By MATTHEW BOWERS, The Virginian-Pilot

Former Norfold State University professor is among 38 political prisoners freed in Ethiopia

Amanuel Mengistu, 30, from left, Tegist Hailemariam, 58, Seyenie Yacob, 31, and Sefonias Yacob, 23, pray before dinner, thanking God for the release of their father and husband, Yacob Hailemariam. ANDREW HENDERSON PHOTOS | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Former Norfolk State University professor Yacob Hailemariam had spent 21 months in an Ethiopian prison, been branded a traitor to that country, threatened with the death penalty, and sentenced just five days ago to life in prison.

Yacob Hailemariam

But when his wife and daughter, hearing he may have been freed unexpectedly, phoned him 7,000 miles away on Friday, he answered with, “Hi, how are you guys?”

“He said don’t worry, he’s healthy, he’s fine,” his daughter, Seyenie Yacob, said about the brief call early Friday morning, barely an hour after he was released by prison officials. “I think he wanted to reassure us.”

Today, his first full day of freedom, he celebrates his 63rd birthday.

Hailemariam was among 38 high-ranking opposition politicians and activists that the Ethiopian government pardoned and released, The Associated Press reported Friday.

Hailemariam returned to his homeland, Ethiopia, in late 2004 to run for parliament in what were called that country’s first democratic elections. He won a seat in 2005, but voting results were disputed, violence flared, and he and scores of others were arrested later that year and charged with treason and other crimes.

Many of those who went to trial, including Hailemariam, called the proceeding a political sham and declined to defend themselves.

Amnesty International called them “prisoners of conscience.”

Friday, Hailemariam’s wife, Tegist, who lives in Virginia Beach, heard his voice for the first time since October.

“Yes, I am very delighted,” she said. She said she didn’t know when he might return to the United States.

Tegist Hailemariam hangs a homemade banner Friday with a little help from her grandson, Biruk Mengistu, 2, commemorating the freeing of her husband from an Ethiopian prison.

She thanked those who supported her husband and the family, and looked ahead.

“We are very hopeful that this will be an era of peace and hope… for Ethiopia,” she said.

Seyenie Yacob said she expected her father’s release “because of the atrociousness of the charges and the case.”

“We knew from the very beginning that there was nothing that he had done wrong,” she said.

Among Tegist Hailemariam’s first calls was to countryman and family friend Berhanu Mengistu, a professor at Old Dominion University. It was a happy call, he said.

“I’ve cried enough,” he said. “Today was a day to laugh.”

Mengistu, who visited Yacob Hailemariam three weeks ago during a trip to Africa, believes his friend might return to Ethiopia to continue trying to build a democracy.

The pardon restored his rights to vote and run for office, The Associated Press reported.

“He’s not doing this because he needs the job – he’s doing this because he’s committed to the cause,” Mengistu said.

Yacob Hailemariam taught business law for 18 years at Norfolk State and served as a U.N. special envoy.

His former college colleagues and students wrote letters, held rallies and set up a Web site pushing for his release.

“The university is just elated that he’s out,” said Larry Curtis, vice president for student affairs.

U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake, whose district includes Virginia Beach, said in a statement that Yacob Hailemariam’s ordeal “has reminded all Americans of the true cost of freedom” and that “we must remain committed to those who continue this noble fight today for others across the globe.”

Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, [email protected]