Ethiopia 193 Killed 763 Wounded

November is to Remember!

Posted on November 14, 2011, Updated on January 10, 2013 by Alemayehu G. Mariam

By Alemayehu G Mariam

soldiers Remember June and November, 2005

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it,” cautioned Albert Einstein. Because Germans who could have done something did not, on 9-10 November 1938, the Nazis killed nearly 100 innocent Jewish people and arrested and deported 30,000 others. They also burned thousands of Jewish synagogues and businesses. That was Krystallnacht (Night of Broken Glass). It was the forerunner to the Jewish Holocaust.

On 6-8 June and 1-4 November 2005, following the Ethiopian elections that year, scores of unarmed men, women and children were killed by security personnel loyal to the ruling regime. An official Inquiry Commission established by dictator Meles Zenawi documented that 193 unarmed Ethiopians demonstrating in the streets and others held in detention were intentionally shot and killed by police and paramilitary forces and 763 wounded. The Commission completely {www:exonerate}d the victims and pinned the entire blame on the police and paramilitary forces and those who had command and control over them:

There was no property destroyed [by protesters]. There was not a single protester who was armed with a gun or a hand grenade (as reported by the government-controlled media that some of the protesters were armed with guns and bombs). The Commission members agreed that the shots fired by government forces were not to disperse the crowd of protesters but to kill by targeting the head and chest of the protesters.

To testify against Evil is the moral and civic duty of the living. Elie Wiesel, the {www:Holocaust} survivor and the man the Nobel Committee called the “messenger to mankind”, reminds us all that as the survivors of the victims of Evil we have to make a choice:

For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time. The witness has forced himself to testify. For the youth of today, for the children who will be born tomorrow. He does not want his past to become their future.

For the past five years, I have sought to testify against Evil by bearing witness for the victims of June and November 2005, and for Ethiopia’s youth of today and for the children who will be born tomorrow. In 2007, I appeared in the court of world opinion and testified for the first time on behalf of the innocent victims of crimes against humanity. I testified for them in 2008. I testified for them in 2009, and again in 2010. I shall continue to testify because that is my way of making the “world a less dangerous place” for the powerless, the voiceless, the hopeless, the voteless, the defenseless, the nameless, the faceless, the jobless, the foodless, the landless, the leaderless, the homeless and the parentless. It is also my way of making the world a more accountable place for the conscienceless, the ruthless, the merciless, the remorseless, the reckless, the senseless, the shameless, the soulless, the thoughtless and the thankless.

The high and mighty who reigned over the 2005 massacres now sit ensconced in their stately pleasure domes drunk with power, consumed by hate and frolicking in decadence. They look down swaggering with hubris, sneering at justice, scorning truth, and desecrating the memory of the innocent. But recent history teaches a harsh lesson: “Truth and justice will not forever hang on the scaffold nor wrong cling to the throne forever.” Justice shall “roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

IQ in Congress As we remember the martyrs of June and November, let us also remember the debt of gratitude we owe our Ethiopian heroes who stood up for justice and truth in revealing and documenting the horrific stories of the 2005 massacres. These monstrous crimes against humanity would have been swept into the dustbin of oblivion and lost in the mist of time but for the courageous and meticulous investigations carried out by Inquiry Commission chairman and vice chairman and former judges Frehiwot Samuel and Woldemichael Meshesha, lawyer Mitiku Teshome and human rights investigator/defender Yared Hailemariam. These individuals chose to testify and paid a high personal price for telling the gut-wrenching, heartbreaking and mindbending truth about the massacres. They now live in exile facing extreme hardship, separated from their families and unable to pursue the professions they cherished so much.

judges 1 When the modern history of Ethiopia is written, their names will be listed at the very top for displaying courage under fire, hope in the face of despair, bravery in the face of personal danger, and unflinching fortitude in the face of extreme adversity. I can only offer them my profound thanks and express my deepest appreciation for what they have done. An entire nation, indeed an entire continent, owes them a heavy debt of gratitude: “Never have so many owed so much to so few!”

Remember the Martyrs of June and November 2005

victims On May 15, 2005, Meles Zenawi declared a State of Emergency in Ethiopia and brought all security and military forces in the country under his personal command and control: “As of tomorrow, for the next one month no demonstrations of any sort will be allowed within the city and its environs. As peace should be respected within the city and its environs, the government has decided to bring all the security forces, the police and the local militias, under one command accountable to the prime minister.”

