EDITOR’S NOTE: It is the same kangaroo court that stole Ethiopian people’s vote in 2005 and allowed Meles Zenawi’s death squads to unleash terror on civilians. The Derg did not commit half the crime Woyannes have perpetrated against the people of Ethiopia. The Woyanne judged are themselves murderous criminals.
(The Associated Press) — ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia: Ethiopia’s Supreme Kangaroo Court sentenced an exiled former president dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam and 18 officials to death Monday, a prosecutor said.
Yoseph Kiros said the judgment delivered justice for the thousands of people murdered during Mengistu’s 17-year rule.
“I believe it is the right verdict because these people committed serious crimes against humanity,” Kiros said.
Mengistu, a Marxist leader who was driven from power in 1991 by the current regime, is living in comfortable exile in Zimbabwe and is not expected to be extradited while Robert Mugabe remains Zimbabwean president.
A runoff in Zimbabwe’s presidential race is scheduled for June 27. Mugabe’s opponents say he is using violence and intimidation in an attempt to win the runoff and retain power. Nevertheless, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said he is confident of victory.
The 18 other officials sentenced to death Monday are all in Ethiopian custody.
Some experts say 150,000 university students, intellectuals and politicians were killed in a nationwide purge by Mengistu’s regime, though no one knows for sure how many suspected opponents were killed during the Soviet-style purges.
Human Rights Watch has described the 1977-78 campaign known as the Red Terror as “one of the most systematic uses of mass murder by a state ever witnessed in Africa.”
Mengistu had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2007 for genocide, but the prosecution appealed the sentence in July as unduly lenient.
Under Ethiopian law, the current president must approve the death sentences before an execution date is set.
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ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – Ethiopia’s Supreme Court sentenced former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam to death in his absence Monday, along with 17 senior officials of his regime, overturning a previous life term on appeal.
The court followed the request of the prosecution to toughen the sentence imposed in January 2007 on Mengistu, who has lived in comfortable exile in Zimbabwe since he was toppled in 1991, after he was found guilty of genocide at the end of a decade-long trial.
Mengistu, an army lieutenant colonel, was a member of the Marxist junta known as the Derg which ruled Ethiopia from 1974 after the ousting of Emperor Haile Selassie, assuming control of it in a bloody coup in 1977.
The genocide charges arose from a crackdown against opponents in 1977-78 known as the Red Terror in which tens of thousands were killed or disappeared.
The court that passed life sentences in 2007 accepted pleas for leniency from the defence, but Supreme Court judge Desta Gebru rejected them Monday.
“The court has decided to revoke the leniency appeal from the defendants,” he said in his ruling. “It has sentenced them to death.
“They have tortured and executed thousands of innocent people in public, which applies as genocide according to Ethiopian law.”
“Despite claiming that the killings resulted from the chaos that ensued after the (1974) coup, the defendants ordered massacres and abuses several years after the death of the emperor,” the judge added.
“All defendants are guilty of genocide, murder and illegal confiscation and detainment of innocent people. As a result, they will be handed out the most severe punishment in Ethiopian law.”
Desta said the court would await the confirmation of the sentences by President Girma Woldegiorgis — who has the power to amend them again — before fixing an execution date.
Those sentenced to death along with Mengistu included Legesse Afsaw, known as “the butcher of Tigre”, former vice-president Fisseha Desta and former prime minister Fikresellassie Wogderes.
On the reading of the Supreme Court’s verdict, many relatives of the accused in court burst into tears. None would comment to AFP.
Although the death sentence is sometimes pronounced in Ethiopia, only two people have been executed in the past 10 years and none since August 2007.
Following the end of Mengistu’s trial last year, Robert Mugabe’s government in Zimbabwe ruled out his extradition, saying, “Comrade Mengistu still remains a special guest”.
The Federal High Court had convicted Mengistu and 11 of his top aides in December 2006 on 211 counts of genocide, homicide, illegal imprisonment and illegal property seizure.
A further 60 defendants were also found guilty of genocide, but only by a majority 2-1 ruling by the judges, who acquitted some but not all on several of the lesser charges.
Only one defendant was acquitted on all charges.
