4
HUMAN
RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS
IN
ETHIOPIA
Page
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
3
I. BACKGROUNDINFORMATION
3
2.
3.
RIGHTSUNDER THE GOVERNMENTOF
EMPERORHAILE SELASSIE
5
N RIGHTSUNDER THE PROVISIONAL
MILITARYGOVERNMENT(DERG)
6
Politicalimprisonment
6
Torture
9
Prisonconditions
11
Politicalkillings
14
4. THE RESPONSEOF THE PROVISIONALMILITARY
GOVERNMENTTO CRITICISMOF VIOLATING
N RIGHTS
16
5. CONCLUSION
17
NOVEMBER1978
Index:AFR 25/09/78
AmnestyInternational
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONSIN ETHIOPIA
MAP OF ETHIOPIA
INTRODUCTION
Amnesty Internationalhas campaignedagainst human rights
violationsin Ethiopia since it was founded in 1961. During
the last years of the Governmentof Emperor Haile Selassie,it
E.144
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pressed for the release of prisonersof conscienceand fair trial
for other politicalprisoners,and protestedagainst the use of
tortureand the impositionof the death penalty. It has continued
this same work since the overthrowof the Haile SelassieGovernment
SEA
and the formationof the ProvisionalMilitary Government.
nano,
As a worldwidemovement independentof any government,political
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faction, ideologyor economic interest,Amnesty Internationaltakes
SUDAN
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no positionon Ethiopianpolitics or the ideologieson which they are
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based, or on the question of Eritrea or other conflicts. It focuses
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to other humanitarianissues such as famine relief, or the protection
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1. BACKGROUNDINFORMATION
BALE
5141.1
GOF FA
The origins of the twentieth-century
Ethiopian state lie in a
feudal monarchicalsystem stretchingback almost 3,000 years. The
S ID A MO
medieval ChristianEthiopianEmpire had disintegratedinto small
feudal kingdoms. In the late nineteenthcentury,Emperor Menelik
KENYA
SOMALIA
succeededin consolidatingthem into a unifiedEmpire state,which
defeated Italianattempts to bring it under colonialrule.
Emperor Haile Selassie,who ruled from 1930 to 1974, continuedthe
modernizationof the Empire's institutionsbegun by Menelik. A written
Constitutionwas first enacted in 1931, creatinga parliamentand senate,
but the Emperor'spowers remained absolute.
Government: ProvisionalMilitary AdministrativeCouncil (PMAC),
known as the Derg.
Head of State: Lieutenant-Colonel
Mengistu Haile Mariam, chairmanof the Derg.
Ca ital: Addis Ababa, populationapproximately1.2 million.
Po ulation: Approximately30 million,nearly 90 perceni living in rural areas.
Economy: Primarilyagricultural,with a low per capita income in comparison
to many other Third World countries.
From 1936 to 1941 Ethiopiawas occupiedby the Italianarmy. Haile
Selassiefled to Britain and made unsuccessfulpleas for assistancefrom
the League of Nations,which Ethiopia had joined in 1923. He was
restored as Emperor in 1941. Eritrea,which had been an Italian colony
since 1891, was placed under British administration. In 1952 it was
given federal status with Ethiopiaunder United Nations auspices.
Haile Selassiewas held in great esteem for his achievementsin the
field of internationaldiplomacy. He played an importantpart in the
formationof the Organizationof African Unity, which has its headquarters
in Addis Ababa. OfficiallyEthiopiawas non-alignedin its international
relations,but the United States of America providedmost military and
economicassistance.
the Soviet Union and other socialiststates,particularlyCuba and the
DemocraticRepublic of Germany. Ethiopia still has diplomaticand economic
relationswith the United States of America and members of the European
Community.
