for five years from seeking public office.
The United States had urged the government to show clemency in the case, which had been widely condemned by international human rights groups.
After the sentences were announced Monday, state-owned Ethiopian Television had reported the politicians and activists had written to the president to ask for pardons. Amnesty International said the defendants reportedly signed a statement some weeks ago that was expected to lead to a pardon and reconciliation with the ruling party.
Those pardoned included the leader of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy, Hailu Shawel; Berhanu Nega, who was elected mayor of Addis Ababa; former Harvard scholar Mesfin Woldemariam; and former U.N. special envoy and a former professor at Virginia’s Norfolk State University, Yacob Hailemariam.
International human rights groups had accused the government of trying to silence its critics, and opposition leaders have claimed the trial was politically motivated.
The Federal High Court trial began in December 2005 following postelection violence that erupted during protests over balloting six months earlier.
The opposition won an unprecedented number of parliamentary seats in the 2005 vote, but not enough to topple Meles. The opposition claimed the voting was rigged, and European Union observers said they were marred by irregularities.
Initially, the opposition leaders, journalists and others were charged with treason, inciting violence and attempted genocide. Judges dropped the treason and attempted genocide charges in April and later that month freed 25 prisoners, among them eight journalists.
Since April, a total of 52 people faced four other charges, but only nine chose to put up a defense. The trial for the remaining nine continues on July 25.
Late last year, Ethiopia acknowledged that its security forces killed 193 civilians protesting alleged election fraud but insisted they did not use excessive force. A senior judge appointed to investigate the violence had accused the security forces of excessive force.
Earlier this week in Washington, a House subcommittee completed work on legislation that decries Ethiopia’s recent human rights record and opens the door for sanctions. The subcommittee’s approval would be a first major step, but the bill still would have to be passed by both houses and signed by President Bush.
On Tuesday, Barry F. Lowenkron, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy and human rights, gave sometimes harsh testimony on Ethiopia before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.
He spoke of the illegal detention of “opposition leaders and tens of thousands of their supporters” and said: “To this day, the crackdown casts a shadow over the Ethiopian government.”
Lowenkron said he had spent 85 minutes of a 90-minute conversation with Meles in March discussing the state of democracy in Ethiopia, and Meles said he would make changes “because it’s in the interest of the people of Ethiopia.”
“I told him it should be in the interest of all the people of Ethiopia, including those that are in prison and need to be let out,” Lowenkron said.
Pilot-Online heralds release of Prof. Yacob Hailemariam
The Pilot-Online, one of the few US websites that steadfastly fought for the release of Prof. Yacob Hailemariam, reported Yacob
was among 35 opposition politicians and activists sentenced this week to life in prison for political acitivism.
62-year-old Yacob Hailemariam retired from Norfolk State University and returned to Ethiopia — his home country — to run for its parliament in 2005. He won, but voting results were disputed.
Hailemariam is a high-ranking official in the Coalition for Unity and Democracy, Ethiopia’s main opposition party.
U.S. Representative Thelma Drake (R-Va.) today released the following statement after it was announced that Dr. Yacob Hailemariam, a former Norfolk State University Professor, had been released from prison in Ethiopia:
“Today the prayers were answered for one particular Hampton Roads family as well as all those who have stood behind them with unwavering support throughout this difficult ordeal. With his perseverance and commitment to the principles of democracy, Dr. Hailemariam has reminded all Americans of the true cost of freedom and the lengths required to achieve it. As members of a free society, not only must we never forget those who underwent extreme hardship to pave the way for us, we must remain committed to those”
In Virginia Beach, Tegist Hailemariam, Yacob’s wife, said she was “very delighted” to hear of his release this morning.
She had heard about the possible release from a brother-in-law in New York. She dialed her husband’s apartment in Ethiopia, and he was there, barely an hour after being freed.
They spoke only briefly – he was headed out to tell his 86-year-old mother about his ordeal. The family had kept information about his 21-month imprisonment from her, so she wouldn’t worry, Tegist Hailemariam said.
She said she doesn’t know her husband’s immediate plans, including when he might return to the United States. U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake called her, urging her to tell her husband to go to the American Embassy, get the necessary paperwork and “come home.”
Tegist Hailemariam thanked those who supported her husband and his family, and she looked ahead.
“We are very hopeful that this will be an era of peace and hope … for Ethiopia,” she said.
