LEWISBURG -- Bucknell University economics professor Berhanu Nega knows the Ethiopian government would imprison him if he were to return to his homeland.
But his dream for democracy in the African nation of 81 million people has not died. He continues to be an outspoken supporter of opposition leaders.
News reports about the arrest of 35 people suspected of a coup attempt on Friday have identified Berhanu, the former mayor of Addis Ababa, as a leader in the movement.
Government spokesman Ermias Legesse said the group, which calls itself "May 15" after the date of controversial 2005 elections in Ethiopia, is a party being led by Berhanu, and that Berhanu would be arrested if he came to the country.
The suspects are comprised of two cliques, one of former soldiers, another of civilians, Legesse said. The charges have not been set, and court proceedings will begin soon, he added.
He denies charges
Berhanu, 51, denies being a part of organizing a coup attempt, but does not deny his involvement in the fight against tyranny.
"It is really a criminal government," he said during an interview at Bucknell on Monday. "Any struggle against tyranny should be supported."
Congress has passed a bill in support of democracy in Ethiopia, Berhanu said.
A permanent resident of the United States, Berhanu came to America in 1980 as a refugee from Ethiopia, escaping the then-worsening dictatorship.
He studied in the U.S. and taught at Bucknell from 1990 to 1994.
Upon a government change in the 1990s, Berhanu and his family returned to Ethiopia, intent on helping the democratic effort. "We thought there would be democracy," he said. "We thought all dictatorships were over."
Berhanu taught at the Addis Ababa University, and his wife, a doctor of optometry, operated a clinic.
"Like anyone else, we wanted to live in peace and freedom," Berhanu said. "Freedom is a natural condition of humanity. It is cruel to live in tyranny."
A full democracy
He sought to play a part in establishing full democracy for the people.
"Our hope was to slowly civilize these people," Berhanu said. The government, he said, was "intolerable" and "not human." Officials, accused of genocide, had killed thousands of people.
But for the first time, he said, during the election in 2005, the people were given reasonable freedom to vote.
Berhanu was elected as the mayor of Addis Ababa on May 15.
That was the day, he said, the present government stole the election, he said.
They overthrew all elected officials, and 193 civilians were shot down on the streets during a peaceful demonstration in which they asked the government to accept the possibility of a democratic future. Another 900 were injured.
Sharing a cell with 350
That's when Berhanu was thrown in jail, under horrendous conditions, he said. At one point, he shared a cell with 350 other people. Within hours, he said, "there was no air to breathe."
Because his case was internationally known, prison officials never beat him or others associated with him during his 21-month imprisonment. But they saw many others tortured and beaten on a regular basis.
In 2007, Berhanu was sentenced to life in prison for treason, and then pardoned by the Ethiopian government.
Berhanu quickly returned to the U.S. upon his release.
He has testified in front of Congress, and often gives speeches to tell of his experiences, and is "calling for the U.S. to support democracy," he said. "It is the responsibility of all freedom-loving people to help. That's what bonds us as human beings."
In Ethiopia, "anyone who says anything against the government is harassed, beaten, put in jail," he said. "Liberty can only come by people fighting for their rights."
Sham election
Another election in Ethiopia is planned for 2010, but Berhanu said it is just for show. And he knows he can't return as long as the current government is in control.
"It's unthinkable to go back," he said.
However, it may be bittersweet news that the recent arrests have been made by the government.
It means the people are still fighting, he said. "Ethiopians are actually fighting this government all over the country. I hope at some point they will be victorious."
No response was given to an e-mail sent to the American embassy in Ethiopia on Monday morning.
A call to the African Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of State was not returned.
News
Related Photos
-
Liz Rohde/The Daily Item
Discussion
Bucknell University professor can't return to Ethiopia
He denies any role in coup attempt
- News
-
-
Warden demotes four bosses
Northumberland County Prison Warden Roy Johnson was able to trim about $135,000 in expenses by demoting four supervisors.
-
DJ pumps up audience
Every Tuesday evening, Richard Grogg can be found spinning tunes at possibly the most well-attended dance in Snyder County.
-
Agency closes adult center
Union and Snyder County caregivers have had to look farther and wider for another program that can offer respite because the Agency on Aging can no longer afford to provide the service.
-
New Berlin pushes to acquire school
The Borough Council sold the property where the New Berlin Elementary School is to the precursor of the Mifflinburg Area School District for $1 back in 1950. It was deeded to the district for construction of a school.
-
Second suit filed to stop sewer merger
It must have seemed like deja vu all over again Wednesday for some members of the Northumberland Sewer Authority, when for the second time in two weeks, former NSA Chairman Adam Klock filed a civil action against former board colleagues Jack Fasold, James Orner and Donald Troxell, alleging they held an illegal meeting -- this time on Monday -- where they voted to transfer the borough authority's assets to the merged North-Point Sewer Authority.
- Ex-judge, 3 others die in Fla.
-
NetHead
NetSummary
-
School grants in works
MILTON -- How school funds will be distributed through Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed block grant program, which combines four basic education budget lines, still needs to be worked out, the governor said at a press conference Wednesday.
-
Corbett: Low taxes help generate jobs
MILTON -- With a backdrop of Minuteman Environmental Services trucks and charts depicting state spending, Gov. Tom Corbett said Wednesday that his proposed fiscal 2012-13 budget is a realistic plan that will help create jobs while holding the line on spending.
-
Viking Energy to close April 1
NORTHUMBERLAND -- Unable to compete with the natural gas industry, the Viking Energy plant in Point Township will close April 1 and put 19 employees out of work.
-
Getting caffeine fix as easy as taking deep breath
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.
-
Jerry Sandusky argues for local jurors, suggests delay
HARRISBURG — Jerry Sandusky wants jurors in his child sex-abuse trial to be chosen from the community where he lives and is suggesting a trial delay may be the best way to address the intense publicity generated by the case.
- More News Headlines
-
Warden demotes four bosses
