Ethiopian national suspected of torture in homeland arrested in Atlanta

<p>Federal agents arrested an Ethiopian national Tuesday who is suspected of committing torture and murder in his homeland as a leader in a military dictatorship that ruled the country in the 1970s.</p><p>Kelbessa Negewo, 54, was arrested at his home in Union City, a suburb south of Atlanta, at about 8 a.m as part of a U.S. effort to identify and remove human rights violators. His wife, Athana Negussie, said she and her husband were sleeping when federal agents knocked on the door.</p><p>"I came downstairs and saw three cars outside," she said. "When I opened the door, they pulled gun in front of me. They handcuffed him and took him away."</p><p>She said her husband does not have a lawyer.</p><p>Negewo's U.S. citizenship has been revoked and he will be subject to deportation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. The government did not say what, if any, U.S. charges he will face. A spokeswoman had no immediate comment.</p><p>Negewo, who remains in custody at an undisclosed location, fled to the United States and applied for immigration benefits in 1988 after being released from an Ethiopian prison. Ultimately, he became a U.S. citizen.</p><p>In April 2002, the Ethiopian government convicted Negewo in absentia for numerous human rights violations, including torture and 13 killings. He was later sentenced to life in prison, a sentence that was not enforced because he was living in the United States.</p><p>Homeland security officials say Negewo lied about his past human rights violations to obtain U.S. citizenship. The agency says new government powers allowed it to investigate Negewo and seek to have him removed from the United States for human rights violations abroad.</p><p>During the 1970s, Negewo was allegedly part of a military dictatorship that ruled Ethiopia. In his role as chairman of a special government unit, he was responsible for having numerous civilians, mostly students, incarcerated, tortured and subsequently executed by firing squad, U.S. authorities say.</p><p>Negussie said her husband is not a killer.</p><p>"He didn't killed people. He didn't kill people," she said emphatically. "He's honest person. They just accused him. I know him."</p><p>She said she has been married to her husband for eight years and has known him for about 17 years, dating back to their time in Ethiopia. She said her husband has been working recently as a room service attendant at a downtown Atlanta hotel.</p><p>"I don't know what to do. I have a 4-year-old daughter. I don't have any money. I'm gonna kill myself. What can I do?" she said.</p>