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38 Are Convicted in Ethiopia After Political Crackdown
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"As an American, I'm ashamed and embarrassed that this is what my country can do," said the daughter of one of the prisoners, who is a U.S. citizen. "Not only am I sad. I'm terribly ashamed."
Though some of the prisoners had refused to defend themselves in the trial because they considered the charges bogus, others were considering whether to go forward with their defense when the verdicts were announced Monday to surprise in the courtroom.
Last week, a joint U.S. and European Union conference focused heavily on Ethiopia.
Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.), who chaired the conference and has been involved in efforts to free the prisoners, said he was "shocked" to hear of Monday's verdicts. Payne, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa and global health, expressed concern that a kind of Cold War foreign policy had developed toward Africa, only this time with the fight against terrorism as its defining feature.
He cited the case of Sudan, in which he and other critics of U.S. foreign policy have said the U.S. relationship with Sudanese officials is compromising tougher action on the conflict in Darfur.
He also cited Ethiopia.
"I think that the Ethiopian authorities are very astute," Payne said. "They are aware of our behavior, and I think that they felt it wasn't even a calculated risk" to pronounce the prisoners guilty. "They thought they would be able to do this with impunity."
Special correspondent Kassahun Addis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, contributed to this report.