Mengistu and his former top aides were also accused of the murders of former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, whom they overthrew in 1974, and Orthodox Patriarch Abuna Tefelows.
Of the 73 accused, 14 had died and only 33 were present in court. Mengistu was among 25 defendants tried in absentia.
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(VOA) — Ethiopia’s highest court threw out a January, 2007 court ruling giving Mengistu and 17 of his senior associates life sentences for their part in the deaths of thousands of people between 1974 and 1991.
In a three-hour reading of the verdict, Justice Desta Gebru said the court has decided to revoke the leniency appeal from the defendants. It sentences them to death.
Justice Gebru agreed with a prosecution appeal that the life sentence was not commensurate with the crimes. After the original trial, which lasted 12-years, the defendants were convicted in 2006 of genocide for torturing and executing political enemies.
Many of the deaths occurred in 1977 and 1978, when Mengistu’s Marxist government, called the Derg, or “the committee,” carried out a purge known as the Red Terror.
Mengistu was an army lieutenant colonel when he led a military coup that overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie. He has been living in exile in Zimbabwe since he was ousted by Ethiopia’s current government in 1991.
But several senior Derg officials were in the courtroom when the verdict was read.
Prosecutor Yoseph Kirkos expressed satisfaction at the high court’s decision. He said the difference between a life sentence and death in absentia may be meaningless now, but it could make a big difference if Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is ousted in next month’s election.
“For now you can say is no different,” said Yoseph Kirkos. “But for tomorrow maybe the country which protects him, which gives him the right to live there, maybe knows the gravity of the crime, and his involvement in the crime. Maybe one day they can return him. When they look he is a criminal and he is a dangerous guy.”
Former Ethiopian president and historian Negaso Gidada says persons convicted of genocide cannot be pardoned or granted amnesty. He says under Ethiopia’s constitution, only the current president, Girma Woldegiorgis, could commute the sentences.
“In case of person convicted of any crimes stated in sub-article one in these articles and sentenced with the death penalty, the head of state may, without prejudice, commute the punishment to life imprisonment,” said Negaso Gidada.
Negaso and prosecutor Kiros said while the issue of a commuted sentence may be moot for Mengistu, 17 other senior Derg officials are facing death. It was not immediately clear when or how the sentences might be carried out.
Coincidentally, the Supreme Court’s decision came two days before Ethiopia’s national day, when it celebrates the downfall of the Mengistu regime.
29 thoughts on “Kangaroo court sentences Mengistu and 18 others to death”
How many ways can the weyanes fool themselves, the Ethiopian people, and the international community. Although Menge was a murderer, didn’t the weyane killing machine surpassed the Menge killing machine in their first year of power. If you add all the slaughtering that tooks place in the senseless Ethio-Eritrea war, Annuaks, and now the Somalians the Rewandan genocide might sound as a picnic for Meles, Azeb, Seyoum Mesfin, Mebrahtu Gebrihiwet (Bereke Simon), and all the weyanes beneficiaries> God save Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people.
Here we go again the kangaroo court does not have any right to even pass judgement on trafic violation let death penality.Meles and his donkeys should face death penalty for what they have done to our mother land and her citizens
What goes round will come around.We will never forget every one involved on this and other cases.long live Ethiopian FREEDOM FIGHTERS.They will bring you to justice of thier own.This out law tplf gangs have only few days.Ethiopans you are chalenged again.what do you gone do?
Revenge doesn’t take us any wear Meles, remember besferut kuna mesefer ikerem.
The same western media outlet that brought about the downfall of the Derge through their systematic white propoganda are still working and now heralded Mengistu’s death sentence.
Mengistu’s crime was magnified because of his love and loyality to his country. He was condemned by the west because he was over ambitious with a grand vision of a great empire called the New Ethiopia. A nation with formidable armed forces and strong economy which definetly would be a threat to the west.
Specially his alliance with North Korea was a nightmare to the US. With our platunium and the technology transfer agreement with Korea we were about to be one of the few countries with a neuclear power. This was the deal. But thanks to the west, what happened in Iraq happened in Ethiopia 17 years ago. What made different ours case is that US didn’t need to send a single marine. Cause, there were home grown arc enemy of Ethiopia: THE BANDAS
Mengistu was, irrespective of the crime he commited, is a hero when compared with this facist Legesse Zenawi.
