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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - June 1, 2024Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - modern career paths, novel trial results, and more
-
5 guilty-pleasure cartoons about Trump's guilty verdictCartoons Artists take on the headlines, merch, and more
-
Israel's isolation: an overdue 'reckoning'?Talking Point Netanyahu faces moment of 'extreme crisis' following ICJ order to halt Rafah assault
