Mengistu Haile Mariam: Difference between revisions

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'''Mengistu Haile Mariam''' (May 21st, 1937 - ) is an Ethiopian politician who was the most prominent officer of the [[Derg]], the Communist military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991.

Effectively a dictator, he oversaw the [[Qey Shibir|Ethiopian Red Terror of 1977–1978]], a campaign of repression against the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party and other anti-Derg factions. Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe in 1991 at the conclusion of the Ethiopian Civil War, and remains there despite an Ethiopian court verdict finding him guilty ''in absentia'' of [[genocide]]. Some estimates for the number of deaths his regime was responsible for are as high as 1.285 million. He is currently living in exile in Zimbabwe totally anonymous.

Effectively a dictator, he oversaw the [[Qey Shibir|Ethiopian Red Terror of 1977–1978]], a campaign of repression against the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party and other anti-Derg factions. Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe in 1991 at the conclusion of the Ethiopian Civil War, and remains there despite an Ethiopian court verdict finding him guilty ''in absentia'' of [[genocide]]. Some estimates for the number of deaths his regime was responsible for are as high as 1.285 million. He is currently living in [[exile]] in Zimbabwe totally anonymous.

==Early life==

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===Asylum in Zimbabwe===

In May 1991, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_People%27s_Revolutionary_Democratic_Front Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front] (EPRDF) forces advanced on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa Addis Ababa] from all sides, and Mengistu fled the country with 50 family and Derg members. He was granted asylum in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe Zimbabwe] as an official guest of Zimbabwean President [[Robert Mugabe]]. Mengistu left behind almost the entire membership of the original Derg and the WPE leadership, precluding their escape; in fact, one officer was caught twice while trying to escape from Addis Ababa. Almost all were promptly arrested and put on trial upon the assumption of power by the EPRDF. Mengistu has claimed that the takeover of his country resulted from the policies of [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], who in his view allowed the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the termination of its aid to Ethiopia.

In May 1991, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_People%27s_Revolutionary_Democratic_Front Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front] (EPRDF) forces advanced on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa Addis Ababa] from all sides, and Mengistu fled the country with 50 family and Derg members. He was granted asylum in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe Zimbabwe] as an official guest of Zimbabwean President [[Robert Mugabe]]. Mengistu left behind almost the entire membership of the original Derg and the WPE leadership, precluding their escape; in fact, one officer was caught twice while trying to escape from Addis Ababa. Almost all were promptly arrested and put on trial upon the assumption of power by the EPRDF. Mengistu has claimed that the takeover of his country resulted from the policies of Mikhail Gorbachev, who in his view allowed the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the termination of its aid to Ethiopia.

An assassination attempt against Mengistu occurred on 4 November 1995, while he was out walking with his wife, Wubanchi Bishaw, near his home in the Gunhill suburb of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harare Harare]. While Mengistu was unharmed, his alleged attacker, Solomon Haile Ghebre Michael, an Eritrean, was shot and arrested by Mengistu's bodyguards. He was later tried for this assassination attempt, pleading not guilty in a Zimbabwean court on 8 July 1996. The Eritrean Ambassador to South Africa, Tsegaye Tesfa Tsion, flew to Harare to attend the trial. The attacker was sentenced to ten years in prison, while his accomplice Abraham Goletom Joseph, who had been arrested in a police raid, was sentenced to five years. They said that they had been tortured under Mengistu, and on appeal their sentences were reduced to two years each due to "mitigatory circumstances". The Ethiopian ambassador to Zimbabwe, Fantahun Haile Michael, said his government was not involved in the assassination attempt, and that he heard about the incident from the media.

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After Mengistu's conviction in December 2006, the Zimbabwean government said that he still enjoyed asylum and would not be extradited. A Zimbabwean government spokesman explained this by saying that "Mengistu and his government played a key and commendable role during our struggle for independence". According to the spokesman, Mengistu assisted his guerrilla fighters during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Bush_War Rhodesian Bush War] by providing training and arms, and after the war he had provided training for Zimbabwean air force pilots; the spokesman said that "not many countries have shown such commitment to us".

[[File:Hailemarian & Haile Mariam.png|thumb|462x462px]]

Following an appeal on May 26th, 2008; Mengistu was sentenced to death ''in absentia'' by Ethiopia's High Court, overturning his previous sentence of life imprisonment. Twenty-three of his most senior aides also received death sentences that were commuted on 1 June 2011. On October 4, 2011, 16 of former Mengistu officials have been released from prison on parole, due to their old age and good behavior, while they were incarcerated. However, Mengistu's sentence remains unchanged. It is not clear if a change in government in Zimbabwe will result in his extradition.

Following an appeal on May 26th, 2008; Mengistu was sentenced to death ''in absentia'' by Ethiopia's High Court, overturning his previous sentence of life imprisonment. Twenty-three of his most senior aides also received death sentences that were commuted on 1 June 2011. On October 4, 2011, 16 of former Mengistu officials have been released from prison on parole, due to their old age and good behavior, while they were incarcerated. However, Mengistu's sentence remains unchanged. It is not clear if a change in government in Zimbabwe will result in his extradition, though despite Robert Mugabe's resignation in 2017, the [[ZANU-PF]] still remain in firm control of the country, so this is unlikely.

