Ethiopian professor charged with genocide

By Philip Walzer, The Virgian-Pilot

December 31, 2005

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The African tyrant, Meles Zenawi, faces nationwide as well as non-stop Ethiopian diaspora protests. Suspending aid to the tyrannical regime is seen by Ethiopians as the beginning of the end of 15 years of ruthless rule in Ethiopia.

VIRGINIA BEACH — A former Norfolk State University professor imprisoned in Ethiopia after winning a seat in parliament has been charged with genocide and transferred to a long-term prison, his relatives said.

Nearly a decade ago , the professor, Yacob Hailemariam , was the lead attorney for a U.N. tribunal on war crimes in Rwanda .

“It’s ironic that someone who prosecuted those who had committed genocide could actually be accused of it,” his daughter, Seyenie Yacob , who lives in Northern Virginia, said Friday.

The developments in Ethiopia indicate Hailemariam won’t be released soon, they said.

“Unfortunately, the situation has grown worse,” said his wife, Tegist Alemu, who still lives in Virginia Beach. “I can only hope the United States will get involved to help stabilize the situation.

Hailemariam left his job teaching business law at NSU last year to run for a seat in parliament in his native country.

Along with a slate of reformers, he was elected in May .

In October , the ruling party imprisoned him and other opposition leaders, accusing them of trying to overthrow the government – an allegation they vigorously denied.

Last week , the detainees, including Hailemariam, were brought to court and were read their charges. Those included genocide and treason, said Yacob, who, following Ethiopian custom, uses her father’s first name as her last name.

The government charged about 130 people, including five Ethiopian-born U.S. employees of Voice of America , an international broadcasting service financed by the U.S. government.

“These charges are false and are an obvious attempt to intimidate our broadcasters,” David S. Jackson , the director of the service, said in a statement.

On Wednesday , Yacob said, several detainees, including Hailemariam, returned to court.

She said they did not enter their pleas because they said they were denied access to their attorneys.

Hailemariam, 61 , and the others have been transferred from a detention center in Addis Ababa to a prison about 15 miles outside the city.

That, too, is mixed news for his family. It underlines the gravity of his situation, Yacob said, but the prisoners have been allowed more time outdoors in their new location.

Hailemariam and the others had been on a hunger strike for nearly a month. They ended it last week , on the request of religious leaders and supporters, she said.

Yacob’s relatives in Ethiopia recently visited her father, and they said he “looks OK physically.”

Some members of Congress, including U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy , D-Vt. , and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. , and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. , have issued statements critical of the Ethiopian government.

Perhaps even more important, Yacob said, came a report Thursday from the Financial Times of London in which a World Bank official said donors will withhold $375 million from Ethiopia.

It’s definitely sending a strong message, she said. “Perhaps it will encourage dialogue and negotiations.”

Hailemariam’s son, Sefonias Yacob, is home for winter break from Stanford University, where he is a senior majoring in sociology.

He said his father’s plight didn’t affect his grades – “My dad has always been the

No. 1 proponent of academics” – but it spurs his interest in becoming a lawyer.

“He’s always been civic-minded in everything he’s done,” Sefonias Yacob said.

“This is a principled fight for our father and for the people of Ethiopia. All I can say is, I’m proud of him.”

Said his sister: “Unexpected things seem to happen at every turn … We’re doing all that we can, but our hope is in God. We believe that truth and justice will prevail in the end.

Reach Philip Walzer at (757) 222-5105 or [email protected].