During 1976-78 the Der 's primary aim was to counter political
oppositioncentred in the capital,Addis Ababa, and to fight armed
oppositionforces in Eritrea, the Ogaden and - on a smaller scale -
Towards the latter part of Haile Selassie'slong reign, the failure
to reform the feudal land-tenuresystem, the slow rate of economic
development,and the absence of civil and politicalrights, caused
increasingdiscontent. The Eritrean LiberationFront began an armed
strugglefor Eritrean autonomy in 1962 when the region's federal
statuswas withdrawn. Democraticinstitutionsin Eritrea - a multiparty electoralsystem,a developed trade union movement and an
independentpress - were abolished. In other parts of the empire there
were a number of armed rebellionsagainst the government,an attempted
military cou d'etat in 1960, and growing radical protest from the
studentmovement. In 1974 Haile Selassie'sGovernmentwas overthrown
and replacedby military rule.
in severalother regions. In early 1978 a severe defeat was inflicted
on the Western Somali LiberationFront (WSLF)and the Somalia army
units fighting in the Ogaden. Much of Eritrea was held by the armed movements
fightingfor the independenceof the region; the main towns were taken
by the Ethiopianforces. As a result of these armed conflictsand
politicaltensions,an estimatedhalf-millionor more refugeeshave
fled to neighbouringcountries,and there are large numbers of
displacedpersons inside Ethiopia itself.
N RIGHTS IN ETHIOPIAUNDER THE GOVERNMENTOF HAILE SELASSIE
2.
The modernizationintroducedby Emperor Haile Selassieduring his
rule was accompaniedby some recognitionof human rights. Certain of
Governmentin 1974 was the devastatingfamine of 1972-74. The effects of
the rights includedin the UniversalDeclarationof Human Rights (1948)
were incorporatedinto the 1955 revisedConstitution,but in practice
severe droughtwere worsened by the Government'sdelay in admittingthe
they were severelyqualifiedand little protected.
What finallybrought about the overthrowof Haile Selassie's
seriousnessof the famine and in undertakingrelief measures. More than
200,000people died in the famine. Widespreadprotests in February 1974
culminatedin severalmonths of strikes,demonstratiorsagainst the
Government,and a gradualmilitary takeover. The ProvisionalMilitary
From 1948 to 1974, the main human rights violationsin Ethiopia
were:
detentionor unfair trial of politicalopponentsof the Government,
AdministrativeCouncil (PMAC),known as the Derg ("committee"),
especiallyin Eritrea;
assumed full power on 12 September1974. Haile Selassieand many
highrankingciviliansand military personnelwere detained. Some of
harsh conditionsof imprisonment;
- the use of torture;
them were among 59 detaineessummarilyexecutedwithout trial two
- the use of the death penalty for both politicaland criminaloffences;
months later.
and killingwhich had a politicalcontext;
- some incidentsof "disappearance"
- killingsof civilians in the areas of armed conflict,particularlyin
The Derg declaredEthiopiaa socialiststate, carried out measures
Eritrea.
to nationalizeall rural and urban land, and formed peasants'and
urban-dwellers'associations(kebelles)to functionas the local-level
ion
Revolut
tic
Democra
l
Nationa
a
administrativeunits. A program for
campaigningfor the release of individualprisonersof conscience,
was announcedin early 1976, aimed at abolishingfeudalismand imperialism,
and creatinga People'sDemocraticRepublic. The Derg strengthened
publicizingtortureand harsh prison conditions,and commenting
criticallyon unfair politicaltrials. Discussionsconcerninghuman
relationswith the USSR and obtained extensivemilitary assistancefrom
rights issueswere held with EthiopianGovernmentofficialsduring
Amnesty Internationalmissions in 1969 and 1971, although the orannization's
Amnesty Internationaltook action on a number of these issues,
representativeswere not able to meet the Emperor.
