Ethiopia awaits verdict in Mengistu’s genocide trial

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopians are awaiting a verdict in the marathon genocide trial of former dictator Mengistu Haile Miriam, who is accused of a plethora of brutal atrocities during his 17-year regime.

Ethiopia’s Federal High Court is expected to deliver its ruling today after a more than a decade of what has been one of Africa’s longest criminal proceedings in which the exiled Mengistu has been tried in absentia. “The Mengistu case was very big, there were many victims around the country and the investigation took a long time,” said special prosecutor Josef Kiros, who opened the state’s case when the trial began in December 1994.”It took three years just to gather the evidence,” he told Agence France-Presse, noting that the court heard testimony from 730 witnesses and has seen more than 3 000 documents placed into evidence.”The nature of the case makes it very long.”Exiled in Zimbabwe since his 1991 ouster, the ex-Marxist dictator is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity alongside 72 co-defendants, 26 of whom have also been tried in absentia.Only 35 are expected in court today.The charges relate to atrocities committed during the 1977-78 “Red Terror” period in which tens of thousands of people were killed or disappeared in Mengistu’s bid to turn Ethiopia into a Soviet-style workers’ state.The top leaders of the co-called “Derg” (Committee) regime are also accused of the murders of Emperor Haile Selassie, whom they toppled in a 1974 coup, and Orthodox Patriarch Abuna Tefelows.The evidence against Mengistu, who is approaching 70 and living relatively undisturbed in Zimbabwe despite efforts to have him extradited, includes execution orders and video footage of assassinations and torture of detainees.About 5 200 lower-ranking ex-soldiers and communist militants are facing similar charges in a series of other slow-running and oft-delayed trials in which verdicts are sporadically announced.The court adjourned the Mengistu case in November and said it would announce its verdict on May 23, but defence lawyers maintain there is a chance the ruling could be postponed.- Nampa-AFP”The Mengistu case was very big, there were many victims around the country and the investigation took a long time,” said special prosecutor Josef Kiros, who opened the state’s case when the trial began in December 1994.”It took three years just to gather the evidence,” he told Agence France-Presse, noting that the court heard testimony from 730 witnesses and has seen more than 3 000 documents placed into evidence.”The nature of the case makes it very long.”Exiled in Zimbabwe since his 1991 ouster, the ex-Marxist dictator is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity alongside 72 co-defendants, 26 of whom have also been tried in absentia.Only 35 are expected in court today.The charges relate to atrocities committed during the 1977-78 “Red Terror” period in which tens of thousands of people were killed or disappeared in Mengistu’s bid to turn Ethiopia into a Soviet-style workers’ state.The top leaders of the co-called “Derg” (Committee) regime are also accused of the murders of Emperor Haile Selassie, whom they toppled in a 1974 coup, and Orthodox Patriarch Abuna Tefelows.The evidence against Mengistu, who is approaching 70 and living relatively undisturbed in Zimbabwe despite efforts to have him extradited, includes execution orders and video footage of assassinations and torture of detainees.About 5 200 lower-ranking ex-soldiers and communist militants are facing similar charges in a series of other slow-running and oft-delayed trials in which verdicts are sporadically announced.The court adjourned the Mengistu case in November and said it would announce its verdict on May 23, but defence lawyers maintain there is a chance the ruling could be postponed.- Nampa-AFP