TNAG-0559-FCO40-654-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 125

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Ethiopia

During the course of the gradual military assumption of power in Ethiopia, which began in February 1974 and culminated in September 1974 in the deposin of Emperor Haile Selassie I, more than 180 persons connected with the former government or the royal family were arrested or detained. Most of the prisoners were held in the headquarters of the Ethiopian Army's Fourth Division at Addis Ababa, or in the Menelik Palace in the same city.

In September 1974 Amnesty International Secretary General Martin Ennals wrote to General Aman Andom, then chairman of the ruling Dergue (Provisional Military Administration Council), asking for guarantees that those imprisoned would have the opportunity to defend themselves at a fair trial. However, in November 1974, following a power-struggle within the Dergue in which General Andom was killed, 59 former high officials and army personnel were summarily executed.

Al immediately appealed to the Dergue to halt the executions and urged that humanitarian agencies be allowed to visit the remaining prisoners in their cells. Representations were also made to the President of the United Nations General Assembly, and AI national sections whose countries had diplomatic representation in Addis Ababa were asked to take appropriate steps to save the lives of the remaining detainees by bringing world opinion to bear on their plight.

Al later sought permission through the Ethiopian Embassy in London to send a delegation to Addis Ababa to discuss human rights questions with the Ethiopian authorities, and to observe trials taking place before the special courts martial which were established by decree in November 1974. In January 1975 permission for the mission was received, and the following month AI Deputy Secretary General Hans Ehrenstrale and Deputy Head of Research John Humphreys visited Ethiopia. During the course of their mission they spoke to a number of govern- ment officials, including the Minister of Justice and the registrar of the courts martial, and attended sessions of the courts martial at the Menelik Palace.

Following the return of the delegates, a confidential report on the functioning of the courts martial, the provisions of the special penal code promulgated in November 1974, and the situation of the untried detainees was made to Al's International Executive Committee. In May 1975 an aide memoire based on this report was forwarded through the Ethiopian Embassy in London to the chairman of the Dergue.

Although releases of prisoners have taken place in Ethiopia in January 1975 and later, Al is still gravely concerned at the detention without trial of persons connected with the former government of Emperor Haile Selassie. It is also concerned at the arrest and imprisonment of students, civil servants and others who are alleged to have violated provisions of the November 1974 special penal code.

The situation in Ethiopia has been complicated since February 1975 by the upsurge of secessionist guerrilla warfare in the northern province of Eritrea, and developments in that country will require close scrutiny during the remainder of 1975 to guard against further human rights violations.