Mesfin Woldemariam

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, Ethiopian Empire. Mesfin received his early education at Teferi Mekonnen School, and was a student of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, 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 in 1955 and his MA and Ph.D. from Clark University in 1977 by dissertation rural vulnerability to famine in Ethiopia. Mesfin was professor of geography at Haile Selassie University (now Addis Ababa University), and for a time was head of the geography department. He was also a senior Fulbright scholar in 1971, 1986 and 1987. He retired in 1991. Political activism Responding to a student petition, on 8 April 2001 Mesfin and Berhanu Nega held a day-long panel discussion at the hall of the National Lottery on academic freedom. 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, genocide and outrage against the constitution, along with other leading members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. 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, Human Rights Watch and the European Union. He was held at Kaliti Prison. During his incarceration, Mesfin took part in two hunger strikes 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.