Asrat Woldeyes
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Asrat Woldeyes | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1928 |
| Died | May 14, 1999 (aged 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupations | Surgeon, professor |
| Known for | Haile Selassie's personal physician Founder of All-Amhara People's Organization |
| Political party | All-Amhara People's Organization |
Asrat Woldeyes (Amharic: አስራት ወልደየስ; June 20, 1928 – May 14, 1999[1]) was an Ethiopian surgeon, a professor of medicine at Addis Ababa University, and the founder and leader of the All-Amhara People's Organization (AAPO). He was jailed by the Derg and later by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). After his death, The Guardian described him as "successively Ethiopia's most distinguished surgeon, physician and university dean, most controversial political party leader and best known political prisoner".[1]
Asrat studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, becoming the first Ethiopian to qualify as a surgeon in the West.[1] He then returned to Ethiopia, serving as Emperor Haile Selassie's personal physician until his 1975 death. He continued teaching and practicing medicine throughout the rule of President Mengistu Haile-Mariam.[2]
