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, 2001

His Excellency Dr. Beyene Negewo
The Embassy of Ethiopia in the United Kingdom
17 Princes Gate
London SW7 1PZ

Your Excellency,

I am writing to you to express my concern about the detention, trial and imprisonment of Dr Taye Woldesemayat, who has been incarcerated in Addis Ababa Central Prison since August 1996 and was recently handed down a fifteen year prison sentence without credit for time served.

While you were teaching at Addis Ababa University, you may have come across Dr Taye. At the time, he was probably a junior professor recently arrived from the United States. I am sure that you found him an energetic and competent educator of the highest caliber when he joined the Department of Political Science of Addis Ababa University.

Since you have lived many years in the United States, I am sure that you are deeply familiar with the ineliable rights of men so firmly embedded in the fabric of American culture. Dr Taye does not, alas, enjoy those rights. As you are likely aware, Dr Taye is a prisoner of conscience deprived of his liberty because of his beliefs. I write to you to ask for your support in convincing your government that holding Dr Taye in jail is not just a violation of human rights, but indeed an unnecessary action that damages seriously the relationship of Ethiopia with the world community and sets you back, as your country's representative, in your efforts to obtain trading partners and foreign aid to your country.

Dr Taye has made immense contributions to young students of Illinois State University and the University of Missouri that went on to become citizens of the world. Illinois State alumni and their local communities all over the world are active in this campaign to appeal to your government to open an unbiased investigation about the allegations made against Dr Taye, and to secure his release, or at least house arrest, in the earliest possible timeframe.

We have many examples in recent history of prisoners of conscience that were prevented from contributing to their communities and nations. The sooner that Dr Taye can be released from prison, the sooner that Ethiopia and indeed the world can start benefiting again from his contribution to our lives.

Yours respectfully,