Among those politicalprisonersfor whom Amnesty International
campaignedwere:
to the use of indefinitedetentionwithout trial- and brought under the
civiliansand some military officersarrestedafter the attempted
jurisdictionof newly-createdurban-dwellers'association(kebelle)
cou d'e'tatin 1960;
tribunals,and peasants'associationtribunals. These tribunals,
a rival claimant to the thronewho had been detained since 1942 in
whose members had no legal trainingand whose proceedingswere not
very harsh conditions;
regulatedby legal formalities,frequentlyimposeddeath penalties
a prominentEritreanpoliticiandetained in 1963;
after sumnary trials in which defendantshad no legal representation.
a well-knownAmharic-languagenovelistdetainedbecause of his
Death penaltieswere then carried out immediatelyby kebelle armed
politicalbeliefs;
guards without right of appeal to either a civilian court or to the Head
members of a Galla ethnic welfare associationbrought to trial
of State.
on chargeswhich Amnesty Internationalbelievedwere also political
in origin.
Some of these people were adopted as prisonersof conscience,and
Amnesty Internationalgroups appealed for their release.
3. HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER THE PROVISIONALMILITARYADMINISTRATIVECOUNCIL (DERG)
Amnesty Internationalhas
also been concernedwith human rights
Large numbers of suspectedopponentsof the Governmentwere
detained arbitrarilyby kebelle and peasant associationguards during
the Government's"RedTerror"campaignbetween November 1977 and mid 1978.
Politicalprisoners
During the gradualmilitary takeoverof power in 1974, about 200
high-rankingGovernmentofficialsand military personnelwere arrested.
violationssince the Der came to power in 1974, particularlylarge-scale
In the first stages of military rule, the Der arrestedmost of the rest
politicaldetention,torture,harsh prison conditions,and many political
of the senior officialsof the Haile Selassieadministration,as well as
killings.
the deposed Emperor himself. Severalwomen relativesof the Emperor were
(i) PoliticalIm risonment
arrestedand so were many wives of former senior Governmentofficials
(some of whom were also detained,while others fled the country).On
The Legal Situation
Under decrees issued by the Derg in November 1974, military tribunals
23 November 1974, the summary executionwithout trial of 59 political
detainees,togetherwith BrigadierAndom, appointedHead of State when
were establishedwith powers to impose death penaltiesor long prison
the military took power, raised fears that the majority of these prisoners
sentencesfor a wide range of politicaloffences. These decrees,which
also would be killed. However, this did not happen, althoughduring
had retroactiveeffect,were aimed particularlyat the senior Government
1975-78 there were other killings involvingprominentmilitary
officialsdetained in the previousmonths and accused of responsibility
Governmentofficialsand also many less well-knownpoliticaldetainees,
for the famine deaths. After a Commissionof Inquiry some prosecutions
especiallyyoung people.
took place, not all of which resulted in convictions. Generally,however,
During 1975-76 there were many other arrests of alleged opponentsof
former members of the Governmentand armed forceswere not chargedwith
the Government,includingtrade unionists,academics,senior officials
offencesbut were kept in indefinitedetentionwithout trial.
in Governmentministries,commercialand financialinstitutions,military
In July 1976, followingincreasedpoliticalopposition,particularly
officers,engineersand state airline employees,teachersand students,
from the clandestineEthiopianPeople'sRevolutionaryParty (EPRP),the
some of whom had been in oppositionto the previousGovernmentalso. The
Der amended the penal code to institutethe death penalty for anyone
Patriarchof the EthiopianOrthodoxChurch and a number of bishops and
It
committinganti-revolutionary
activities"(whichincludedthe offence
priests were detained too, presumablyfor opposingmeasureswhich affected
of "contactwith anti-revolutionary
and anti-peopleorganizationswithin
the authorityof the church. Eritreanscontinuedto be a major target for
and outside the country"). These vaguely defined politicaloffenceswere
politicalarrest, because of their suspectedsupport for the armed struggle
subsequentlytaken out of the jurisdictionof military tribunals- which
for the region's independence.
had, in many cases, ceased to function, as the Derg resorted,instead,
Politicaldetentionin Eritrea,where martial law, in force since 1970,
followed
the same pattern as under the former Government,with large-scale
arbitraryarrests, tortureand killing. People from other areas where
there was armed opposition,such as Tigre, Begemdir,Wollo, Hararghe,Bale
and Sidamo,were also frequentlysingledout for arrest. Very few of these
politicalprisonershave been tried, but some of them have been released
from detention.
