Lij Michael Imiru, Last Imperial Prime Minister (July 1974 - September 1974)
His Imperial Majesty in 1974, a few months before he was deposed, and about a year before he was killed.
His Imperial Majesty being removed from the Jubilee Palace inAddis Ababa following his deposing by the Derg. He was taken away inthis baby blue volkswaggen bug. An arrow indicates the Emperor as hewalks towards the car. September 11th, 1974.
The Fall
After months of the military co-ordinating committee (Dergue) placingmembers of the Aklilu Haptewold and Endalkatchew Makonnen governmentsin prison, along with the senior military officers, nobility andregional governors and officials, it became clear that the days of theEmperor on the throne were numbered. The press was full of vitriol andscathing attacks on the fallen governments, on the corruption andincompitence of the officials, and even on the character and theperformance of the Emperor himself. The attacks on the Emperor rangedfrom critics that stated his reign had been too long, that he shouldhave abdicated in favor of his son or one of his grandsons long ago,that he was too old and too senile to hold state responsibility, tooutright attacks on his character labeling him a thief and a despot.The daily attacks eroded the Emperor's once vast popularity and laidthe groundwork for the inevitable. On September 11th, 1974, Ethiopianscelebrated their New Year, welcoming the year 1967 according to theirversion of the Julian Calandar. During the day, truckloads of soldeirsspread out from the baracks of the 4th division and took up strategicpositions all over the capital. Tanks and armoured personnel carriersrolled down the streets of Addis Ababa and jeeps with mounted machineguns took up guard outside banks, ninistries, palaces and importantjunctions in the city. Soldiers wore stickers with the slogan "EthiopiaTikdem" (Ethiopia before all) on their helmets. Rumors swept the citythat Princess Tenagnework and several other members of the Emperor'simmediate family had been placed under arrest. Nothing in the pressindicated what exactly was going on. In fact, the Emperor's daughter
Princess Tenagnework, his daughter-in-law Princess Sara Duchess ofHarrar and all their children were placed under arrest in Addis Ababa.In Tigrai, the hereditary Prince Ras Mengesha Seyoum had already takento the hills with a band of followers, but at Mekele's castle, his wifePrincess Aida Desta (daughter of Princess Tenagnework) along with herdaughter and the children of her sister Princess Seble were arrestedand put on a plane back to Addis Ababa. The Imperial family wassystematically being rounded up. Rumors swept the city, but nothingofficial was announced. Late in the day, as was traditional, thePatriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Theophilos gave hisyearly New Year's Address on national television and radio. In hisspeech, the Patriarch likened Ethiopia to a ship in stormy seas,charting a new path into the future. At the end of the speech, for thefirst time ever, he failed to bless the Emperor and the Imperialfamily, and instead wished success to the mission of the co-ordinatingcommittee. For the Emperor's loyalists it was a jarring and shockingdevelopment. In 1960, Abune Basilios had condemned any attempt todethrone the man annointed by the Church and stood firm against theImperial Guard coup attempt. That his successor should make a statementthat seemed to abandon the Emperor to his fate was a shock. Then camethe Coup-de-Grace on the reign of Haile Selassie I. EthiopianTelevision, showed the Ethiopian public the BBC production of theHidden Famine by Jonathan Dimbleby. The film showing the horrifyingfamine in Wollo with scenes of death and starvation was damaging enoughon it's own, but the Dergue had re-edited the film to include footageof lavish palace banquets and ceremonies in honor of the Emperor's 80thbirthday, the marriage of Prince Asrate Kassa's daughter, and otherglittering court events. The Emperor was also shown feeding his petleopards and dogs choice cuts of meat from silver platters held byliveried servants. People watching the film in public places were seento weep. This time no mention was made of the Aklilu cabinet hiding thefamine from the Emperor, or of the ogtagenerian Emperor being out oftouch. The film was made to make him seem heartless and steeped inluxury while his people suffered untold misery. It was the final nailin the coffin of Haile Selassie's reign, and indeed in the coffin ofthe worlds oldest monarchy.
