Ethiopians delay ruling in trial of ex-NSU professor

Feb 20, 2007 (NORFOLK, VA) — An Ethiopian court Monday postponed to March 5 a ruling in the trial of Yacob Hailemariam, a former Norfolk State University professor arrested after protests broke out over election results there in 2005.

More time was needed to translate evidence and documents and collect election reports, according to Ethiomedia.com, a news and opinion Web site that promotes fuller democracy in the east African country, and Tegist Hailemariam, the professor’s wife.

Tegist Hailemariam received her information from the couple’s daughter, Seyenie Yacob, who attended a court hearing Monday in Ethiopia.

The delay allows more time for international intervention, said Maria Lugo, a Norfolk State administrator and family friend who sponsors the Web site www.freeyacob.com.

“We need a little pressure, and we’ll just wait and see,” said Tegist Hailemariam, who lives in Virginia Beach. “Until he’s free, we’re not going to give up.”

Her husband, 62, retired early from Norfolk State after almost 20 years of teaching business law to return to his homeland to be part of its first open, multiparty national elections.

He was elected in May 2005 as a member of the party opposing the country’s rulers. But he and others refused to take their seats amid allegations that the ruling party fraudulently miscounted votes, and they eventually were arrested in October 2005.

A court trying Hailemariam and more than 70 others had been scheduled to decide Monday whether prosecutors presented enough evidence to continue the trial on treason and genocide charges. The defendants deny the charges, calling them politically motivated.

(The Virginian-Pilot )