The pattern of politicalimprisonmentchanged after the formationof
the clandestineEthiopianPeople'sRevolutionaryParty (EPRP) in August 1975.
The EPRP organizeddemonstrationsand circulatedpoliticalleafletsattacking
in mid 1978, it is believed that a considerablenumber of those detained
during the campaignare still in detention,and that other arrests have
taken place since then. For example,Amnesty Internationallearnt of the
arrest of six studentsin July 1978 who had been forciblyreturned to
Ethiopiaby the USSR Government. They had been studyingin the Soviet
Union on USSR Governmentscholarships,but had expressedtheir political
oppositionto the Der throughan oppositionEthiopianstudentorganization.
Amnesty Internationalhad urged that they should not be returned to Ethiopia
against their will on the grounds that they were in danger of arrest,
ill-treatmentor executionbecause of their politicalbeliefs and activities;
however, in violationof the internationalstandardprotectingpolitical
As a result,many alleged EPRP members were arrestedat the
demonstrationsand during house-to-housesearchesby the security forces.
refugees from refoulement(forcedrepatriation),they were sent back.
Some were killed. In October 1976 or thereabouts,the EPRP appears to
have adopted a policy of assassinationof Governmentofficials.
politicalorganizationwhich had supportedthe Der and organized
politicalmobilizationthroughoutthe country against the EPRP, itself
The subsequentincreasein politicalviolence by both pro- and anti-Der
forces led to a marked increasein politicalimprisonment,too. On several
occasionsduring 1977, large-scalearrests took place of schoolchildren,
students,teachersand other groups from whom the EPRP was thought to
came into conflictwith the Derg. A number of MEISON members were
detained,and it is alleged that some of them were killed.
the Der .
In mid 1977, the All-EthiopiaSocialistMovement (MEISON),the
draw much of its support.
Amnesty Internationalhas the details of at least 360 political
detainees in Ethiopia. The fact that this is such a small proportion
of the total number,which must be some thousands,is due to the
On 12 November 1977, the Derg Chairman and Head of State,
Lieutenant-Colonel
Mengistu Haile Mariam, publiclyurged kebelle leaders
arbitraryand massive scale of arrests, the use of detentionincommunicado
and Governmentsecrecy over the names and conditionsof detainees,and
to "spread revolutionaryterror"against the Government'sopponents,
particularlythe EPRP. There had been earlier calls for such measures,
but the Government'sofficial"Red Terror" campaignbegan at this time.
the very real risks that detainees'relativeswould face if they were
known to have provided informationto Amensty International. The
organizationis unable to publish the list or take up any cases of
In the followingseven or eight months, kebelle guards and the security
forces carried out mass arbitraryarrests and large-scalekilling against
individualprisonersbecause of the danger of such reprisals. Appeals
have repeatedlybeen made to the Der 's chairman,Leiutenant-Colonel
alleged EPRP supporters. The Governmentjustifiedthese actions on the
grounds that over 100 Governmentofficialshad been assassinatedby the
EPRP in the precedingyear, and that specialmeasureswere needed to
protect the Revolution.
Mengistu Haile Mariam, to guaranteethe safety of those arrested
(manyof whom have allegedlybeenkilled in custody),and Amnesty
According to informationreceivedby Amnesty International,there
were prisoners in all 291 kebelle centers. An estimated30,000 prisoners
were held at the height of this campaign in the period between
December 1977 and February 1978. Similarmass arrests took place later in
other towns and rural areas. Although the "Red Terror" officiallyended
Internationalhas urged that politicaldetaineesshould either be
tried or released. These appeals,made irrespectiveof the nature
of the politicalviews of the variousdetainees,appear to have
had little effect.