Ethiopians, unlike Chad, are known to have made no effort to sit Mengistu on the bench

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 '''Mengistu Haile Mariam''' (May 21st, 1937 - ) is an Ethiopian politician who was the most prominent officer of the [[Derg]], the Communist military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991.
-Effectively a dictator, he oversaw the [[Qey Shibir|Ethiopian Red Terror of 1977–1978]], a campaign of repression against the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party and other anti-Derg factions. Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe in 1991 at the conclusion of the Ethiopian Civil War, and remains there despite an Ethiopian court verdict finding him guilty ''in absentia'' of [[genocide]]. Some estimates for the number of deaths his regime was responsible for are as high as 1.285 million. He is currently living in exile in Zimbabwe totally anonymous.
+Effectively a dictator, he oversaw the [[Qey Shibir|Ethiopian Red Terror of 1977–1978]], a campaign of repression against the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party and other anti-Derg factions. Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe in 1991 at the conclusion of the Ethiopian Civil War, and remains there despite an Ethiopian court verdict finding him guilty ''in absentia'' of [[genocide]]. Some estimates for the number of deaths his regime was responsible for are as high as 1.285 million. He is currently living in [[exile]] in Zimbabwe totally anonymous.
 ==Early life==
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 ===Asylum in Zimbabwe===
-In May 1991, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_People%27s_Revolutionary_Democratic_Front Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front] (EPRDF) forces advanced on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa Addis Ababa] from all sides, and Mengistu fled the country with 50 family and Derg members. He was granted asylum in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe Zimbabwe] as an official guest of Zimbabwean President [[Robert Mugabe]]. Mengistu left behind almost the entire membership of the original Derg and the WPE leadership, precluding their escape; in fact, one officer was caught twice while trying to escape from Addis Ababa. Almost all were promptly arrested and put on trial upon the assumption of power by the EPRDF. Mengistu has claimed that the takeover of his country resulted from the policies of [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], who in his view allowed the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the termination of its aid to Ethiopia.
+In May 1991, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_People%27s_Revolutionary_Democratic_Front Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front] (EPRDF) forces advanced on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa Addis Ababa] from all sides, and Mengistu fled the country with 50 family and Derg members. He was granted asylum in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe Zimbabwe] as an official guest of Zimbabwean President [[Robert Mugabe]]. Mengistu left behind almost the entire membership of the original Derg and the WPE leadership, precluding their escape; in fact, one officer was caught twice while trying to escape from Addis Ababa. Almost all were promptly arrested and put on trial upon the assumption of power by the EPRDF. Mengistu has claimed that the takeover of his country resulted from the policies of Mikhail Gorbachev, who in his view allowed the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the termination of its aid to Ethiopia.
 An assassination attempt against Mengistu occurred on 4 November 1995, while he was out walking with his wife, Wubanchi Bishaw, near his home in the Gunhill suburb of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harare Harare]. While Mengistu was unharmed, his alleged attacker, Solomon Haile Ghebre Michael, an Eritrean, was shot and arrested by Mengistu's bodyguards. He was later tried for this assassination attempt, pleading not guilty in a Zimbabwean court on 8 July 1996. The Eritrean Ambassador to South Africa, Tsegaye Tesfa Tsion, flew to Harare to attend the trial. The attacker was sentenced to ten years in prison, while his accomplice Abraham Goletom Joseph, who had been arrested in a police raid, was sentenced to five years. They said that they had been tortured under Mengistu, and on appeal their sentences were reduced to two years each due to "mitigatory circumstances". The Ethiopian ambassador to Zimbabwe, Fantahun Haile Michael, said his government was not involved in the assassination attempt, and that he heard about the incident from the media.
@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 After Mengistu's conviction in December 2006, the Zimbabwean government said that he still enjoyed asylum and would not be extradited. A Zimbabwean government spokesman explained this by saying that "Mengistu and his government played a key and commendable role during our struggle for independence". According to the spokesman, Mengistu assisted his guerrilla fighters during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Bush_War Rhodesian Bush War] by providing training and arms, and after the war he had provided training for Zimbabwean air force pilots; the spokesman said that "not many countries have shown such commitment to us".
 [[File:Hailemarian & Haile Mariam.png|thumb|462x462px]]
-Following an appeal on May 26th, 2008; Mengistu was sentenced to death ''in absentia'' by Ethiopia's High Court, overturning his previous sentence of life imprisonment. Twenty-three of his most senior aides also received death sentences that were commuted on 1 June 2011. On October 4, 2011, 16 of former Mengistu officials have been released from prison on parole, due to their old age and good behavior, while they were incarcerated. However, Mengistu's sentence remains unchanged. It is not clear if a change in government in Zimbabwe will result in his extradition.
+Following an appeal on May 26th, 2008; Mengistu was sentenced to death ''in absentia'' by Ethiopia's High Court, overturning his previous sentence of life imprisonment. Twenty-three of his most senior aides also received death sentences that were commuted on 1 June 2011. On October 4, 2011, 16 of former Mengistu officials have been released from prison on parole, due to their old age and good behavior, while they were incarcerated. However, Mengistu's sentence remains unchanged. It is not clear if a change in government in Zimbabwe will result in his extradition, though despite Robert Mugabe's resignation in 2017, the [[ZANU-PF]] still remain in firm control of the country, so this is unlikely.
 Ethiopians, unlike Chad, are known to have made no effort to sit Mengistu on the bench