Mezemr Abebe Belayneh, AKA Mezmur Amare Belayneh Human Rights Violator Sentenced for Immigration Fraud and U.S. Citizenship Revoked

Belayneh played a role as a civilian interrogator during the Red Terror, stationed at a temporary prison located in a hotel called Menafesha in Dilla, Ethiopia. Witness accounts reveal that Belayneh not only questioned victims about their political ideologies but also actively engaged in brutal beatings, using whips and sticks

A man from Georgia, Mezemr Abebe Belayneh, has been sentenced to three years in prison for fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship by falsely claiming he did not persecute teenagers in Ethiopia for their political beliefs in the 1970s. Mezemr Abebe Belayneh, also known as Mezmur Amare Belayneh, 68, of Snellville, concealed his violent actions during the "Red Terror" period in Ethiopia when he applied for citizenship in 2008. The Red Terror was a brutal campaign in the late 1970s where civilians were detained, tortured, and executed by Ethiopia's ruling military council and its supporters.

MENGISTU : The Butcher of Addis Ababa and the story of Socialist Ethiopia | By African Biographics. Kumasi Groove by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

“Mezemr Belayneh violently beat political opponents in Ethiopia and lied about it to U.S. immigration authorities. Through this deception, he unlawfully entered this country and obtained U.S. citizenship,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Individuals who persecuted people in their home countries should take note: if you seek refuge unlawfully in the United States, we will investigate and prosecute you.”

Belayneh played a role as a civilian interrogator during the Red Terror, stationed at a temporary prison located in a hotel called Menafesha in Dilla, Ethiopia. Witness accounts reveal that Belayneh not only questioned victims about their political ideologies but also actively engaged in brutal beatings, using whips and sticks, while they were confined in Dilla. Shockingly, Belayneh managed to hide these reprehensible actions when he acquired a visa to enter the United States in 2001 and later when he sought to become a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2008.

By AP Archives. The biggest war-crimes trial in Africa's history, 46 government officials of Ethiopia's former Mengistu (men-gist-too) regime have appeared in court, accused of genocide and crimes against humanity.

“Belayneh obtained U.S. citizenship by concealing from immigration authorities the abuse he inflicted on teenagers in Ethiopia during the Red Terror in the late 1970s,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “We hope that today’s sentencing brings a measure of peace and closure to the defendant’s courageous victims — some of whom testified at trial — and sends a clear message to others that we will continue to investigate and prosecute human rights abusers who fraudulently obtain U.S. citizenship.”

“When a person attempts to become a U.S. citizen under false pretenses, it jeopardizes our naturalization process and we will not stand idly by for war criminals and human rights violators to use our nation as a safe haven,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “Simply put, those who knowingly and willfully misrepresent themselves to obtain U.S. citizenship status will be held accountable for their deceitful actions.”

“The jury’s verdict is aligned with our commitment to holding accountable human rights violators who lie to enter the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “We are grateful for the remarkable effort and perseverance of our law enforcement partners, who sought justice for the courageous victims, several of whom provided testimony of oppressive violence during the trial.”

In July 2023, Belayneh was found guilty by a federal jury of illegally obtaining citizenship and obtaining citizenship that he did not deserve. As a consequence of his actions, not only was he sentenced to prison, but his U.S. citizenship was also taken away from him.

HSI Atlanta took charge of investigating this case, working closely with the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). Established in 2009, the HRVWCC plays a crucial role in the government's mission to identify, locate, and prosecute individuals who have committed human rights abuses in the United States. This includes those involved in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female mutilation, and the recruitment or use of child soldiers.

The prosecution of this case was led by Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse from the Criminal Division's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Tal C. Chaiken for the Northern District of Georgia. Dr. Christopher Hayden, a Senior Historian from HRSP, also provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs played a significant role in supporting the investigation as well.

By VOA Africa: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that the State Department carried out a "careful review of the law and the facts" and concluded all sides in the brutal conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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