(ii) Torture
The use of torturehas become increasinglycommon in Ethiopia and
many allegationsconcerningtortureof politicaldetaineesby the security
forces have been made since 1975. The availableinformationsuggeststhat
- 10 -
those most liable to be tortured were alleged sympathisersof the Eritrean
independencemovement and of the EPRP, includingmany young people arrested
It is believed that the Der
has rarely taken steps to prevent the use
of torture, although in April 1977 a kebelle chairman was publicly executed
during the "Red Terror" campaign (November1977 - June 1978). The former
for torturing and killing 24 people.
members of the Haile Selassie Government and their relatives who have been
(iii) Prison conditions
detained have not been tortured.
A typical recent case involving torture is that of a student,referred
to here as "Yohannes" for fear of reprisals.
Yohannes was arrested by kebelle guards in Addis Ababa, in January 1978.
His brother was one of about 2,500 people killed on suspicion of
anti-Governmentpolitical activity in the first phase of the
"Red Terror". Yohannes was detained for a few days and interrogated
under torture. The kebelle guards eventually accepted his pleas of
innocence but demanded that he prove his support for the Revolution
by torturing girls held in the kebelle prison. This he refused
to do. He was then thrown into a van with several other youths
who were to be killed and their bodies left by the roadside as
a warning to others. Like them, he had a label attached to his
back giving the reasons for his "execution". None of them
had been tried.
One of the kebelle officials guarding these "condemned"youths
recognized Yohannes and succeeded in persuading the other guards that
he had never been involved in political activities and there was no
good reason to kill him. He was released and returned home. Here
he was examined and secretly treated by a medically-qualifiedfriend
of the family.
According to this friend's description of his physical state,
as given to Amnesty International,Yohannes had several lacerations
on the neck, shoulders, chest and feet from beatings. His hands
were weak and his wrists showed black marks caused by the rope from
which he stated he had been suspendedduring beatings. He had burns
on the head and experienced great difficulty in swallowing,which
supported his statement that he had been tortured by electric shocks
to the head and throat. His body was dehydrated and he had to be
drip-fed. He felt great pain in the ribs, indicating that they
may have been fractured during the beatings, but it was not possible
to X-ray him to confirm this. He suffered from severe depression
and other symptoms of disorientation.
The main prisons used for political detainees in the capital, Addis
Ababa, are Akaki prison, Menelik Palace (now the Derg's headquarters),the
4th Army division headquarters,and the 3rd police station. Political
prisoners in Asmara are mainly held in Sembel, Hazhaz and Tsezerat prisons,
the army headquarters, the Expo pavilion and police stations. Political
prisoners are also held in prisons and police stations in other urban and
rural centres throughout the country.
Conditions in all prisons in Ethiopia are harsh, and fall short of the
conditions recommended in the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for
the Treatment of Prisoners. Overcrowding is particularlyprevalent because
of the large numbers of political arrests, and sanitary arrangementsare
inadequate. Political detainees are denied family visits except on
important religious festivals, two or three times a year. Even this
privilege appears to have been denied during 1978. Visits from priests
are not permitted. Political detainees are not provided with food: their
relatives are expected to bring food for them every day. Relatives are
usually allowed also to provide a mattress and blankets, and to take out
clothing to be washed and returned later. Short written messages may
normally be passed between detainees and their relatives, once a week.
Messages, food and laundry go through the prison guards. However, some
of these privileges are not
always permitted, as is shown below.
Reading matter is frequently denied.
Some medical attention is available in the main urban prisons, but
prisoners reportedly have to wait for long periods before they receive
qualified medical treatment or prescribedmedicines.
Other alleged methods of torture include:
Detainees are known to have been taken to hospital outside prison
dipping the body in hot oil and splashing hot oil on the face;
when seriously ill, but even so, many of them still have serious complaints
- raping of women, including young girls;
deriving from their conditions of detention, for which the medical attention
insertinga bottle or heated iron bar into the vagina or anus;
they receive is inadequate. Deprivation of exercise and fresh air has a
tying of a bottle of water to the testicles;
major effect on the health of detainees: they are locked into dark, poorly
pulling-out of the nails of fingers and toes;
ventilated and overcrowded cells, for almost 24 hours each day. The
severe beating on the soles of the feet;
weather at different seasons may cause the cells to become extremely hot
tying in a contorted position.
or very cold.