It won’t be long before the Agazi leader goes to the geuloteens.
God bless Ethiopia!!
From Mahidere Mariam, Gonder
Ethiopia deserves better than both Dergue and TPLF regimes. Both regimes spilled innocent Ethiopians blood. Both regimes are collection of criminals who washed their hands with innocent Ethiopians blood. Thus, the current verdict is like the current butchers are sentencing the past butchers to death. TPLF are broad-daylight murders and torturers of innocent Ethiopians. TPLF themselves are collection of criminal gangs, and hence no justice comes out of the criminal and killer TPLF gangs.
God willing, a day will come when Ethiopians will be free from the criminal TPLF gangs and sentence them to what they deserve.
My fellow Ethiopians comenting above are you serious? or did you just forgot the horrific times of the Derge Era?
Well let me remind you something. The Derg era has brought a great shame to our country through Mengistu’s regime barbaric and violent policy of elimnating the Ethiopian people. Under Mengistu’s regime more than a million Ethiopians have perished. He misunderstood communism and tried to applay a foreign principle that has no place in the great emprie of Ethiopia that had its own unique tradition of government. He has to face justice for the crimes that his regime committed against Tigrians, Amharas, Oromos and other ethinic groups. The judges might have been TPLF appointees however, the truth of the matter is that the crime is known to all Ethiopians of all ethnic groups and to that end the verdict is people’s verdict. With that said, let us not get the dictator off the hook.
The merecenary junta woyannes are in phobia for the public out cry of the give away of the sovergin territories of our country and they are doing every thing to change public attentions. This handing of death sentence is second one within about two weeks after the death sentence on the air force pilots. In addition our enemies are planting bombs to kill innoccent people. This is a clear indicator that woaynne thugs are on there climax and may be they are finshing what they can do before there ultimate downfall. It is clear that this court is a sham or mock to the outsiders which is staged by the woyanne merceneries themselves the evidence is promotion for the pro and demotion for the against whom working as judges of this case, judges in name, that is why we call it cangaroo court. I don’t have any sympathy for the defendants because they were abusing there power by having a killing spree on the public, killing of the king, the minsters, so many young ones, old ones, male, female cetizens from all back ground and they were killing till there down fall.Now practically we saw the repeating of history and history is a non stop event and once again it will repeat it self and we will witness mr woyanne gungster leader and his blood trusty friends will face a trial in a legal public court and they will be sentenced to death for what they did and what they are doing for our country and its cetizens. I am sure will see it.
Ye Tigrai sew,
Who argued Dergue criminals do not deserve sentencing for what they did to the innocent Ethiopian people? We just say the current TPLF Tigreans dominated regime is as criminal a regime as the Dergue regime was. TPLF Tigreans-dominated regime gangs have killed, tortured, raped, and imprisoned tens of thousands of Ethiopians during the last 17 years. Maybe you are one of the TPLF Tigrai sew and hence don’t feel the pain you are inflicting on innocent Ethiopians.
The rest of us Ethiopians, who are not TPLF Tigrai sew and their hired guns, feel the pains and sufferings our people have to endure and go-through during the last 17 years under barbaric and archaic rule of the TPLF regime. Unlike TPLF blood thirsty gangs, We have human conscience, we are obliged to stand tall and say all crimes against Ethiopian people are wrong, whether they are committed by Dergue or TPLF.
iske mece dires new iyetecheraresin yemininorew??Come back to your senses prez.Girma.The ball is in your court now-yeshimagle sira mesrat ahun new-Beseferut Kuna…….Please,let us practice forgiveness and teach the future generation the ugly face of vindictiveness.Telat mabzat ayasfeligim or beware of your actions too.I plead to the ABUN to interfere and teach us SOME SPIRITUALITY bezih agaTami-YiKir tebabalu ibakachihun,yefesese wuha ayitafesim indilu.
