F British Woods Business Center
2201 Murfreesboro Pike,
Suite A-109
Nashville, TN 37217, USA
May 17, 2018
The UN Security Council
United Nations
405 East 42nd Street
New York, N.Y. 10017.
Your Excellencies:
We, the undersigned, are aware that the responsibility of the Security Council among other things is maintenance of international peace and security. This function of the Council is fulfilled inter alia through prosecution of genocide, crime against humanity, torture, etc. which are presumed to endanger international peace and security.
Between 1976 and 1978 the Marxist Government of Ethiopia under Mengistu Hailemariam’s direction killed as many as 500,000.00 Ethiopians and launched widespread and systematic attack against civilian population for no reason other than their political belief.
It is regrettable that insofar as Mengistu’s crimes are concerned, impunity has reigned supreme. Mengistu indeed was tried in absentia in Ethiopia among other crimes, for genocide, crime against humanity and was found to be guilty and sentenced to death by the Ethiopian High Court. He never served the sentence and now lives undisturbed in a relative comfort in Zimbabwe. The process was so flawed that it could not be called a real trial which afforded due process of law neither to the accused nor to the surviving victims and their relatives. Having been tried in absentia Mengistu could not confront witnesses against him nor could his victims and their relatives face him in court, a process which would give them some solace from their grief. No international warrant has been issued with the intent to arrest him.
We, participants in FitihLeEthiopia (Justice for Ethiopia) who lost members of our families or ourselves have been victims to the atrocities appeal, to the United Nations Security Council to establish an ad hoc court with jurisdiction to try Mengistu for genocide, crime against humanity, torture, murder etc. in any venue where justice can be achieved.
We take our cues from similar cases such as the trial of Hissen Habre of Chad in Senegal for international crimes he committed in Chad when he was the President of the country. Other examples of international prosecutions abound where the UN established or assisted to establish ad hoc courts or hybrid courts in East Timor, Kosovo, Lebanon and others to prosecute those authorities suspected of committing international crimes. These crimes committed in some of these countries pale when compared to the crimes committed by Mengistu.
With our highest compliments,
Kidane Alemayehu
Chairman
H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed
Prime Minister of Ethiopia
P.O.Box 1031
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
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