Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ethiopia's High Court this week found former Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam guilty of genocide. Mengistu, now 70, came to power in a 1974 coup that overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie. He and his followers promptly launched the so-called Red Terror, in which thousands of anti-communists were executed, their bodies dumped in the streets. Backed by the Soviet Union, Mengistu also presided over wars with the secessionist province of Eritrea and neighboring Somalia. In 1991, as Eritrea was close to gaining independence, Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe, where he still lives. The court convicted him in absentia.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Democrats: How to rebuild a damaged brandFeature Trump's approval rating is sinking, but so is the Democratic brand
-
Unraveling autismFeature RFK Jr. has vowed to find the root cause of the 'autism epidemic' in months. Scientists have doubts.
-
'Two dolls': Can Trump sell Americans on austerity?Feature Trump's tariffs may be threatening holiday shelves but they've handed Democrats a 'huge gift'