GUYS I wan to remind you about mungistu. That is he believe Ethiopia is unity. He has never given Ethiopian land for others country as a Gift. He scarifies for his land and he loves Ethiopia more than any thing. I know he made many mistake but is not more than meles.if you compare meles and mengistu by merder.meles killed double but he doesn’t show up on the public. example Ethio-Ertira war,ogaden people,election of 1997 e.c and others.mengistu believes Ertira is part of ethiopia which is cause for many people death.but meles killed many people with out any reason. Mengistu keeps his land from Somalia invasion. what about meles ,he support sudan regime to invade us this time.
Ofcourse mengistu and his follower they diserve what they did for ethiopian people , specially for use ethiopian student and for tigray children the same time tigrye was fighting for seperation is that make sence tigray body, that is why they do that kind of criminal thins i belive, but melese also doing the same thing, soon or later hs is gone get it what is done for ethiopia. now he is happy and also his followers happy for how long i dont. any way god beless ethiopia
The cycle of revenge and killings in the name of the people or justice is wrong. Yes, the Derg has done immense ill to our nation. However, Weyane has done much damage to Ethiopian national unity and the wellbeing of society.
The killing of the Derg officials will not bring our nation any conclusion, rather the repeat of the cycle. We must forget and forgive and move on. I do mean prison time is better than killing anyone to stop the cycle of slaughtering each other every time there is a new ruler in our land.
Reading some of the comments above made me so sick that I am making this statement in contempt. Had we not talked and discussed in detail the crime of the inner circle of the Derg before in the 70’s 80’s and early 90’s? Didn’t I and many others read several articles in every medium available to us including Ethiopian Review accusing the then Derg of committing barbaric crimes against humanity? Didn’t we all held these same people responsible for millions to perish in famine of the 80’s? This is not revenge at all. They are paying for the crimes they commit against humanity. Now, you may ask the current leaders have committed the same atrocities and why should be the judges? That question is made to arise using a wrong assessment with faulty inferences. I take this verdict as a good lesson even to the current leaders that if you commit the same crime against humanity and proven guilty in any court of law you will face the same consequences. Those of us who lost innocent loved ones to sheer ruthlessness, be it Derg, EPRP, Meison, WSLF, EPLF, TPLF, OLF and other bootlickers deserve a day in court. We are entitled to it. As a family member who had lost innocent and close relatives and friends I am ready to forgive those who ask me for one. I can be in a position and state of mind to forget and move. But this is what arrogant and blood-letting thugs deserve.
Dear Editor:
Regarding “The Derg did not commit half the crime Woyannes have perpetrated against the people of Ethiopia. The Woyanne judged are themselves murderous criminals,” how untrue! There are still people who remember “Red Terror” and what Melaku Tefera did to the Gonder people. It is important to compare apples with apples and not with oranges. Two mistakes does not make one right!
Peace, Lemlem Tsegaw
I believe that Mengistu should be brought to justice but not by the Weyane court. In fact for Weyane, Mengistu has created a lot of favourable conditions. He weakened and destroyed the central force which has been more patriotic by any standards. Weyane could not have penetrated the people with such immaturity and poor racist ideology. From the very begining it was against the will of the peopleand it still is.
How on earth a killer Tigrains people Liberation Front, TPLF, regime has a moral ground to say the others were killers??
Woyane by itself is a regime that has killed so many Ethiopians and will pay price for all its crimes.
TPLF gangs and their hired guns still hold tens of thousands of political prisoners in jails all over Ethiopia. TPLF gangs have already killed thousands of civilians for their political opinions. Yet, TPLF want us to salute them for sentencing the Dergue gangs who committed the same crimes TPLF gangs still commit today. Although Dergue gangs crime is unpradonable, TPLF criminals do not have a ground to stand on to talk about past injustice inflicted on the Ethiopian people while TPLF gangs still inflict the same injustice on innocent Ethiopians every single day.
Simple, it’s not only the ugly history of the Dergue that matters to the Ethiopian people. The current history, the history of TPLF gangs crimes, also matters. Maybe even more so than the past one. TPLF gangs are as criminals, if not more than, than the Dergue.
Ethiopian people’s message to the TPLF gangs is crystal clear. TPLF people stop killing, torturing and imprisoning innocent Ethiopia to prove that such crimes are wrong. But if TPLF gangs continue to talk about the crime others committed while they are committing the same crimes against innocent Ethiopians, it does not make sense.
