Author Archive

Seattle Rising! Seattle Shining!

(full text of Prof. Al Mariam’s speech in Seattle, WA on January 28, 2007 )Good afternoon Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to this event honoring special heroes in the struggle for human rights in Ethiopia. Before I introduce our guest speakers today, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of

IT’S TIME FOR US TO SAY “THANK YOU!”

Never was so much owed by so many to so few… How does one thank those who put everything on the line to stand up for justice, truth and the Ethiopian way? How does one express appreciation to those who left their families, friends, neighbors and country to expose the truth about unspeakable crimes committed

Inquiry Comission West Coast Tour: It’s time for us to say “thank you”

Never was so much owed by so many to so few… How does one thank those who put everything on the line to stand up for justice, truth and the Ethiopian way? How does one express appreciation to those who left their families, friends, neighbors and country to expose the truth about unspeakable crimes committed

Poof! The Magic Jihadist!

In the 1979 animation adventure, Puff the Magic Dragon and the Land of Living Lies, the Dragon takes a little girl called Sandy, who has a vivid imagination and lies a lot to escape the problems of her troubled home, to the Land of the Living Lies, where she meets such famous fibbers as Pinocchio

Kestone Cops, Prosecutors and Judges in a Police State

A Personal Note to the Reader: Here I go again, talking about human rights! Everyone else is talking about war and rumors of war. I am still talking about human rights in Ethiopia. Again! Do I sound like a broken record? I don’t mind. Ah! Yes. 12 years — very long years — later, we

The Jihadists are coming!

Here we go again! Trot out the Somali jihadist bogeyman (aya jibo). Get out the smoke machine and mirrors. Show time! Act I. Narrator Zenawi: “Somalia is becoming a haven for terrorist. The sheiks of terror have declared an unholy war on Ethiopia, and the U.S. of A. They are on the outskirts. This is

Farewell, Mr. Hastert! Good Bye, Mr. Armey! So Long, Mr. Zenawi!

How the tables can turn… When Mr. Hastert bottled H.R. 5680 in the International Relations Committee just before the midterm recess, most supporters of the bill were deeply disappointed, and angry. We had labored long and hard to get the bill to the floor, and done a marvelous job of generating unanimous bipartisan support for

STATEMENT OF ETHIOPIAN /AMERICAN LAWYERS IN THE UNITED STATES

ETHIOPIAN AMERICAN AND ETHIOPIAN LAWYERS IN THE UNITED STATES CONDEMN THE REGIME OF MELES ZENAWI FOR PERSECUTING ETHIOPIAN LAWYERS AND FOR ITS CONTINUING PRACTICES OF GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS Ethiopian American and Ethiopian lawyers in the United States strongly condemn the regime of Meles Zenawi for its recent unlawful arrest and detention of Ethiopian civil/human

Clone H.R. 5680 Everywhere!

Alemayehu G. Mariam and Obang Metho In all of the excitement surrounding H.R. 5680, it seems we have overlooked some simple but critical questions: Are Ethiopian Americans the only group in the Diaspora who have the duty to defend and promote freedom, democracy and human rights in Ethiopia? Do Ethiopians living in Europe, Canada and

Open Letter to U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert

September 24, 2006 The Honorable Dennis Hastert Speaker of the House 235 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 BY FAX Re: H.R. 5680 (Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006) Dear Mr. Speaker: I write this letter on behalf of hundreds of thousands of proud and loyal Ethiopian Americans who have