On June 6-8 and November 1-4, 2005, the following individuals were gunned down by state security forces in street demonstrations or trapped in their cells at Kality Prison just outside the capital Addis Ababa. The victims enumerated below are included in the Testimony of Yared Hailemariam, investigator for the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) and human rights defender in exile (extremely graphic pictures included in report, reader discretion advised), before the Extraordinary Joint Committee Meeting of the European Parliament on Development and Foreign Affairs and Subcommittee on Human Rights, “Crimes Against Humanity in Ethiopia: The Addis Ababa Massacres of June and November, 2005”.

The number of victims reported in the Inquiry Commission report list only those casualties for the particular dates in June and November. There is undisclosed evidence by the Commission which shows a much higher casualty figure than those reported if other dates in 2005 were included. No one has yet to be held accountable for these crimes against humanity. In fact, there is a confirmed list of at least 237 policemen who actually pulled the trigger to cause the carnage, and all of them are still walking the streets free today.

Our heads bowed in honor and respect for these martyrs, our hearts filled with the hope of justice to flow like a mighty stream and our minds resolved in steely determination, let us read out the names of the victims and reflect on their sacrifices for the youth of Ethiopia today and the children who will be born tomorrow:

1. Shibre Delelegn, age 23, female, shot in the neck and killed.

2. Yesuf Abdela, age 23, male, student at Kotebe Teachers’ College, shot in the back with two bullets and killed.

3. Hadra Shikurana, age 20, male, shot in the forehead and killed.

4. Nebiy Alemayehu, age 16, male, 10^th grade student, shot in the chest on the way to school and killed.

5. Yonas Asseffa, age 24, male, shot through the right ear and killed.

6. Dawit Fekadu, age 18, male, shot in the chest and killed.

7. Melisachew Demissie, age 16, male, 6^th grade student on the way to school to take his examination, shot in the forehead and killed.

8. Wessen Assefa, age 28, male, a trader, shot in the chest and killed.

9. Zulufa Surur, age 50, male, a mother of seven shot in the back while standing in the doorway of her house and killed.

10. Fekadu Negash, age 22, male, shot in the chest and killed as he stood near his residence.

11. Abraham Yilma, age 16, male, brother of Fekadu (victim no. 10), upon hearing that his brother was shot by the police, Abraham ran to aid his brother. As he lifted up his dying brother to help, a policeman shot him. Both brothers died on the scene.

12. Biniyam Dembel, age 19, male, shot and killed.

13. Negussie Wabedo and Mohammed Hassen, ages unknown, male, both individuals were shot in the forehead and killed.

14. Beliyu Dufa, age 20, male, shot in the chest and killed.

15. Redela Kombado, age 26, male, an assistant to a taxi driver, shot in the chest and killed.

16. Milion Kebede, age 30, male, a cashier with Anbessa city bus, shot and killed on the way to work.

17. Getnet Ayalew, age 24, male, first shot and wounded in his right thigh. As a friend was helping him to reach a safe place, the policeman realized that he was still alive and shot him in the abdomen for the second time. The friend ran away terrified. When Getnet’s family members came, the policeman took aim and threatened to shoot them if they tried to help him. He bled for about half an hour and died in the hospital.

18. Wassihun Kebede, age 22, male, shot in the head and killed.

19. Dereje Damena, age 24, male, shot in the forehead and killed.

20. Esubalew Ashenafi, age unknown, male, shot and killed near his home.

21. Addisu Belachew, age 23, male, a businessman and father of 3 children, shot in the eye and killed.

22. Legesse Tulu, age 64, male, a carpenter and father of 5, shot and killed as he looked for his son.

23. Jafar Seid, age 28, male, shot in the forehead and killed.

24. Ashenafi Derese, age 22, male, shot and killed near his home.

25. Girma Alemu, age 38, male, shot the chest and killed.

26. Meki Negash, age unknown, male, shot and killed while going to mosque at Sebategna Agip.

27. Desta, age 28, female, (her father listed at #28) shot in the chest and killed.

28. Beliyu Bayu, age 20, male, shot in the left side of his body and killed.

29. Endalkachew Megersa, age 18, male, shot in the forehead and killed.

30. Demeke Kassa, age 24, male, shot in the forehead and killed.

31. Anwar Kiyar Surur, age 20, male, shot in the forehead and killed.

32. Kasim Ali, age 23, male, shot in the forehead and killed.

33. Berhanu Aynie, age estimated 20-25, male, shot and killed in front of Addis Ketema School.

34. Imamu Ali, age 21, male, shot and killed.

35. Ermias Fekadu, age 20, male, shot and killed.

36. Aliyu Yusuf, age 20, male, shot and killed.

37. Tesfaye Delgeba, age 19, male, shot and killed.

38. Habtamu Amensisa, age 30, male, shot and killed.

39. Gezahegn Mengesha, age 15, male, shot and killed.

40. Asnakech Asseffa, age 35, female, shot and killed.

41. Rebuma Eshete, age 34, male, shot and killed

42. Samson Negash, age unknown, male, shot dead killed. (Police record number 13097.)

43. Fekadu Haile, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

45. Fekadu Hailu, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 13903.)

44. Mubarek, shot and killed. (Police record number 00426)

45. Beyene Nuru Bizu, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00437.)

46. Abebe Antenehi, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00441.)

47. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00447.)

48. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 57351.)

49. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00429.)

50. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00438.)

51. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00425.)

52. Unidentified, shot and killed. (Police record number 00432.)

53. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00428.)

54. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00450.)

55. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00431.)

56. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00430.)

57. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00436.)

58. Mitiku Wendima, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 00427.)

59. Tesfaye Adane Garo, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

60. Tadele Kambado Awel, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

61. Mubarek Mebratu, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

62. Meteek Zeleke, age 24, male, shot and killed.

63. Kibret Edelu, age 45, male, shot and killed.

64. Mekoya Mebratu, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

65. Alemayehu Zewde, age 25, male, shot and killed.

66. Fekadu Amele Delgae, age 32, male, shot and killed.

67. Mesaye Adiss, age 30, male, shot and killed.

68. Beailu Tesfay, age 22, male, student, shot and killed.

69. Siraj Nure, age 18, male, student, shot and killed

70. Abebech Bekele, age 57, female, shot and killed.

71. Etenesh Yimam, age 52, female, shot and killed while protesting the arrest of her husband, a CUD member.

72. Giksa Tolla Setegne, age 18, female, 6^th grade student; shot and killed.

73. Kebneshe Melke, age 50, female, a mother of 5 children; shot and killed.

74. Abyaneh Sissay, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

75. Tsegahun W/Michal, age unknown, male, college student, shot and killed.

76. Yassin Nuredin, age 10, male, shot and killed while playing football.

77. Kebede Bedada, age 20, male, college student; shot and killed.

78. Tadele Shere, age 28, male, daily laborer; shot and killed.

79. Jaqema Bedane, age 20, male, student, shot and killed.

80. Hassen Dulla, age 70, male, shot and killed.

81. Hussen Hassen, age 30, male, shot and killed.

82. Elfnesh Tekele, age 35, female, shot and killed.

83. Belaye Dejene, age 15, male, shot and killed.

84. Teshome Addis, age 71, male, shot and killed.

85. Bademaw Mogese, age 20, male, shot and killed.

86. Dessalgne Kende, age 20, male, shot and killed.

87. Yesuf Mohammed, age 20, male, shot and killed.

88. Mulu Muche, age unknown, female, shot and killed.

89. Zemedhun Agedw, age 18, male, shot and killed.

90. Tewodros Zewde, age 17, male, shot and killed.

91. Sintayehu Estifanos, age 14, male, student, shot and killed.

92. Tewodros Kebede, age 25, male, shot and killed.

93. Ambaw Legesse, age 60, male, shot and killed.

94. Zelalem Ketsela, age 31, male, shot and killed.

95. Degene Yilma Gebre, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

96. Melaku Mekonnen Kebede, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

97. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 359180.)

98. Mebratu Wubshet Zewide, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

99. Mitiku Zeleqe, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

100. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 359180.)

101. Yohannes Hailu, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

102. Walye Hussen Melese, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 21520.)

103. Haile Girma, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

104. Sintayehu Wubet Melese, shot and killed.

105. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

106. Fikremariam Kumbi, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

107. Kassa Beyene Rora, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

108. Ayalewu Mamo, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

109. Mulualem, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

110. Getu Shewangizawu, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

111. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 21526.)

112. Henok Qetsela, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

113. Alemayehu Afa Zewude, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

114. Unidentified, age unknown, male,shot and killed. (Police record number 21760.)

115. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 21761.)

116. Tieizazu Welde Mekuriya, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

117. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 21763.)

118. Tewodros Gebrewold, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

119. Fikadu Made, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

120. Shewarega Bekele, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

121. Mesfin Gebrewold, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

122. Bisrat Tessfaye, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

123. Shemsu Kelid, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

124. Eyob Gebremdihin, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

125. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 13087.)

126. Unidentified, age unknown, male, shot and killed. (Police record number 13088.)

127. Abaynehi Sara, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

128 Admassu Tegegne Ababe, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

129. Habtamu Zegeye, age unknown, male, shot and killed.

Mass Killing of Prisoners at Kaliti Prison on November 2, 2005

(Prisoners massacred while trapped in their cells.)

1. Tteyib Shemsu Mohammed, age unknown, male, charged with instigating armed insurrection.

2. Sali Kebede, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

3. Sefiw Endrias Tafesse Woreda, age unknown, male, charged with rape.

4. Zegeye Tenkolu Belay, age unknown, male, charged with robbery.

5. Biyadgligne Tamene, age unknown, male, charges unknown.

6. Gebre Mesfin Dagne, age unknown, male, charges unknown.

7. Bekele Abraham Taye, age unknown, male, charged with hooliganism.

8. Abesha Guta Mola, age unknown, male, charges unknown.

9. Kurfa Melka Telila, convicted of making threats.

10. Begashaw Terefe Gudeta, age unknown, male, charged with brawling [breach of peace].

11. Abdulwehab Ahmedin, age unknown, male, charged with robbery.

12. Tesfaye Abiy Mulugeta, age unknown, male, charged with instigating armed insurrection.

13. Adane Bireda, age unknown, male, charged with murder.

14. Yirdaw Kersema, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

15. Balcha Alemu Regassa, age unknown, male, charged with robbery.

16. Abush Belew Wodajo, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

17. Waleligne Tamire Belay, age unknown, male, charged with rape.

18. Cherinet Haile Tolla, age unknown, male, convicted of robbery.

19. Temam Shemsu Gole, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

20. Gebeyehu Bekele Alene, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

21. Daniel Taye Leku, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

22. Mohammed Tuji Kene, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

23. Abdu Nejib Nur, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

24. Yemataw Serbelo, charged with rape.

25. Fikru Natna’el Sewneh, age unknown, male, charged with making threats.

26. Munir Kelil Adem, age unknown, male, charged with hooliganism.

27. Haimanot Bedlu Teshome, age unknown, male, convicted of infringement.

28. Tesfaye Kibrom Tekne, age unknown, male, charged with robbery.

29. Workneh Teferra Hunde, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

30. Sisay Mitiku Hunegne, charged with fraud.

31. Muluneh Aynalem Mamo, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

32. Taddese Rufe Yeneneh, charged with making threats.

33. Anteneh Beyecha Qebeta, age unknown, male, charged with instigating armed insurrection.

34. Zerihun Meresa, age unknown, male, convicted of damage to property.

35. Wogayehu Zerihun Argaw, charged with robbery.

36. Bekelkay Tamiru, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

37. Yeraswork Anteneh, age unknown, male, charged with fraud.

38. Bazezew Berhanu, age unknown, male, charged with engaging in homosexual act.

39. Solomon Iyob Guta, age unknown, male, charged with rape.

40. Asayu Mitiku Arage, age unknown, male, charged with making threats.

41. Game Hailu Zeye, age unknown, male, charged with brawling [public disorder]

42. Maru Enawgaw Dinbere, age unknown, male, charged with rape.

43. Ejigu Minale, age unknown, male, charged with attempted murder.

44. Hailu Bosne Habib, age unknown, male, convicted of providing sanctuary.

45. Tilahun Meseret, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

46. Negusse Belayneh, age unknown, male, charged with robbery.

47. Ashenafi Abebaw, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

48. Feleke Dinke, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

49. Jenbere Dinkineh Bilew, age unknown, male, charged with brawling [public disorder].

50. Tolesa Worku Debebe, age unknown, male, charged with robbery.

51. Mekasha Belayneh Tamiru, age unknown, male, charged with hooliganism.

52. Yifru Aderaw, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

53. Fantahun Dagne, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

54. Tibebe Wakene Tufa, age unknown, male, charged with instigating armed insurrection.

55. Solomon Gebre Amlak, age unknown, male, charged with hooliganism.

56. Banjaw Chuchu Kassahun, age unknown, male, charged with robbery.

57. Demeke Abeje, age unknown, male, charged with attempted murder.

58. Endale Ewnetu Mengiste, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

59. Alemayehu Garba, age unknown, male, detained in connection with Addis Ababa University student demonstration in 2004.

60. Morkota Edosa, age unknown, male, no charges indicated.

“I remember the killers, I remember the victims, even as I struggle to invent a thousand and one reasons to hope. Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair. Hope is possible beyond despair.” Elie Wiesel

Photo inset 1, L to R- Inquiry Commission Chair Frehiwot Samuel, Congressman Donald Payne, attorney Mitiku Teshome and Amnesty International’s Lynn Fredriksson at a Congressional hearing held on November 16, 2006.

Photo inset 2, L to R- Inquiry Commission Chair Frehiwot Samuel, Co-Chair Woldemichael Meshesha, and attorney Mitiku Teshome.

Photo inset 3- Collage of some of the victims of the massacres of June and November, 2005.

Ethiopia: Remember the Slaughter of November (2005)!

Posted on November 7, 2010, Updated on November 15, 2010 by Alemayehu G. Mariam

Alemayehu G. Mariam

Cruel November

November is a cruel month. Bleak, woeful, and grim is the month of November in the melancholy verse of Thomas Hood:

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member–
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!

And no justice for the hundreds massacred in Ethiopia in November (2005).
No redress for the countless men, women and children shot and wounded and left for dead.
No apologies for the tens of thousands illegally imprisoned.
No restitution for survivors or the families of the dead.
No trace of those who disappeared.
No atonement for the crimes of November.
No absolution for the slaughter of November.
November is to remember.

How Does One Remember the Slaughter of November?

Elie Wiesel, a Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor, said we remember the innocent victims of evil by bearing witness for them.

For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time. The witness has forced himself to testify. For the youth of today, for the children who will be born tomorrow. He does not want his past to become their future.

For the past three years, I have chosen to bear witness for the hundreds of massacre victims of dictator Meles Zenawi in Ethiopia.[1] Wherever evil triumphs, all of humanity is victimized. I have never met any one of the massacre victims of June and November 2005, but that does not matter. I remember each and every one of them. So I bear witness once more on behalf of Tensae Zegeye, age 14; Habtamu Tola, age 16; Binyam Degefa, age 18; Behailu Tesfaye, age 20; Kasim Ali Rashid, age 21. Teodros Giday Hailu, age 23. Adissu Belachew, age 25; Milion Kebede Robi, age 32; Desta Umma Birru, age 37; Tiruwork G. Tsadik, age 41; Elfnesh Tekle, age 45. Abebeth Huletu, age 50; Regassa Feyessa, age 55; Teshome Addis Kidane, age 65; Victim No. 21762, age 75, female, and Victim No. 21760, male, age unknown and hundreds more shot and killed or wounded while protesting stolen elections.[2] Once again, I point an accusatory finger at the policemen who pulled the trigger, the invisible hands that pulled the fingers of the policemen who pulled the trigger and the mastermind who orchestrated the whole bloody carnage.

Police Riots: Understanding the True Scope of the Massacres in 2005

There are two astonishing facts about the massacres of June and November, 2005. The first is that the policemen sent out to contain the “disturbances” literally had a riot shooting up anything that moved in the streets. The second is the manifest undercount of the actual fatalities and casualties of the massacres. When an Inquiry Commission was established by Zenawi under Proclamation 478/2005 to investigate post-election “disturbances”, its investigation of incidents was limited to specific dates and places, namely: violence that occurred on June 8, 2005 in Addis Ababa and 2) violence that occurred from November 1 to 10, 2005 and from November 14 to 16, 2005 in identified locations in Addis Ababa and other specifically designated towns and cities outside the capital.

In public presentations, Inquiry Commission Chairman Judge Frehiwot Samuel has indicated that the Commission’s charge prevented it from including evidence of casualties and fatalities that occurred in close proximity to the dates and places set forth in the Proclamation. There is little doubt that a full and comprehensive investigation of the post-election “disturbances” in 2005 would reveal casualty and fatality figures that are many times the number reported in the Commission’s report.

In its investigation, the Inquiry Commission examined 16,990 documents, and received testimony form 1,300 witnesses. Commission members visited prisons and hospitals, and interviewed members of the regime’s officialdom over several months. In the end, the Commission determined[3] that the police shot and killed 193 persons and wounded 763 others on the specific dates and in the specific places identified in the Proclamation. Further, the Commission documented that on November 3, 2005, during an alleged disturbance in Kality prison that lasted 15 minutes, prison guards fired more than 1500 bullets into inmate housing units leaving 17 dead, and 53 severely wounded. Commission Chairman Judge Frehiwot commented: “Many people were killed arbitrarily. Old men were killed while in their homes, and children were also victims of the attack while playing in the garden.” Over 30,000 civilians were arrested without warrant and held in detention.

By an 8-2 vote, the Commission made specific factual conclusions about the “disturbances”: 1) The persons killed or wounded during the violence were unarmed protesters. “There was not a single protester who was armed with a gun or a hand grenade (as reported by the government-controlled media that some of the protesters were armed with guns and bombs)”. 2) The shots fired by government forces into crowds of protesters were not intended to disperse but to kill by targeting the head and chest of the protesters. 3) There was no evidence that any security officers involved in the shootings were attacked or killed by the demonstrators: “Security forces which are alleged to be killed by demonstrators were not taken to autopsy, even there is no evidence of either photograph or death certificate showing the reason of death and couldn’t be produced for police as opposed to that of civilians.”

There is a Certified List of 237 Killers in the Massacres of 2005

In 2008, a “think tank that met regularly at the Ethiopian Embassy in London” commissioned an “internal security study” to counter criticism by various international human rights organizations following the 2005 elections. In a report entitled “Modernizing Internal Security in Ethiopia”[4] (see fn. 4 for copy of original study), counterterrorism expert Col. Michael Dewar, British Army (Rtd.) revealed some shocking facts about the federal police, detention facilities and riot control capabilities and procedures in Ethiopia. One of the most surprising facts revealed by Col. Dewars was the existence of a certified list of policemen involved in the massacres. Col. Dewars stated in his report that “after three hours of one to one conversation”, Werkneh Gebeyehu, the Director General of the Ethiopian Federal Police, told him that “As a direct result of the 2005 riots, he [had] sacked 237 policemen.” The Director General’s admission to Col. Dewars conclusively establishes the existence of a list of names of at least 275 policemen who are prime suspects in the massacres of unarmed protesters in June and November of 2005. These criminals must be brought to justice immediately for prosecution on charges of murder and crimes against humanity.

Understanding the Historic Significance of the Massacres of June and November, 2005

On March 21, 1960, South African police without provocation slaughtered 69 unarmed black protesters in the township of Sharpeville and wounded 180, exposing the savagery of the apartheid system for the world to see. In 2005, security forces loyal to Meles Zenawi slaughtered 193 unarmed protesters and wounded 763 others. As the Ethiopian protesters were “targeted in the head and chest” and shot, as documented by the Inquiry Commission, nearly all of the black South Africans in Sharpeville were shot in the back as they tried to flee the scene. The Sharpeville incident played a decisive role in the ultimate dismantling of apartheid rule in South Africa over three decades later.

Sharpeville and the massacres in Ethiopia were not random events. Both the apartheid and Zenawi’s regimes used cold blooded massacres as a deliberate tactic to ruthlessly crush and wipe out all political opposition. It was their way of saying that they will do anything to stay in power. The Sharpeville massacre was intended to “teach the kaffirs a lesson” they will not forget. Zenawi intended to teach his opposition a lesson they will not forget by indiscriminately massacring men, women and children in the streets or in their homes, as the Inquiry Commission has documented. It was a deliberate and calculated act designed to break the backbone of the opposition and make sure that no opposition will ever rise again.

It is characteristic of dictatorships to massacre their opposition as a demonstration of strength. History, however, shows that massacres are often manifestations of weakness, vulnerability and fear of popular uprising by oppressive regimes. South Africans were not intimidated by the Sharpeville massacre; they came out in full force to challenge the pass laws in every major city in South Africa as the masters of apartheid unleashed unspeakable violence against them. Sharpeville caused the apartheid regime to intensify its repression by tightening the pass laws (pass books required for black South Africans to travel within their country) and rigidly enforcing regulations to keep black South Africans in the Bantustans (black African “homelands” or “reservations”). Sharpeville also stoked the imagination of black South African youth and energized and inspired all freedom-loving South Africans to fight against apartheid with determination.

Following the 2005 elections, Zenawi went on a rampage. He jailed nearly all of the leading opposition leaders, civic society organizers, human rights advocates and journalists in the country on trumped up treason charges. He passed “laws” clamping down on independent journalists and newspapers and criminalized civil society institutions. Zenawi even jailed and put in prolonged solitary confinement Birtukan Midekssa, a young woman — indeed a highly respected former judge, learned lawyer and a much admired and loved opposition leader — openly and unequivocally committed to peaceful change and constitutional governance. A few months ago, Zenawi declared he had won the election by 99.6 percent.
Sharpeville marked a defining moment in the South African struggle for liberation from apartheid. The June and November massacres (and many others that have yet to be investigated) will in the same way mark a watershed in the march towards democracy and resistance to dictatorship in Ethiopia.

One of the most important lessons of Sharpeville is the role that massacre played in mobilizing international support for ending the apartheid regime. It was after Sharpeville that international efforts to isolate and sanction the apartheid regime began to roll unstoppably. Sharpeville gave the first signal to the foreign investors that apartheid is no longer tenable and a transition to majority rule absolutely necessary. Shortly after Sharpeville, foreign investors pulled out tens of millions of dollars out of South Africa draining that country’s reserves and bringing the economy to the verge of collapse. In the years that followed, as more countries adopted trade and financial sanctions and significant amounts of foreign investments began to be withdrawn from South Africa, it became clear to the apartheid regime that political change was inevitable and it had to accept majority rule.

End the Culture of Impunity: Demand an ICC Investigation into the Massacres of November, 2005

There is an entrenched and pervasive culture of impunity in Ethiopia as I have written previously[5]. Gross and widespread abuses of human rights are perpetrated without so much as a preliminary investigation being done to identify and hold the criminals accountable. Those in power feel that they can commit any act or crime and get away with it. The leaders of the ruling regime believe they are above the law, indeed they are the law. This culture of impunity must end, and a new civic culture based on strict observance of the rule of law must be instituted.

There is much to be learned about accountability from the recent history of a neighboring country. In the 2007 presidential election in Kenya, over 1,500 people were killed. Over 300,000 people were displaced as a result of the violence. The Waki Commission which investigated the violence fingered some high level government officials as prime suspects in the perpetration of the violence. The Waki Report which was passed on to Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), identified 19 politicians on a list of 219 alleged perpetrators including six cabinet ministers of the Kibaki government for possible prosecution for crimes against humanity.

ICC investigations cannot be initiated at the request of private parties. The ICC Prosecutor could initiate investigations only if he receives a referral from States or the U.N. Security Council. He could also initiate an investigation on his own. Despite the procedural hurdles, an organized and sustained demand for an investigation by the Prosecutor’s office could play a decisive role in persuading Moreno-Ocampo to consider launching a comprehensive inquiry into the massacres of 2005 in Ethiopia.

Immortalizing the Victims of Police Riots in Ethiopia

In November 2005, hundreds of Ethiopian men, women and children paid with their lives for the causes of freedom, democracy and human rights. Truth be told, the world does not remember the massacres of June and November, 2005. That is in good part because many of us in the Diaspora have done a poor job of remembering them ourselves and publicizing their cause and creating awareness worldwide. Thanks to so many dedicated individuals and groups that is changing. In this month of November, Ethiopians the world over are commemorating the 5th anniversary of Ethiopian election massacres.