The following morning, September 12th, 1974 (Meskerem 2, 1967Ethiopian calander) ten junior officers who were members of the Derguearrived at the Jubilee Palace which was surrounded for the first timeby tanks and machinegun mounted jeeps. A small mostly male crowd hadgathered outside the gates suspiciously at the same time as the tenofficers. The officers were led by Major Debela Dinsa. Their missionwas to inform the King of Kings that his reign was over and to removehim from his palace. Concerned that he might not be cooperative, theDergue had asked Ras Imiru Haile Selassie, the Emperor's cousin, lifelong companion, and socialist sympathizer, to come with them toconvince him to step down peacefully. Ras Imiru was also the father ofLij Michael Imiru, the recently appointed Prime Minister. The officerswere all armed with Uzzi sub-machineguns and revolvers, and some hadgrenades strapped to their belts. The senior prince and junior officerswaited at the gates for a camera crew from Ethiopian Television to showup. Much to their irritation, the camera crew did not materialize, andwhen calls were made, it became apparent that Ethiopian Television hadnot been informed of the event so they scrambled to get a camera man tothe palace at once. The small group then entered the palace and askedto see the Emperor. The palace no longer had throngs of courtiers andnoblemen attending the Emperor's person, only the servants walked thehalls. Debela Dinsa's account (refered to in Guenet Ayele's book "YeColonel Mengistu Tizitawoch" as "Dergue member 11" at a transparentattempt at annonimity) states that the encounter between the Emperorand the group of officers took place in the Grand Throne Room, but thefilm of the event indicates it took place either in the Palace libraryor the Emperor's study. The film is quite compelling. The armedsoldiers stood in a line facing the Emperor, with Debela Dinsa standingat the center of the line. He stepped forward and saluted beforeproducing from his pocket a speech which he read out loud to theEmperor. The letter was a decree of the Dergue removing Haile SelassieI from the Imperial throne and charging him with abuse of power, lackof compitence to continue to reign due to his advanced age, and theadditional charge of embezzeling the money of the people. The Emperorlistened to the speech in silence. Debela Dinsa's hands were visiblyshaking throughout his reading of the speech, and his fellow soldiers,although armed to the teeth, seemed awed and nervous while the Emperorsat, regal in his bearing and completely silent. Once the speech wasfinished, the Emperor continued to sit completely silent looking at thesoldiers. Debela Dinsa freely admits in his account of the event thathe was awed and frightened in the Emperor's presence, and he completelyunderstood the stories that even though the Emperor was such a smallfrail old man, there was something about him that compelled you to bowlow before him. As the nervous tension increased in the room, Ras Imiruapproached the Emperor and they spoke in low tones for an extendedtime. The Emperor then spoke. His statement was simple and moving. Hestated that all through his life, he had tired endlessly for thebenefit of his country and his people, and that ones individual desirescould not come ahead of the needs of the nation. The Emperor's role wasto lead in good times and bad, he said, and to serve his people alwaysand without fail. If it was determined that this was for the greatergood of Ethiopia, then he would accept the decision and do what wasrequired of him. After another nervous extended silence, still referingto the Emperor as "Your Majesty", Debela Dinsa asked that the Emperoraccompany him and his fellow officers to a place where he "would besafe and comfortable". The Emperor asked "Where are you taking me".Debela Dinsa replied that a place had been prepared for "your majesty"that would offer comfort and protection of his safety. The Emperorasked if he could bring some retainers.Debela Dinsa said that he would be allowed some retainers, but for thetime being, the Emperor was to bring just one servant with him. TheEmperor called out to his servant Merid who came quickly. The Emperorrose and started to walk out with the officers. Ras Imiru, visiblymoved asked if he could come with the Emperor. The soldiers informed"His Higness" that he could not come with them, but that he could comesee the Emperor later in the day. As the Emperor walked past DebelaDinsa, he asked him "Why are you holding your gun like that?" referingto the Uzzi in Debela Dinsa's hands. Debela Dinsa nervously repliedthat it was so he could carry the gun more comfortably. The Emperorsmirked and said "I think not, I think it's so you can shoot it moreeasily." and swept by him. As the Emperor walked through the palacewith his armed escort, liveried servants began to gather and follow.They all looked shocked and bewildered. When they arrived at the frontportico, footmen, maids, Imperial guards, gardeners, and other staffboth male and female had gathered on the steps and at the windows ofthe palace. Debela Dinsa said most of the men looked stunned and manywere staring