TPLF gangs are full of injustices. We are not fools to expect justice from the injust TPLF gangs who commit crime every single day on innocent Ethiopians. TPLF criminals do not have a moral ground to even judge the crimes of the Dergue. Criminals cannot judge other criminals. Both Dergue and TPLF are criminals to the Ethiopian people. Of course, those in the TPLF gangs do not want to accept this simple fact.
The coward Mengistu fled to safety paving the way for TPLF to take power and destroy Ethiopia. He was a stubborn dictator accountable for gross abuse of human rights.
Meles Zenawi enabled Eritrea to cede; secretly gave fertile land to the Sudan; invaded Somalia in breach of international law; executed innocent demonstrators in cold-blood for protesting stolen election; incarcerated thousands of Ethiopians for protesting stolen election; committed genocide against the Anuak and Ogadenis; exacerbated ethnic and religious divides and planted a time-bomb for futher fragmentation of our beautiful country; ad infinitum for the heinous crimes of tyrant Meles are many.
The tplf fashist gangshave no ground to pass such decission
they themselfs are murderes .The time will come when they
recieve such decission infront of ethiopian people. .
Please give the gun to MF girma w giorgis (ADIR BY) even 33 of them line up infront of him he will miss them and shoot THE other MF MELES SETANAWI
Dear Elias (PDD),
It is well known that Melese and his regime are criminals, but Mengistu and his colleagues were one of the most killers ever known on earth. Remember the 1977-78 red-terrors, if you were adult enough at that time. So, we should not regret about the death sentences given to Mengistu et al. Believe me, one day this will also be given to the weyane’s group.
I am glad that those blood thirsty criminals are getting what they deserve. How many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and children did we see weeping tears of blood over the acts of these arrogant God forsaken criminals that had the entire country pressed down by the neck under their ugly boots? The butchererd everyone from the aged Emperor to the poorest peasants. They presided over the economy disintegrating and let Ethiopians starve, and they drove tens of thousands into exile. And all the while they lorded it over us all as if they were untouchable in their pride and arrogance thanks to the guns they held to our heads. They deserve to be dragged through the streets and hung in the town squares. It is thanks to those disgusting derg monsters that we are now ruled by the woyane. If you want to blame anyone for the rise of the woyane, look no further than Mengistu and his gang. Say all you want about how bad the current regime is, there is no one who can compete with the derg in evilness. No one!
This drama speaks louder than any other TPLF PARADES.
Ethiopians are not idiots savants as woyannes would like to treat us!
Examining both regimes; speaking of the current mono-tribal; pro-one ethenic against all others vs Derg; multi-ethenic army officers who took copy of Lenin and gone haywire with it.
Let me ask the young Ethiopians the following questions,
1)
Who impowered own tribe over other multi-ethic Ethiopia with intents to eradicate the later? Derg or TPLF?
2) Which regime committed genocide against other ethenic group, with itent to eradicate, loot, disable, destory the entire group/s of people in mass?
3) Of the Derg and TPLF/EPRDF, which bled itself to save Ethiopia from; being landlocked, fragmented, lose an inch of land to any internal/external adversary?
4) Did any of the Derg authorities loot the southern people to build Gondar/ Wollo/ Tigray…? Then which regime have perfected, the art of stealings from Southern people to create mecca of their tribal strong hold/state?
5) Which reegime have strengthened educational instuttions based on each citizens merits, instead which tribe he/she comes from?
6) Are 90% of Ethiopians, even 70% Ethiopian citizens feel safe now, or under preveous regime?
7) Who owns, banks, state assets under derg regime? What happened to all of those millions of state owned cars, farms,banks, gold?
8) Who came on a donkey back bare feet, empety pocket with gun to use against children/women, elders of other tribes?
9) Did these bare foot soldiers their prize possesion-guns against Amharas, Oromos, Sidamas, guraghes, Kembatas, benshanguels? Why? Are they still inprisoning, killing those who have no common tribal heritages with impunity?
10) In your best assesment who have served Ethiopia for the Ethiopian people equaly , between TPLF VS Derg? Why ?
11) Have you heard any usable or useless land, sea outlet Derg have awarded its crime associate, expecting something in in return?
