Yared Hailemariam
Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (Ethiopia)
I am 44 and a longtime HRD, served as a lead investigator at the Ethiopia Human Rights Council (HRCO) for seven years before being forced into exile in the aftermath of the 2005 election crackdown in Ethiopia. I am also the founding member of DefendDefenders a regional NGO, based in Kampala Uganda and a board member of an organization called Human Dignity, based in Parise. Sinc 2015, I am serving as an Executive Director of the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE). AHRE is a non-governmental, non-partisan, and not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of human rights. AHRE is the initiative of an Ethiopian human rights activist that fled the country and other members of the Ethiopian diaspora, as an overseas human rights organisation that carries out activities that are difficult to undertake by organisations based in Ethiopia due to financial and administrative restrictions. It is looking for new ways to continue its support to local organisations and raise awareness about human rights violations in the country on an international level. AHRE seeks to raise the voices of HRDs and act as a catalyst for change. It also works to strengthen the capacity of local actors through trainings and the provision of targeted support.