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Posted: 13 Oct 2025, 21:30
From Professor to Cadre: A Public Appeal to Al Mariam — Once a Defender of Human Rights, Now a Voice for Power
October 12, 2025 News
By Zehabesha Editorial Desk
For nearly two decades, Professor Alemayehu G. “Al” Mariam stood as one of Ethiopia’s most articulate and uncompromising voices for human rights, democracy, and constitutional governance. Through his powerful weekly commentaries—many of which were published on Zehabesha.com—he inspired a generation of Ethiopians to believe that the struggle for freedom must be fought with truth, courage, and moral conviction.
From 2005 onward, Al Mariam’s essays such as “Cry, Beloved Country” (2006), “The Anatomy of Tyranny” (2008), and “The Prisoner of Conscience” (2014) exposed government brutality, condemned political imprisonment, and called for national reconciliation based on justice and equality. His words gave voice to the voiceless and courage to those silenced by fear. Through Zehabesha, his work became a weekly beacon of conscience, guiding discussions on democracy, governance, and moral responsibility.
The transformation of Professor Al Mariam from an outspoken defender of rights to a staunch defender of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party has shocked and saddened many of his longtime admirers. Once a man who relentlessly challenged oppression, he now appears to justify or remain silent about the very abuses he once condemned.
In recent years, Professor Al Mariam has been seen aligning himself with Abiy Ahmed’s government—a regime widely criticized by international human-rights organizations for extrajudicial killings, mass detentions, censorship, and ethnic persecution. This stark contrast between the professor’s earlier principles and his current public positions has left many asking difficult questions: What changed your mind, Professor? What happened to the moral clarity that once defined your writings on Zehabesha.com? Why defend a government whose record stands in direct contradiction to every principle you once upheld?
Perhaps it was faith in reform that clouded his judgment, or perhaps proximity to power replaced the moral distance that once gave his voice credibility. Whatever the reason, the change from professor to political cadre is a moral tragedy, one that undermines a legacy built on courage, intellect, and truth.
The Professor we remember was a man of unwavering integrity. In his Zehabesha article “Speaking Truth to Tyranny” (2010), he reminded us that “democracy without human rights is a façade.” In “Silence Is Complicity” (2011), he warned that “the gravest moral failure is to stand idle while others suffer under oppression.” Through these writings, he condemned the abuse of power, the corruption of the judiciary, and the manipulation of religion for political purposes. He stood beside victims—journalists, students, mothers, and the dispossessed—using his pen as a sword for justice.
That same voice today seems muted, as the Prosperity Party repeats the same violations he once fought with fierce conviction. How does a man who devoted his life to exposing state tyranny now justify its return? How does one who spent decades condemning political repression suddenly find comfort in defending it?
When Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, optimism spread across Ethiopia. Many, including Professor Al Mariam, hoped this new leader would usher in a democratic dawn. His Zehabesha article “The New Dawn: Ethiopia’s Moment of Hope” celebrated the possibilities of reform and reconciliation. Yet, as the years unfolded, that promise dimmed. The government’s early reforms were replaced by the familiar tools of control—censorship, imprisonment, and violence against civilians. The moment for moral voices to speak truth to power came again, but this time, Al Mariam chose silence.
Ethiopia still suffers under the weight of repression. Its prisons still hold innocent citizens. Its journalists remain threatened, its opposition leaders silenced, and its people divided. The human-rights violations you once documented so passionately on Zehabesha.com continue, only under a new banner. You once told us that “the struggle for human rights is not won on battlefields soaked in blood, but in the hearts and minds of men and women of goodwill.” Those hearts and minds still remember your words—and they call you back.
This is not an attack, Professor; it is a call to conscience. The readers who once found strength in your essays ask you to return to the truth you so eloquently championed. Return to the people who trusted your voice when the world was silent. Return to the principles that defined your career—the belief that truth is not negotiable and that justice must never serve politics.
History will always record your early work as one of the pillars of Ethiopia’s human-rights movement. But it will also remember this period, when conviction was replaced by political loyalty. Yet redemption remains possible. You can still reclaim your moral voice, still stand as the professor of principle rather than the defender of power.
Ethiopia needs that Al Mariam—the voice of courage, not calculation; of conscience, not convenience. Your readers, your students, and your nation await your return to the timeless fight for truth, freedom, and human dignity.
