When Ethiopian-born Solomon Mezgebu arrived at the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Aug. 26, he expected to fly back to the US to continue his studies as a doctoral student at Tufts' School of Nutrition Science and Policy. But immigration officials confiscated the 38-year-old's American passport and told him he could not board the plane.
Three weeks later, on Sept. 13, government security agents took Mezgebu to the Maekllawi Prison, which the government designates for "prisoners of conscience." He remained imprisoned for four days before being released on bail. He is not allowed to leave the town in which he lived, according to, Friends of Solomon, a group advocating for his release. Group leaders will not give their names.
Little information is available about Mezgebu's current situation, since he is not allowed to leave the small town of Mekelle. Though Tufts and the US State Department acknowledge his detainment, Friends of Solomon has provided most details surrounding his arrest. There is no Internet access in Mekelle, and Friends of Solomon members say the telephone line in his mother's house in Ethiopia was deliberately cut.
According to Friends of Solomon, Mezgebu's arrest stemmed from his involvement with the Tigray Development Association (TDA). TDA is an international non-governmental organization that strives to develop the economy of the Tigray region in Northern Ethiopia. Mezgebu was charged with failing to remain in Addis Ababa for the "complete organizational audit" of TDA. Among the association's activities are vocational training and the development of a clean water supply.
Supporters of Mezgebu, who have formed the Boston-based group called Friends of Solomon, say that Mezgebu did not need to be present for the government to carry out the audit. Though group members say they had close ties to Mezgebu, they refused to personally identify themselves. Friends of Solomon says that there have been no indication of TDA involvement with any violent or illegal activities.
Friends of Solomon said that Mezgebu put his Tufts studies on hold in the spring of 2000 to join the TDA as its chairman in Ethiopia. He accepted the position because he thought he would be able to effect the extensive poverty in the Tigray region. Mezgebu left Boston against the wishes of many close friends and family members in the area, including his wife, Hirut Mulugeta, who works as a medical technician at Boston University Medical Center and lives in Medford.
"His own willingness to sacrifice material benefit and to go beyond the call of duty was a continual example to people who knew him closely," Friends of Solomon wrote in a press release.
But after spending a year working as chairman, Mezgebu decided to resign effective October 2001 and return to Tufts. Friends of Solomon said that Mezgebu was frustrated because there was little he could accomplish under the Ethiopian government's extensive restrictions. The group also claims that his resignation is what prompted the events leading to Mezgebu's arrest.
The Ethiopian government confiscated Mezgebu's cellular phone, laptop computer, and car. His numerous requests for permission to return to the capital city of Addis Ababa - where he could more easily contact American officials - have been denied.
Ethiopia has been criticized by the US for its human rights record in the past. On July 3, seven US senators wrote a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell asking the Bush administration "to press the government of Ethiopia to stop intimidating and persecuting human rights activists, journalists, and opposition groups, ... and make human rights a priority."
In April, the leadership split in the dominant party in the ruling coalition. Domestic instability followed, which worsened the human rights situation. The US Department of State advises American citizens "to exercise caution" when travelling in the Tigray region.
Several US government agencies have been in contact with Mezgebu, according to Friends of Solomon. But all that Christopher LaMora, a representative from the Consular Office of Press Relations in the State Department, would say is that the US government is aware of Mr. Mezgebu's situation.
The office of Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Malden) said it was aware of the case and was involved. The United States and Ethiopia have no formal agreements pertaining to procedures for the arrest of Americans in Ethiopia.
Tufts officials would not comment about the status of the case, but David Hastings, the associate dean at the School of Nutrition Science and Policy, said he was involved with the case.