- 12 - 13 Conditions in prisons and police station cells in the rest of the
country are reportedly worse, especially during periods of greate
r political
tension, when there is a sudden influx of many new detainees, or
when
detainees may be taken out-for interrogationor to be tortured or
killed.
In prisons generally, guards punish any suspected disobedienceve
ry
harshly. Medical treatment is reportedly not available at all in
prisons
other than the principal prisons in the main urban centers; for ex
ample,
according to AI's information, there was no medical treatment give
n even in
the Third Police Station in Addis Ababa in mid 1977, where an esti
mated
1,000 prisoners were held. The large numbers of young people arre
sted
during the "Red Terror" campaign (November 1977 - June 1978) were
held
in kebelle administrativecenters converted into cells. Since th
ey were
not build for this purpose, sanitary and hygiene facilitieswere
completely
inadequate. Cells were very overcrowded because of the large numb
ers arrested.
Each day ( and often each night too ), these prisoners were subj
ected to
harsh political instructionand various forms of punishment, inte
nded to
rehabilitate those who confessed to counter-revolutionarysympat
hies.
Most women detainees suffer from hypertension,and some have need
ed
hospital treatment. In early February 1977, Princess Ijegayehu
Asfa
Wossen, Haile Selassie's grand-daughter,died in hospital after in
testinal
surgery. It is probably that her prolonged detention was the indi
rect
cause of her death.*
About 250 members of the former government and
others arrested since
1974 are imprisoned in a cellar in the former Menelik Palace in
Addis
Ababa. The cellar is very damp and cold, with very little ventil
ation or
light, and is said to be infested with rats and cockroaches. Pris
oners
here suffer particularly from eye complaints, chest pains and brea
thing
difficulties,intestinal and digestive problems, as well as hypert
ension.
At least seven of them are known to have died, probably as a resu
lt of
these conditions, either while still in detention or after they we
re
moved to hospital or released. These detainees are not permitte
d to
send written messages to the relatives who bring food each day.
Others who were strongly suspected of counter-revolutionaryacti
vities were
frequently tortured or killed. "Rehabilitation"consisted of diff
icult and
exhausting physical exercises, learning political slogans and song
s, public
confessions and political instruction,with severe beatings for th
ose who
failed to behave in the manner required. One feature of the proc
ess is
said to have been the command to ill-treat or torture other detain
ees
as proof of "rehabilitation". (See also p.10.)
Some of those arrested in the "Red Terror" campaign - or possibly
even before it - are reported to have been taken away and held in
prison
camps in the countryside - in north Wollo or the western Ogaden,
according
to one report - where conditions are harsher and where relatives
coul.d
not provide daily food.
Some women political detainees (includingwomen of the royal fami
ly)
are held in the former clinic in Akaki Prison in Addis Ababa, abou
t
15 in one of the rooms and 35 in the other. There is no furnitur
e, apart
from the mattresses their relatives were able to bring in, and th
ere are
said to be lice, cockroaches and rats in the rooms. Initially,ma
ny of
these women and other political detainees were paid an allowance
of
100 Ethiopian dollars (about US $50) each month for their relati
ves to
purchase food, in compensation for property confiscated by the Go
vernment.
*
Haile Selassiehimselfwas detainedfrom September1974 to August 19
75,
when he died under mysteriouscircumstances.According to the offi
cial
report,he died as a result of a surgicaloperation. Other reports
claim
that he was murdered.
- 14 -
(iv) Politicalkillin s
Politicalkillingsby Governmentsecurityofficers constitutethe
most serious violationof human rights under the Der • In some cases
these killings are officiallydescribedasexecutions" even though the
victims receiveno form of trial. In others there may have been tribunal
proceedingsby means of which the death penaltywas summarilyimposed
and inflictedimmediatelyafterwards. During 1977-78many political
killingsby the securityforces were officiallytermed "revolutionary
measures"or "revolutionaryjustice".
