The Ethiopian Red Terror Trials
Title Details

176 Pages

21.6 x 13.8 cm

Series: African Issues

Series Vol. Number: 24

Imprint: James Currey

The Ethiopian Red Terror Trials

Transitional Justice Challenged

Edited by Kjetil Tronvoll

by Charles Schaefer and Girmachew Alemu Aneme

  • Description
  • Contents
  • Author
  • Reviews
This collection analyses the approach taken by the current government of Ethiopia to deal with the massive human rights violations that took place from 1974 to 1991 under the Derg.

How was an autocratic emperor replaced by a totalitarian dictator?
An unexpected popular upsurge in February 1974 made the ancien regime of Emperor Haile Selassie buckle. The Derg, a group of army officers led by an obscure and ruthless major Mengistu Hailemariam, seized power by military coup in September 1974 and removed the Emperor.
What was the 'red terror'?
The callous executions of members of the old regime initiated a cult of violence. The Derg were united by the shedding of blood. Search and destroy campaigns against militants led on to the full-blown 'red terror' in which thousands of the regime's opponents were brutally murdered in the streets.
In what way was 'transitional justice' administered?
The main officials were found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity by the Ethiopian Federal High Court and sentenced to life imprisonment. Some of the minor officialshad already been sentenced to death, whilst President Mugabe has given Mengistu Hailemariam sanctuary in Zimbabwe.

KJETIL TRONVOLL is Professor in Human Rights, Peace and Conflict Studies at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo; CHARLES SCHAEFER is Associate Professor of African History, Valparaiso University; GIRMACHEW ALEMU ANEME is a Research Fellow at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo.
Preface
The Red Terror trials: the context of transitional justice in Ethiopia - Kjetil Tronvoll and Charles Schaefer and Girmachew Alemu Aneme
The history of the Red Terror: contexts & consequences - Bahru Zewde
The rights of the accused: a human rights appraisal - Frode Elsegem and Girmachew Alemu Aneme
The role of the Special Prosecutor's Office - Sarah Vaughan
The Red Terror trials versus traditions of restorative justice in Ethiopia - Charles Schaefer
A quest for justice or the construction of political legitimacy?: The political anatomy of the Red Terror trials - Kjetil Tronvoll
Building state & nation: justice, reconciliation & democratization in Ethiopia & South Africa - Elsa Van Huyssteen
Beyond the Red Terror trials: analysing guarantees of non-repetition - Girmachew Alemu Aneme
Concluding the main Red Terror trial: Special Prosecutor v. Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam et al. - Kjetil Tronvoll
Concluding the main Red Terror trial: Special Prosecutor v. Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam et al. - Charles Schaefer
Concluding the main Red Terror trial: Special Prosecutor v. Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam et al. - Girmachew Alemu Aneme

KJETIL TRONVOLL is Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Bjørknes University College, Director of Oslo Analytica policy research and advisory company, and a former Professor of Human Rights at the University of Oslo. His books include, with Daniel R. Mekonnen, The African Garrison State: Human Rights & Political Development in Eritrea (2017).

Chuck Schaefer is Professor of History & International Studies at Valparaiso University. He taught at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia from 1992 through 1994 as a Fulbright Lecturer. His books include co-editing The Ethiopian Red Terror Trials: Transitional Justice Challenged (2009).

GIRMACHEW ALEMU ANEME is a Research Fellow at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo.

"A major contribution to the paltry transitional justice literature." INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
"For shedding light on a process that has dwelt in inordinate obscurity, this volume is very valuable. It can deepen contemporary understandings of the dilemmas and opportunities presented by the assertion of jurisdiction for international crimes by the ravaged and war-torn states in which they occur." INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW REVIEW
"Is bound to raise awareness of an otherwise ignored historic courtroom drama. [It is] a solid, luminous, and timely work, a must-read for all Ethiopianists, especially for human rights advocates and policy analysts." INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ETHIOPIAN STUDIES
"This collection is an enlightening read. It provides the first comprehensive and detailed account of Ethiopia's Red Terror trials and will be of interest to scholars, academics and policy makers concerned with human rights, transitional justice, conflict and post-conflict resolution." AFRICAN STUDIES BULLETIN
"This collection is an enlightening read. It provides the first comprehensive and detailed account of Ethiopia's Red Terror trials and will be of interest to scholars, academics, activists and policy makers concerned with human rights issues, transitional justice, conflict and post-conflict reconstruction." LUCAS BULLETIN

Paperback

9781847013200

March 2009

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9781846157233

March 2009

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Title Details

176 Pages

2.16 x 1.38 cm

Series: African Issues

Series Vol. Number: 24

Imprint: James Currey