7 April 2008
Addis Ababa — An Ethiopian Court has sentenced to death five top military officers of former Marxist ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam, for air raids that killed hundreds in an open market in 1980.
The state-run Ethiopian News Agency on Saturday said the five officers were sentenced for the raid at Hawzen, along with five others given life sentences and four given terms of 19 years. All were tried and sentenced in absentia.
Ethiopian Air Force officers were accused of bombing Hawzen in the northern Tigray region, killing hundreds of civilians on a market day on June 23, 1980, prosecutors said.
Ethiopia has been trying former official of Mengistu's regime for the past 14 years for horrific killings carried out under his rule.
Most are in exile after rebels including the current prime minister, Meles Zenawi, overthrew him in 1991. Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe, where he lives in luxury under the protection of President Robert Mugabe.
The same court in January 2007 sentenced Mengistu to life in prison for killings thousands of people during his 17-year rule which included famine, war and purges including the "Red Terror" slaughter of suspected opponents.
Prosecutors have said his sentence was not commensurate with his crime and appealed for a death sentence in May. The court is expected to hear the appeal this year, but Mengistu is not likely to face justice.
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blaming TPLF for what happend in Hawzen is realy the indication of hate in the Tigray people,realy shameful. Those inoccent people were killed by Ethiopian Airforce air strike bombs...instead of talking much about the people the writter was concerned about the "inocence" of the Airforce....eventhough it was an order from the Derg officials the Airforce members did it accepting willingly..It was not new for Ethiopian Airforce to to kill people... ..Temben,Marsa,Sekota,........it was not new for Derg to kill people -Red terror ,white Terror... so those who involved in such crime should be punished. the paradox is when… [Read Full Text]
I have nothing to say but repeat the words of the initial writer.the truth is that the verdicts to the criminal charges must be shared by both the TPLF leadership and the DERG officials.I believe that the criminal intent was in th eminds of the TPLF leaders who masterminded the dramatic inhuman act against Howzen people. Time will come and tell.
You are trying to tell as the inocence of DERG ?? realy it is shamefull......the slogan of Derg/Mengistu was "To kill the fish ,first wipe out the ocean"....No one forgets Derg's Red Terror .....not less than 50,000 were killed on the streets......In 1980 TPLF need no drama. TPLF durring 1980's was in a atrong army stand..well equiped ..that is why in short period of time(less than three years after the event of Hawzen) that took power by eliminating Derg. DERG officials are responsible..it was their Airforce who participated for all air raids that killed thousands in an open market… [Read Full Text]
What happened at Hawzen was a tragedy but I do not believe the Ethiopian Airforce Pilots deserve sole responsibility. TPLF gave out intelligence indicating that its officials were going to meet at the Hawzen market and they made sure that it was picked up by the DERG intelligence at the same time TPLF had given indication to the public that they were going to distribute food aid on that day which of course brought out the unsuspecting residents in large numbers. The TPLF clearly knew what was going to happen and instead of telling the people to move to safety… [Read Full Text]