Referenced Articles by Professor Al Mariam on Zehabesha.com:
“Cry, Beloved Country” (2006)
“The Anatomy of Tyranny” (2008)
“Speaking Truth to Tyranny” (2010)
“Silence Is Complicity” (2011)
“Reflections on Human Rights Day” (2012)
“The Prisoner of Conscience” (2014)
“The New Dawn: Ethiopia’s Moment of Hope” (2018)
(All articles available in Zehabesha archives: https://zehabesha.com)
https://zehabesha.com/
October 12, 2025 News
By Zehabesha Editorial Desk
For nearly two decades, Professor Alemayehu G. “Al” Mariam stood as one of Ethiopia’s most articulate and uncompromising voices for human rights, democracy, and constitutional governance. Through his powerful weekly commentaries—many of which were published on Zehabesha.com—he inspired a generation of Ethiopians to believe that the struggle for freedom must be fought with truth, courage, and moral conviction.
From 2005 onward, Al Mariam’s essays such as “Cry, Beloved Country” (2006), “The Anatomy of Tyranny” (2008), and “The Prisoner of Conscience” (2014) exposed government brutality, condemned political imprisonment, and called for national reconciliation based on justice and equality. His words gave voice to the voiceless and courage to those silenced by fear. Through Zehabesha, his work became a weekly beacon of conscience, guiding discussions on democracy, governance, and moral responsibility.
The transformation of Professor Al Mariam from an outspoken defender of rights to a staunch defender of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party has shocked and saddened many of his longtime admirers. Once a man who relentlessly challenged oppression, he now appears to justify or remain silent about the very abuses he once condemned.
In recent years, Professor Al Mariam has been seen aligning himself with Abiy Ahmed’s government—a regime widely criticized by international human-rights organizations for extrajudicial killings, mass detentions, censorship, and ethnic persecution. This stark contrast between the professor’s earlier principles and his current public positions has left many asking difficult questions: What changed your mind, Professor? What happened to the moral clarity that once defined your writings on Zehabesha.com? Why defend a government whose record stands in direct contradiction to every principle you once upheld?
Perhaps it was faith in reform that clouded his judgment, or perhaps proximity to power replaced the moral distance that once gave his voice credibility. Whatever the reason, the change from professor to political cadre is a moral tragedy, one that undermines a legacy built on courage, intellect, and truth.
The Professor we remember was a man of unwavering integrity. In his Zehabesha article “Speaking Truth to Tyranny” (2010), he reminded us that “democracy without human rights is a façade.” In “Silence Is Complicity” (2011), he warned that “the gravest moral failure is to stand idle while others suffer under oppression.” Through these writings, he condemned the abuse of power, the corruption of the judiciary, and the manipulation of religion for political purposes. He stood beside victims—journalists, students, mothers, and the dispossessed—using his pen as a sword for justice.
That same voice today seems muted, as the Prosperity Party repeats the same violations he once fought with fierce conviction. How does a man who devoted his life to exposing state tyranny now justify its return? How does one who spent decades condemning political repression suddenly find comfort in defending it?
When Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, optimism spread across Ethiopia. Many, including Professor Al Mariam, hoped this new leader would usher in a democratic dawn. His Zehabesha article “The New Dawn: Ethiopia’s Moment of Hope” celebrated the possibilities of reform and reconciliation. Yet, as the years unfolded, that promise dimmed. The government’s early reforms were replaced by the familiar tools of control—censorship, imprisonment, and violence against civilians. The moment for moral voices to speak truth to power came again, but this time, Al Mariam chose silence.
Ethiopia still suffers under the weight of repression. Its prisons still hold innocent citizens. Its journalists remain threatened, its opposition leaders silenced, and its people divided. The human-rights violations you once documented so passionately on Zehabesha.com continue, only under a new banner. You once told us that “the struggle for human rights is not won on battlefields soaked in blood, but in the hearts and minds of men and women of goodwill.” Those hearts and minds still remember your words—and they call you back.
This is not an attack, Professor; it is a call to conscience. The readers who once found strength in your essays ask you to return to the truth you so eloquently championed. Return to the people who trusted your voice when the world was silent. Return to the principles that defined your career—the belief that truth is not negotiable and that justice must never serve politics.
History will always record your early work as one of the pillars of Ethiopia’s human-rights movement. But it will also remember this period, when conviction was replaced by political loyalty. Yet redemption remains possible. You can still reclaim your moral voice, still stand as the professor of principle rather than the defender of power.
Ethiopia needs that Al Mariam—the voice of courage, not calculation; of conscience, not convenience. Your readers, your students, and your nation await your return to the timeless fight for truth, freedom, and human dignity.
Referenced Articles by Professor Al Mariam on Zehabesha.com:
“Cry, Beloved Country” (2006)
“The Anatomy of Tyranny” (2008)
“Speaking Truth to Tyranny” (2010)
“Silence Is Complicity” (2011)
“Reflections on Human Rights Day” (2012)
“The Prisoner of Conscience” (2014)
“The New Dawn: Ethiopia’s Moment of Hope” (2018)
(All articles available in Zehabesha archives: https://zehabesha.com)
https://zehabesha.com/
in conflict resolution); and in fact, a warded the Nobel Peace prize