On 23 November 1974, two months after the Der took power, the
recentlyappointedHead of State, BrigadierGeneral Aman Andom, and 59
politicaldetaineeswere summarilykilled by firing squad. No trials took
place. It has been alleged that BrigadierGeneralAndom's death was
the result of a power-strugglewithin the Der , and that the political
detaineeswere selected for killing--without
any form of legal proceeding--by
the Der leaders. Similarkillings of senior officialsof the military
governmenthave taken place since then--MajorSissay Habte and General
- 15-
thousandchildrenhave been massacredin Addis Ababa and their bodies,
lying in the streets,are ravagedby roving hyenas...Thebodies of
murdered children,mostly aged from eleven to thirteenyears, can be
seen heaped on the roadsidewhen one leaves Addis Ababa." He claimed that
between 100 and 150 young people were being killed each night.
Other killings occurred in the followingmonths, though not on
such a large scale as this. However, after the killing in mid-November1977
of LieutenantColonel Abate (officiallydescribedas a "revolutionary
measure"),LieutenantColonelMengistuHaile Mariam, the Der chairman,
ordered that "Red Terror" should be inflictedon "counter-revolutionaries".
This phrase had been used earlier, in February,when he called for
"red terror" to be applied to those spreading"white terror"-referring
to the EPRP -organized assassinationswhich, the Der claimed,had taken
the lives of over 100 Governmentofficialssince October 1976. The
Government's"Red Terror" campaign,beginningin mid November 1977, was
directed at alleged supportersof the EPRP, and involvedmass arrests of
GetachewNadew, for example,were shot in July 1976; BrigadierTeferi
Bante (who succeededBrigadierAndom as the next Head of State),was
young people (see earlier,p. 8 ), the systematicuse of torture and the
summarykilling of large numbers of those arrested. This was mostly
carried out by kebelle armed guards or nrevolutionarydefense squads"
shot in February 1977 and Lieutenant-Colonel
Atnafu Abate, the Der 's
Vice-Chairman,was shot in November of the same year.
attached to factoriesand other institutions. Killing took place
arbitrarilywhen groups of young people were seen on the streets,during
There have been several incidentssince 1974 when the security forces
have killed people during demonstrations: for example,on May Day in
Addis Ababa in 1975 and again on May Day, 1976. Some people were shot dead
house searchesfor EPRP activists,and as a result of kebelle tribunal
decisionsfollowinghearingsunregulatedby legal formalities. (See
earlier,p. 7 ). In the case of those "condemned"in this
way (as Yohannes had been, see p.10), the "execution"followedimmediately.
on 2 March 1977 for circulatingEPRP publicationsduring a pro-government
demonstration. More recently,on the night of 29 April 1977, soldiersand
kebelle guards in Addis Ababa launcheda massive attack on gatheringsof
young people who were suspectedof preparingan EPRP-organizeddemonstration against the Der for May Day. It is estimatedthat about 500 people
were killed. The Der denied the killingsbut they were confirmedby
the reportsof several foreignjournalistsand diplomatspresent in the
capital at the time. Killings continuedfor some days afterwards,
particularlyin Addis Ababa, but also in nearby towns. On 17 May 1977, the
Secretary-General
of the Swedish Save the ChildrenFund stated that "One
It took place at night, the victim'sbody being left until morning with a
warning placard attachedto it, stating "This was a counter-revolutionary",
"The Red Terror will flourish",or some slogan. After these
II
executions",victims' relativeswere either forbiddento mourn and
ordered to join in public condemnationof those who had been killed, or
back
were allowed to buy/the bodles for burial - "paying for the bullet",
as it was called.
