Yacob Haile-Mariam
Encyclopedia
Dr. Yacob Hailemariam is a retired professor of business law at Norfolk State University
; former Senior Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
; and an elected member of the Ethiopia
n parliament who had been held as a "prisoner of conscience" in Ethiopia.
When the May 2005 Ethiopian election
was promoted as the first democratic election in the country's history, Haile-Mariam, affectionately called "Dr. Yacob" by his former students, took an early retirement from NSU to run for a parliamentary seat in his home district. Haile-Mariam became a member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy
(CUD), the main opposition party in Ethiopia, which gained strong and widespread support from the public. Despite the threats to his life and various forms of harassment, Hailemariam won his race by a landslide against the incumbent member of the ruling party. On October 31, 2005, the government arrested Hailemariam and other CUD party leaders, following electoral disputes, all of whom faced possible execution. In an effort to raise awareness and promote government action and about the former professor, various NSU student organizations hosted a candlelight vigil at Norfolk State University on Tuesday, April 18, 2006.
While an Ethiopian Federal court declared him guilty with 37 other CUD members 11 June 2007, and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment, Dr. Yacob Haile-Mariam was released in September 2007, along with his fellow CUD members, after accepting a pardon from the Federal government.
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University is a four-year, state-supported, coed, liberal arts, historically black university located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the Virginia High-Tech Partnership.-Academics:...
; former Senior Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...
; and an elected member of the Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n parliament who had been held as a "prisoner of conscience" in Ethiopia.
When the May 2005 Ethiopian election
Ethiopian general elections, 2005
Ethiopia held general elections on May 15, 2005, for seats in both its national and in four regional government councils. Under pressure from the international community, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi promised that this election would be proof that more democracy would come in this multi-ethnic...
was promoted as the first democratic election in the country's history, Haile-Mariam, affectionately called "Dr. Yacob" by his former students, took an early retirement from NSU to run for a parliamentary seat in his home district. Haile-Mariam became a member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy
Coalition for Unity and Democracy
The Coalition for Unity and Democracy is a coalition of four existing political parties of Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian General Elections held on May 15, 2005. Its leader is Dr...
(CUD), the main opposition party in Ethiopia, which gained strong and widespread support from the public. Despite the threats to his life and various forms of harassment, Hailemariam won his race by a landslide against the incumbent member of the ruling party. On October 31, 2005, the government arrested Hailemariam and other CUD party leaders, following electoral disputes, all of whom faced possible execution. In an effort to raise awareness and promote government action and about the former professor, various NSU student organizations hosted a candlelight vigil at Norfolk State University on Tuesday, April 18, 2006.
While an Ethiopian Federal court declared him guilty with 37 other CUD members 11 June 2007, and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment, Dr. Yacob Haile-Mariam was released in September 2007, along with his fellow CUD members, after accepting a pardon from the Federal government.