Mesfin Woldemariam ( Ge'ez: መስፍን ወልደ ማርያም; 23 April 1930 – 29 September 2020) was an Ethiopian academic and human rights activist.

Early life and education

Mesfin Woldermariam was born on 23 April 1930 in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire, historically known as Abyssinia or simply Ethiopia, was a sovereign state that encompassed the present-day territories of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It existed from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak a ...

. Mesfin received his early education at Teferi Mekonnen School, and was a student of the

Ethiopian Orthodox Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

, receiving ordination as a deacon in 1946. He completed his further education in London in 1951, and won a scholarship to study abroad. He received his BA from

Punjab University, Chandigarh Panjab University (PU) is an Indian collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Lahor ...

in 1955 and his MA and Ph.D. from

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research uni ...

in 1977 by dissertation rural vulnerability to famine in Ethiopia. Mesfin was professor of geography at Haile Selassie University (now

Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa University (; AAU) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest university in Ethiopia. AAU has thirteen campuses. Twelve of these are situated in Addis Ababa, and one is located in Bishoftu, about away. ...

), and for a time was head of the geography department. He was also a senior

Fulbright scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...

in 1971, 1986 and 1987. He retired in 1991.

Political activism

Responding to a student petition, on 8 April 2001 Mesfin and

Berhanu Nega Berhanu Nega (; born 6 December 1958) is an Ethiopian politician who is serving as the current Minister of Education since 2021. He previously was the mayor elect of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the 2005 Ethiopian general elections. He is a foundi ...

held a day-long panel discussion at the hall of the National Lottery on

academic freedom Academic freedom is the right of a teacher to instruct and the right of a student to learn in an academic setting unhampered by outside interference. It may also include the right of academics to engage in social and political criticism. Academic ...

. They were arrested on the allegations that this panel incited a student protest at AAU the next day, but released on bail 5 June and neither were ever tried. In November 2005, the government of Ethiopia detained Mesfin on charges of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

and outrage against the constitution, along with other leading members of the

Coalition for Unity and Democracy The Coalition for Unity and Democracy ( Ge'ez : ቅንጅት ለአንድነት እና ዴሞክራሲ), commonly referred to by its English abbreviation CUD, or occasionally CDU (its Amharic abbreviation, used in Ethiopia, is Qinijit; in Englis ...

. This charge was considered to criminalize actions of free speech, freedom of association and freedom of expression that are guaranteed by international human rights laws, and has been condemned by many international observers including

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. He was held at

Kaliti Prison Kaliti Prison is a maximum security prison in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Commonly referred to as a gulag (locally known as "Maremiya" which means correction center) it serves as the main prison of the country. It is 11 km south of central Addis ...

. During his incarceration, Mesfin took part in two

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

s in December 2005 and January 2006, protesting his detention and trial. He later contracted pneumonia, collapsing in his prison cell 18 August, and was taken to the hospital. The court was supposed to deliver the verdict on 19 February 2007. However, Mesfin, and 37 others were pronounced guilty on 11 June 2007. This judgment occurred after Mesfin refused to defend himself, insisting that the arrest, charges, detention and trial were politically motivated and that the trial was not likely to be fair. Along with 37 others, he was convicted on the basis of the prosecution evidence and prevented from making a statement in court after the prosecution case ended. The prosecutor is said to have presented video and audio evidence. The judge ruled that as they had not submitted a defense and were guilty as charged. Mesfin, along with the 37 other Ethiopian opposition party officials, prominent human rights defenders and journalists on trial with him, were freed on 20 July 2007. They received a pardon and had their political rights restored four days after most were sentenced to life in prison and others to prison terms of up to 15 years.

Death and funeral

Mesfin died on 29 September 2020 from complications brought by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, at the age of 90. Mesfin's funeral took place on 6 October 2020, with many government officials, celebrities and family members attended. Professor

, spokesperson of the

House of Federation The House of Federation () is the upper house of the bicameral Federal Parliamentary Assembly, the parliament of Ethiopia. It has 112 members. Each Nation, Nationality and People shall be represented in the House of the Federation by at least ...

Tagesse Chaffo, the

mayor of Addis Ababa The Mayor of Addis Ababa () is head of the executive branch of Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 c ...

Adanech Abebe Adanech Abiebie (Amharic: አዳነች አቤቤ, ) is an Ethiopians, Ethiopian politician who is serving as the thirty-second mayor of Addis Ababa since 2021. She has been serving as a deputy mayor from 2020 until 2021. She previously was the ...

, and the President of

Oromia Region Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...

Shimeles Abdisa also presented. In his funeral service statements, he was credited as the founder of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) and he also conducted various researches on famine and drought related topics, various socio economic thematic areas.

References

External links

Official website dedicated to Mesfin Wolde Mariam by his childrenA call for immediate release of Prof. Mesfin W/Mariam by Amnesty InternationalProf. Mesfin's controversial Book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mesfin Woldemariam 1930 births 2020 deaths Academic staff of Addis Ababa University Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Ethiopia Clark University alumni Ethiopian prisoners and detainees Ethiopian human rights activists Rainbow Ethiopia: Movement for Democracy and Social Justice politicians Recipients of Ethiopian presidential pardons