Hailemedhin Abera Tegegn, 30, an Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot and human rights activist who commandeered the Boeing 767-300 jet, owned by the Ethiopian rulers, on a flight from Addis Ababa to Rome and diverted for Switzerland to protest the growing stifling of dissent and torturing political detainees in Ethiopia. Hailemedhin landed the plane  safely in Geneva, Switzerland without harming any one (139 Italians, 11 Americans, 10 Ethiopians and four French nationals)  including passengers or crew.

Prior to hijacking the Ethiopian Airline flight, Hailemedhin was living a comfortable life with his large family, and was a frequent traveler to the US and Europe. If he had the desire to live in the West, unlike reported by Ethiopian rulers, he would have used the plenty of chances available to him without hijacking the flight.

Hailemedhin is a world citizen who opposes the gross human rights violations in Ethiopia that include torture, beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees by security forces; harsh and at times life threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; detention without charge and lengthy pretrial detention; infringement on citizens’ privacy rights,including illegal searches; restrictions on freedom of assembly, association, and movement; police, administrative, and judicial corruption; violence and societal discrimination against women and abuse of children; female genital mutilation; exploitation of children for economic and sexual purposes; trafficking in persons; societal discrimination against persons with disabilities;clashes between ethnic minorities; discrimination against persons based on their sexual orientation and against persons with HIV/AIDS; limits on worker rights; forced labor; and child labor, including forced child labor.

As across the world the fundamental struggle for dignity is continue, a young man like Hailemedhin becoming an icon when he makes a decision to risk his own life to bring to the attention ‘of the peoples of the world’ the gross human rights violation in Ethiopia. When you support a young man like Hailemedhin, you are supporting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has become a universal standard for defending and promoting human rights. "Let us intensify our efforts to fulfill our collective responsibility to promote and protect the rights and dignity of all people everywhere." UN Secreal Ban Ki-moontary-Gener

Thank you for supporting Hailemedhin