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Ethiopian Coup Plotters Sentenced
November 24, 2009
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly

On November 19, forty individuals were found guilty of attempting to organize a coup against the Ethiopian government, with thirteen of those individuals being found guilty in absentia.  In addition to the coup charges, Reuters reports that all the individuals were charged with five different charges, which included “conspiring to kill government officials” and “conspiring to instruct the army not to obey government orders.”  According to the law, the aforementioned charges are punishable by death. The twenty-seven individuals who were tried in the courtroom later pleaded for reduced sentences.  Out of those twenty-seven, many of them cited their former military service as a sign of their allegiance to the government.  According to Voice of America, Mekonnen Bezadeih, a spokesman for the Ethiopian Justice Ministry, stated that while the death penalty seemed like a harsh punishment for individuals who were only found guilty of attempting a coup, the sum of the total charges was enough to warrant the harshest possible punishment.  In addition, Voice of America also reports that two of the convicted individuals pleaded guilty to all of the charges in the hope that the court would consider reducing their sentences.

BBC News reports that the plotters were members of a group led by Berhanu Nega, an exiled politician and US-based dissident, who has been vocal about his criticisms towards the Ethiopian government and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.  Out of the total number of defendants, a small group of them were originally detained in April 2009 after weapons were allegedly found in their homes.  Once in custody, they were reportedly tortured until they confessed.  However, according to Judge Adem Ibrahim, no torture took place.  In an interview with a BBC Africa affiliate, Berhanu Nega stated that he was not surprised about the convictions, noting: “Anyone who is accused by the government, especially for political crimes, everybody in the country knows they will be convicted.”  In addition, while he denied involvement in the coup plot, he expressed that it was every citizen’s individual right to stand up to the unjust exercises of governmental power.  Human rights groups speculate that the Ethiopian government is attempting to quell all anti-government movements before the country’s next national election in June 2010.

Sources:
Reuters – Ethiopia convicts 27 over coup conspiracy
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE5AI0QQ20091119

Voice of America – Ethiopia Asks Death Penalty For Coup Plotters
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Ethiopia-Asks-Death-Penalty-For-Coup-Plotters-72773562.html

BBC News – Ethiopia convicts military men of coup plot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8369316.st