THE HAGUE — A court in the Netherlands on Friday convicted an aide to a former Ethiopian dictator and sentenced him to life in prison for war crimes carried out during Ethiopia’s “red terror” purges of the 1970s, including the execution of 75 prisoners.
The defendant, Eshetu Alemu, 63, was found guilty of ordering the 1978 killing of detainees, many of them younger than 18.
In the hearings held under Dutch universal jurisdiction, Mr. Alemu, a former regional representative under the country’s leader at the time, Mengistu Haile Mariam, was convicted of all charges brought by prosecutors, including arbitrary detention, inhumane treatment, torture and mass murder.
“The fact that the majority of victims were children younger than 18 makes the crimes all the more cruel,” said the presiding judge, Mariette Renckens.
Mr. Alemu arrived in the Netherlands as an asylum seeker in 1990 and had been in custody since 2015. He pleaded not guilty to the charges but was not present when the verdict was read out.
Negus Gebeyehu, a prisoner in a camp under Mr. Alemu’s control, gave an emotional speech in court after the verdict, as other victims cheered.
“Justice has been done for Ethiopia,” he said. “I was imprisoned as a young man and I survived. This is also the day for us to forgive.”
An Ethiopian court had sentenced Mr. Alemu to death in absentia in 2007 for his role in what became known as the “red terror,” a campaign conducted by Mr. Mengistu’s military junta after the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, was ousted in 1974. Mr. Mengistu was found guilty in absentia of genocide in the same trial in 2007, where he and top members of his military government were accused of killing thousands during his 17-year rule. He now lives in exile in Zimbabwe.
“Today’s verdict shows perpetrators that the Netherlands will not be a safe haven,” said Jirko Patist of the national prosecutor’s office.
The Netherlands is one of the European countries that has established an international crimes prosecution unit to prosecute people accused of war criminals who are residing in the Netherlands even if their crimes were committed abroad.
An Ethiopian court had sentenced Mr. Alemu to death in absentia in 2007 for his role in what became known as the “red terror,” a campaign conducted by Mr. Mengistu’s military junta after the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, was ousted in 1974. Mr. Mengistu was found guilty in absentia of genocide in the same trial in 2007, where he and top members of his military government were accused of killing thousands during his 17-year rule. He now lives in exile in Zimbabwe.
“Today’s verdict shows perpetrators that the Netherlands will not be a safe haven,” said Jirko Patist of the national prosecutor’s office.
Source – The New York Times