at their shoes or the ground. It was obvious to them allwhat was happening. Most were openly weeping. A small caravan ofvehicles pulled up. The Emperor caught sight of the car which was totake him away from the Jubilee Palace for the last time. It was a smallbaby blue volkswagen beetle, a far cry from the Rolls Royce and Benzlimosines that he was accustomed to. Members of the Dergue have sinceclaimed that this car was chosen in order to take the Emperor away withmaximum annonimity to protect him fromt he anger of the people, and notto humiliate him in anyway. This is belied by the fact that the smallcar was escorted in front and back by two jeeps with mounted machineguns, making it just about the most conspicuous car in the city. Foryears afterwards, the Dergue would often display this car in public asthe final humiliating end of Haile Selassie's reign, so this statementis obvious in it's absurdity. As the Emperor was driven away, hisservants began to wail and weep loudly, many beating their chests as ifat a traditional funeral. Of all his former subjects, the staff of hispalaces, people with little power and relatively small personal gainfrom his reign, have remained the most consistantly loyal to theEmperor's memory. Once outside the gates however the scene changeddramatically. The small crowd of men which had gathered opposite thepalace gates began to scream "Thief! Thief! Thief!" at the Emperor ashe passed. They followed the little group of cars as they drove slowlythrough the city, running after them screaming abuse at the man who hadreigned over them till that very morning. Members of the Dergue haveclaimed that this was a spontaneous demonstration by people who wereenraged at the Emperor following the previous night's broadcast of "TheHidden Famine". The Dergue leader and subsequent dictator MengistuHaile Mariam in an interview with a biographer Genet Ayele told herthat he found the denunciations of the Emperor distasteful and hatedthe fickleness of these people who only weeks earlier would have bowedto the ground before him. This statement ofcourse should be taken witha grain of salt, as Mengistu spent his entire rule of Ethiopia tryingto demolish the memory of Haile Selassie and his reign. However, othershave stated that the group of young men, who suspiciously gathered atthe gates just as the group of officers arrived to enter the palacethat morning, was actually a group of soldiers ordered by the Dergue toappear in civilian dress in order to give the dethronement a look ofcivilian approval and perhaps also to humiliate Haile Selassie I. Ifthis was the case, it was an unnecissary and cruel measure, for withinminuites of Radio Ethiopia announcing that Haile Selassie I had beenremoved from the Imperial throne, students from the University thatstill bore his name ran through the streets with burning and tornportraits of the Emperor. The always radically leftist and ardentlyanti-monarchist students were jubilant and they quickly took up criesof "Taffari Thief" and sang songs sarcastically depicting the wailingof the aristocracy at the end of their days eating fine lamb andchicken. They tossed flowers at the soldiers guarding the city and sangthe praises of the Dergue and the Ethiopian revolution. Around theworld leaders and governments hailed the peaceful transfer of power inEthiopia, commending the military for carrying out the coup in acivilized and bloodless manner. Cries of "Etyopia Tikdem" (Ethiopiabefore all) and the even more ambitious "Yaleminim Dem Etyopia Tikdem"(Without any bloodshed, Ethiopia before all) which was quicklyincorporated into a popular song, were heard on the streets and on
television and radio. Ethiopia was supposedly embarking on a bright andhappy future, emerging from centuries of darkness and backwardness. Itwould be only a very short time later that the hollowness and falsenessof these dreams would be dreadfully apparent. In the immediateaftermath of the dethronement, the Dergue issued a decree establishingitself as the Provisional Military Admimistrative Council (PMAC) anddeclared martial law. The constitution was suspended, the Imperialcourt disbanded and the Emperor's Chilot which was the Supreme Court ofthe land abolished, as was the Crown Council. Parliament wasimmediately disolved. The Dergue did not however formally abolish themonarchy at tht time. Instead, it was announced that Crown Prince AsfawWossen would be annointed "King" of Ethiopia (as opposed to Emperor)upon his return from medical care in Switzerland. In the followingdays, it was announced that the title of Conquering Lion of Judah washenceforth to be changed to Conquering Lion of Ethiopia, and thatPrince Asfaw Wossen was to be a strictly titular monarch with nopolitical power whatsoever. The brief period of freedom of the presswas ended as part of the emergency measures of martial law and wouldnever see the light of day again for 17 years. The Dergue, in an effortto gain support with more liberal elements announced that Lt. GeneralAman Michael Andom, would serve as it's new Chairman and actingHead-of-State and Head-of-Government. General Aman was an Eritrean bornveteran in his