Baalu Girma

Baalu Girma was born on September 22, 1939, in Suppe, Illubabor. After graduating with degrees in political science and journalism from Addis Ababa University and Michigan State University, he became editor of the Ethiopian Herald and later Director General of the Ministry of Information.

Girma wrote groundbreaking Amharic novels examining social alienation, including Beyond the Horizon and The Call of the Red Star. In 1983, having served as press officer for the military's Red Star Campaign in Eritrea, he published Oromay ('It is Finished'), a blistering, transparently factual roman-à-clef exposing the criminal corruption, vanity, and strategic catastrophe of the Derg commanders. The book was banned within twenty-four hours; on February 14, 1984, Girma was abducted by Mengistu's secret police and murdered.