12) Did DERG officials sell electric power to neighboring states, cutting back services in Ethiopian household, while the rate of monthly electric expense sky rocktedd over 9000% on 80% of unemployed well educated citizens?
13) Last but not least do you feel all crimes against humanity was/is being committed? By ex-derg soldiers of by pro-tigrean invaders? Please.. please read and sit back and write to Invading regime that they need to call quit and move back to Tigrea before worst comes!
They deserve it.
You guys it is okay it is okay!… Mengistu is still alive and well… A death sentences will not affect him…
My second point is The Woyanne being a judged… it is very simple fact the winner is always a judge in this case the loser will be judged…
Meles being put to death sentences… that will be coming as long as he lose POWER….
Bawza! Amen!!!! God Bless You!!!!!
I believe this is the beginning of justice being served to those who committed heinous crimes against humanity. Those of us who lost innocent loved ones in cold blood deserve such a day in court. This is not all yet. There must and will be more such judgment days when we see also those criminals still hiding behind the curtains and disguise of liberation fronts and ‘democratic’ groups dragged to a court of law. We are those whose kins and kits were also murdered in cold blood by rotten and stinky narrow nationalist front members. There may be some of them still hiding among us. We have close friends and relatives who fled the Derg slaughterhouses and sought refuge with so called national liberation fronts but were butchered and made for target practice just because they professed a different religion or were from another ethnic group. Their innocent blood still cries to high heaven for justice. Those who gave orders for such atrocities can be here or somewhere in other parts of the worlds hiding behind smelly nationalist fronts. What do I know? Heck..they may be here St.Paul. I am 100% that the day will come when everyone of them will be exposed and brought to justice in a court of law. It may take 5, 1o or 20 years. But it will happen. Then thousands like will be ready to forgive and forget. If those former thugs read this comment, they perfectly know what I am talking about. Because I am sure they still remember what they d
The current Zimbabwe’s government is under real pressure from the west and I expect that in the end the regime will succumb. Following that I am sure the former fascist (Mengistu) which did entail another fascist will be punished by it SOON. No one except those who are like them will be displeased with the execution of the punishment on fascists like mengistu. It should not matter who did it fascists should be punished.
I hope the current fascists will also be brought to justice by a democratically elected government not by another party that took power by gun and wanted to rule the country by it.
As the Great Book, says, all have seen in the Eyes of Almighty. As far as I am concerned all are Criminals and they have sin in my eyes. All of them should be tried in International Court for the Crime they have committed and are committing now.
As We say, “Eyiterf gif leze edmiehu gondeye! Isreal le Feron esme atsorwo mie.” What it means is, that Cruelity will not stand longer, for the people who sevived long enough. Because even the Isreals who have been enslaved by the Mighty Pharoh for a longer time, have made Phoroh to carry a pot of water for them.” That is Ethiopian Knie. It is semna work. (Gold and Wax) I hope some of you can understand that.
As you all know, The Isreals had been working in Egypt as slaves for Egyptians carring water and do everything for a longer time. But when Mussie tried to take them out from Egypt by Gods’ Order, the Red Sea was infront of them, and the Mighty Pharoh armies were persuing them in the back. With the Miracle of God, the Red Sea was split into two, we are told, and the Isrealites passed through, but the Almighty Armies of the Pharoh had been drawned and swept away. The Ethiopian Intellectual Debtera use the occasion for knie excercise.
I hope and pray for Almighty God that, there will be no more revenge and killings in Ethiopia. I hope, Love, Peace and Progress will prevail upon All Ethiopians, including the woyane regime leaders. I Hope and pray, there will be time, where we can say and write in Ethiopia, whatever we feel and see, withour fear and prosecution of Ideas.
The drgue regime killed a lot of innocent people, because of a new-borrowed-Comminist-Ideology, but fought for the Unity of Ethiopia. And never sold a piece of soil for foreigners. But the present regime kills for nothing, and expose Ethiopia for outsiders. Kill for what? It must be just a criminal mind. Please stop killing, and imprisoning people for their ideas. Please leave and let leave all Ethiopians with free land, sprit and for FREEEE..DOM God Bless Ethiopia.
God Bless America where we can say and write freely.