youth of the war against Italy and a renowned Ethiopianpatriot. Unlike most of the Ethiopian heirarchy he was not an OrthodoxChristian, but born and raised a Protestant (Lutheran). He had attendedSandhurst on an Imperial scholarship and was generally regarded as oneof the finest officers in the Ethiopian Army, and widely popular withthe rank and file of the military as well as the general civilianpopulation. General Aman had an impecable military record, and wasrefered to as the "Lion of the Ogaden" due to his heroic role inturning back the Somali invasion of the Ogaden in the early 1960's.However, his outspoken support for reform had alienated him from theImperial government, and he had been retired from active militaryservice. The Emperor, in an act he often carried out on public figureswho were outspoken in their critisism of his regime, had appointedGeneral Aman to the Imperial Senate. (It was the type of punishmentthat would soon be looked back with fondness by political dissidents inEthiopia. It was noted the Emperor used to punish people withappointments to prestegious yet powerless positions or foriegnambassadorships.) General Aman was popular, and the Dergue wasconfident that he would lend them added legitimacy. One of his firstpublic acts was to announce that Ras Mengesha Seyoum was to henceforthbe regarded as a traitor and an outlaw, and that he was not onlystripped of his governorship of Tigrai, but that he was also strippedof his princely title. He also issued an immediate recall to PrinceMakonnen (David) Makonnen, second son of the late Duke of Harrar, toimmediately leave his military studies in the United States and returnto Ethiopia at once. David Makonnen promptly went into hiding.
Following his dethronement, the Emperor was taken from his palaceto the baracks of the 4th Division on Debre Zeit Road, near the railline into the city, where most of the members of his government and hiscourt were imprissoned. According to his doctor, noted surgeonProfessor Asrat Woldeyes (later founder of the All Amhara PeoplesOrganization in the post Dergue era) who was brought to see him, hespent his first night there in large tent, with a machine gun set upfacing the entrance from the outside. The next morning however he wasmoved into the vacant house of one of the senior officers on thegrounds of the baracks. He was visited here by Ras Imiru and DejazmatchKebede Tessema, the only two Crown Councilors to escape arrest, as wellas his doctor. He was waited on by members of the palace staff, and hismeals were cooked at the palaces and brought to the 4th Division daily.The new government sent deligation after deligation to the Emperor todemand that he return the "Billions" that they charged he had stolenfrom the people of Ethiopia. Over the months the Emperor steadfastlydenied that he had secreted money abroad for his own benefit or for hisdecendents or for the nation. Some sources say that he admitted that amodest sum had been sent to Switzerland to cover the medical costs ofthe Crown Prince and the living expenses of the Crown Princess and herdaughters, but denied that any other money had been sent abroad, buteven this claimed admission is not clearly documented. The Dergue evenconvinced Ras Imiru to plead with the Emperor to return any money hemight have taken. What the Emperor must have felt at his own cousin andthe one person who could claim to be a brother to him being co-optedinto this effort can only be imagined as he has left no record of this.Ras Imiru who had long enjoyed a good reputation in all quarters ofEthiopian society would now earn a serious blemish on his record forhis role in this matter. When a sarcastic Dergue officer (some say itwas Mengistu himself) is said to have asked the Emperor "Surely YourMajesty must have had some savings put away for hard times, for yourretirement." The Emperor is said to have haughtily replied "Retirement?The Emperor of Ethiopia has no retirement. His retirement is death.Therefore there was never any need to save for retirement." On anotheroccasion, he was accused of having stolen the equivalent of U.S. $20Billion. It is said he wearily stated, "How poorly we have failed ineducating you in math." For a country that in the 1970's when it'seconomy was at it's most productive since the begining of his reign inthe 1930's, had a Gross Domestic Product of U.S. $2billion, it was atruely ridiculous sum. The Dergue decided it would take on more of theformal trappings of government and assume the mantle of state byleaving it's erstwhile headquarters at the 4th Division Baracks andmove into the Imperial Palace (Great Guibi) built by Emperor Menelik IIas it's seat of power. All the prisoners were removed from the baracksand placed in the wine cellars of the palace. The Emperor himself wasmoved into Inqulal Bet (Egg House) on the grounds of the ImperialPalace. This house, built by Emperor Menelik was thus named for it'segg shaped dome on it's roof, and had previously been used by EmpressZewditu while she was still a Princess and helping to nurse her illfather Emperor Menelik II, and later as a guest house during her reign.The house had a small flower garden