By MATTHEW BOWERS, The Virginian-Pilot

Yet another delay occurred today in the Ethiopian trial of Yacob Hailemariam, a former Norfolk State University business professor arrested after 2005 election protests in his home country.

That means he and more than 70 co-defendants facing treason and genocide charges must wait to hear whether they’ll be released or their trial will continue. They deny the charges, calling them politically motivated, and Amnesty International has labeled them “prisoners of conscience.”

If convicted, Hailemariam has said, he could be sentenced to death.

Today’s was the third trial postponement in two months. It was confirmed by the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-California, which has been tracking the case. The Ethiopian court set a new date of March 30.

The next day, Hailemariam’s wife and son are scheduled to pick up on his behalf a Distinguished Career Award from the Virginia Social Science Association in Richmond. It will recognize his almost 20 years of teaching at Norfolk State, as well as his human rights work with the United Nations and reform efforts in Ethiopia.
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Reach Matthew Bowers at (757) 222-3893 or [email protected]