It is estimatedthat about 5,000 young people aged between 12 and 25
were killed in this way in Addis Ababa during the Red Terror, particularly
during December 1977, January and February 1978, when killings and
- 17 -
- 16 imprisonmentreached a peak and an average of about 100 people were killed
each night. In early 1978 the campaignspread to other towns and to
rural areas, althoughby May, corpseswere rarely seen exposed in the
streets of the capital and'in June the Governmentended its referencesto
"Red Terror". The killings of Governmentofficialsby the EPRP had also
ceased. The Governmentstated that about 200 officialshad been assassinated in the previouseighteenmonths.
Although policiesof "applyingrevolutionarymeasures"were directed
principallyagainst the EPRP during 1976-78,politicalkilling was not
confined to allegedEPRP members. The same practicehad been continuing,
virtuallyunabatedsince 1970, in Eritrea,both in the towns still under
EthiopianGovernmentcontrol, and in the areas of armed conflict,
where widespreadatrocitiesare alleged to have been committedagainst
civiliannon-combattantsby the Ethiopianarmy. Similar allegationsare
made in respect of other areas of armed conflict,especiallyin the Ogaden,
where both sides have been accused of contraveningthe Geneva Conventions.
It is extremelydifficultto estimate the number of people killed for
politicalreasons in recent years in Ethiopia. In 1977 the former
has claimed that its politicaland economicmeasures had "restoredthe
rights of the broad masses",
Amnesty Internationalhas campaignedagainst violationsof human rights
in Ethiopia since 1961, when it was founded. The informationpublicized
by the organizationhas been based on officialEthiopianGovernment
and radio reports,as well as on materialprovidedby other sources. These
must remain confidentialfor fear of reprisals,but they are carefully
checked. Amnesty Internationaltakes no stand on the politicalor economic
policies of the Revolution,but has appealedto the Governmentto respect
the fundamentalhuman rights guaranteedin the UniversalDeclarationof
Human Rights. The Der 's use of terror as a "measure to safeguardthe
Revolution"constitutesa flagrantdenial of these basic human
rights.
Amnesty Internationalequally condemns the use of terror by
anti-Governmentorganizationssuch as the EPRP.
In March 1978, the United Nations Commissionon Human Rights announced
that it would take "measures"on the human rights situationin
Ethiopia and in certain other countrieswhere there were gross violations
of human rights.
Secretary-General
of the EthiopianTeachersAssociationclaimed that
about 30,000 had been killed since 1974. It is impossiblefor Amnesty
Internationalto go further than to say that there have been large-scale
killings of civiliansin the areas of armed conflict,while repression
of internalpoliticaloppositionby the Government'ssecurityforces has
caused some thousandsof deaths.
4.
THE RESPONSEOF THE PROVISIONALMILITARYGOVE
VIOLATING
NT TO CRITICISMOF
N RIGHTS
The EthiopianGovernmenthas stated, in the Program of the National
DemocraticRevolution(1976),that it will "establisha People'sDemocratic Republic in which freedom,unity and prosperityof the Ethiopian
people are ensured" and that "The principlesof the charterof the United
Nations...willbe respected." However, the Government'sresponse to
protests and appealsby Amnesty International,with referenceto the right
to life, the right to freedom from torture and the right to a fair trial if
accused of an offence--rightsguaranteedby the Charter of the United Nations-has been to accuse the organizationof spreadingcounter-revolutionary
and
venemouspropaganda. Amnesty Internationalwas accused of conspiringwith
"the enemies of the EthiopianRevolution" and remainingsilent about
human rights violationsunder the Haile SelassieGovernment. The Der
5. CONCLUSION
Although there were seriousviolationsof human rights in Ethiopiaunder
the Haile SelassieGovernment,under the Provisionalmilitary Government
there has developedsince 1974 a consistentpattern of gross violationsof
fundamentalhuman rights. By the time of the fourth anniversaryof this
Governmentin September1978, the human rights situationhad improvedin
some respects. The "Red Terror" campaignhad come to an end, and by mid 1978
the large-scalearrests and killingsassociatedwith it were no longer
taking place. However,Amnesty Internationalhas learnt that arrest and
torturecontinue,and that there are still large numbers of political
prisoners,whose conditionsare not known to have improved.
November 1978.