where the confined Emperor wouldtake daily walks. However, when palace staff, and even theadministrative staff of the Dergue as well as soldiers posted to guardhim continued to bow and pay him customary homage, the Dergue ordered atall fence of corrugated tin to be built around the garden to block himfrom view. His place of detention was right next to the Se'el BetKidane Meheret Church (Our Lady Covenant of Mercy) which is located onthe grounds of the palace. Denied permission to attend services at theChurch, he would instead stand at an open window overlooking the churchand listen to the liturgy over the public address system of the church,making the responses as required. He continued to be attended by loyalservants, but he was repeatedly subject to visits by officials and"intermediaries" demanding bank account numbers and admissions ofembezzelment which he steadfastly denied to the very end. The Emperor'ssignet ring, which bore the emblem of St. George slaying the Dragon,was taken from him and found to contain a spring mechanism that bore akey. The Dergue triumphantly proclaimed that it had found the key to asafty deposit box someowhere in Switzerland and demanded to know thelocation of the box. The Emperor's servants protested that the key wasonly used to open an attache case that the Emperor had, but the Derguewas only interested in furthering their search for money and distroyingthe Emperor's reputation. They ordered a comitteee of UniversityProfessors to study the ring and find any hidden codes or bank accountnumbers in the ring, going so far as removing the stones thatsurrounded the signet. Nothing was found, and the existence of afortune stashed abroad for the Emperor and his family was never proven.(The author's father, as personal jeweler to the Emperor confirms thatthe key in the ring was indeed simply for an attache case that theEmperor used to keep personal documents.)
In the meantime, the Revolution had started to heat up. TheEthiopian Orthodox Church was disestablised as the state religion andEquality of Faith declaired. Even as students, intellectuals, andformer politcal dissidents debated the future of the Ethiopian stateand what form it should take, things were changing at the top. GeneralAman Andom was a forcefull leader and a man used to firm militarydicipline. The antics of the Dergue with it's collection of low levelofficers acting in defiance of their supperior officers was not reallyto his tastes. The Dergue had wanted a figure-head in General Aman, butinstead it got a dynamic leader with ideas of his own, and a suspicionof their motives, as well as a driving ambition to be the new power inthe land. Soon, the Dergue and it's leaders Colonel (formerly Major)Mengistu Haile Mariam and Colonel Atnafu Abate were in a directcollision course with General Aman Michael Andom. The Dergue wanted toauthorise a new major deployment of troops in Eritrea to put down theseccesionist rebellion there. General Aman argued that a chance shouldbe given to negotiations with the rebles now that a new government hadcome to power in Ethiopia. Dergue members looked at his argument withsuspicion since General Aman was of Eritrean background. They began towhisper that the General wanted to resurect the old Federation, andthat his loyalty to a united Ethiopia was questionable. There was alsothe issue of the imprissoned ex-officials of the Imperial Governmentunder arrest in the wine cellars of the Great Guibi. Although GeneralAman was the leader of the government that had put them there, thesepeople were his former fellow officers, fellow senators, colleagues,and many he counted as personal friends. Their alleged misdeeds werebeing investigated by the "Investigating Committee" led by such figuresas Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam (later leader of Ethiopia's majorhuman rights organization) Dr. Bereket Hapte Selassie (future author ofthe un-implemented constitution of Independent Eritrea) and ColonelGoshu Wolde (future Dergue foriegn minister turned political dissidentand founder of the Medhin politcal party). Weary of their long windedinvestigations, the Dergue demanded results which didn't seem to berapidly forthcoming. There was lobbying to simply summarily execute themajor figures of the Imperial regime immediately. General Aman was saidto have balked at this and refused to ever sign any extra-judicialdecision to sentence anyone to imprisonment or execution. Mattersquickly came to a head. The Dergue demanded that General Aman signtheir collective decission to send new troops to Eritrea to crush therebles militarily. General Aman refused, and in the heated exchange,Generla Aman announced his resignation as Chairman of the Dergue andleft the meeting hall for his home next to the Princess Tsehai Hospital(known today as the Armed Forces General Hospital) in the Old Airport(Lideta) district of the capital along with several of his supporters.After he refused several personal and telephoned summonses to return tothe Palace and meet with the Dergue, a meeting was called, chaired byMengistu Haile Mariam, to decide what to do about this situation. Inaddition to the Dergue, