News / Politics
Former Ethiopian Dictator Convicted of Genocide
Currently living in exile in Zimbabwe, former Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam was tried and convicted in absentia by a panel of judges for his role in what came to be known as the Red Terror.
Mengistu rose to power in 1974 after he led a bloody coup that overthrew then Emperor Haile Selassie.
While the trial focused on the Red Terror campaign, Mengistu’s violent reign resulted in an estimated 150,000 murders of intellectuals, students, and political adversaries.
Mengistu was deposed in 1991 and fled to Zimbabwe where President Robert Mugabe granted him exile. Sentencing for the conviction is set for December 28 and Mengistu could face the death penalty. It is unlikely that Mugabe would deport the former Ethiopian dictator.
The trial of Mengistu began in 1994 and has suffered numerous delays and setbacks. Mengistu and 72 of his former aides were named in the case but by Tuesday only 34 stood in the court room. Fourteen of those men have died since the trial began while another 25 were tried in absentia.