The Ethiopian massacre victims now belong to the whole of humanity. They must be remembered by all freedom-loving peoples throughout the world, not just Ethiopians. In the U.S., we often hear members of Congress delivering stirring floor speeches in remembrance of massacres that took place half way across the globe. We have seen official proclamations and statements in memoriam for massacre victims in remote corners of the world. We have even read statements issued by U.S. Presidents reflecting on the historic significance of such events. American newspapers report on massacres that took place decades ago; houses of worship offer special prayers and even school children do special memorial projects in remembrance of massacre victims in different parts of the world. Perhaps next year, we may be able to do more things that will help create greater international awareness of the crimes against humanity that were committed in Ethiopia in June and November, 2005. By remembering the atrocities and spreading word about gross human rights abuses in Ethiopia, we not only keep alive the memory of the innocent victims of 2005 but also hasten the day when the criminals will be brought to justice.

Defining Moments: A Personal Reflection on the Slaughter of 2005

It seems to me that in the course of human events, most people face their own “defining moments”. Often that “moment” is a point in time when we gain a certain clarity about things that may have eluded us in the past or cloud our judgment. These moments are often random events beyond our control but define us as the persons we truly are. They come to us in the form of a choice: to be or not to be; to do or not to do; to speak up or not to speak up. By making the right choice we define the moment; and by making the wrong choice or not choosing at all, we allow the moment to define us. Frehiwot Samuel, Woldemichael Meshesha and Mitiku Teshome had their defining moments when they completed their report in 2006. They could have turned in a whitewash and received riches from Zenawi beyond their imagination. They chose to carry the truth into exile at extraordinary risk to their lives and began uncertain futures in foreign lands. When the modern history of Ethiopia is written, their names will be listed at the very top for displaying courage under fire, audacity in the face of despair, bravery in the face of personal danger, and unflinching fortitude in the face of extreme adversity. We can only thank them. “Never have so many owed so much to so few!”

Tyrants also have their defining moments and their lasting legacy for which they will be remembered in history. Adolf Hitler will be remembered for the Holocaust. Pol Pot will be the eternal symbol of the killing fields of Cambodia; and Saddam Hussien’s name will live infamy for his poison gas massacre in Halabja. Omar Bashir of Sudan, an indicted war criminal, will be remembered (and one day face face prosecution in the International Criminal Court) for this his genocidal campaigns against the Fur, Marsalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups in Darfur. Mengistu Hailemariam, the former military dictator in Ethiopia, will be remembered for his ruthless Red Terror campaign; and Meles Zenawi will forever be defined by the massacres of June and November, 2005 and many others that history will reveal.

The massacres of June and November 2005 were defining moments for me as an individual. I had to make a choice. The easy thing for me to do at the time was to shake my head in disbelief, cover my eyes in horror, roll my eyes in disgust and purse my lips in sorrow and move on to something else. That would have been tantamount to capitulating to evil and turning a blind eye to monstrous crimes committed against innocent human beings in my native homeland. My other choice was to muster the energy and courage to stand up and speak up against the personification of pure evil. I now live by the timeless maxim: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing.” Affirmatively stated, I believe all that is necessary to triumph over evil is for all good men, women and young people to do something.

The slaughter of 2005 must be made a warning to each new generation of Ethiopians of what happens when human rights are abused, the rule of law trashed, democracy trampled and freedom crushed. To paraphrase Elie Weisel, we must seek justice for the victims of yesterday not only because it is the right thing to do, but also to protect the youth of today, and the children who will be born tomorrow from similar injustice and wrong. We do not want the past to become the future of our children and grandchildren. That is why all of the criminals responsible for the 2005 massacre must be held accountable. Delaying justice to the Ethiopian massacre victims is to invite the harsh verdict of history upon ourselves and future generations: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE SLAUGHTER OF NOVEMBER (2005)!

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[1] http://www.abugidainfo.com/?p=6709 ; http://ethioforum.org/wp/archives/1515
[2] http://ethiomedia.com/carepress/yared_testimony.pdf
[3] http://www.ethiomedia.com/addfile/ethiopian_inquiry_commission_briefs_congress.html
[4] http://www.ethiomedia.com/accent/modernizing_internal_security_in_ethiopia.pdf
[5] http://abbaymedia.com/News/?p=2512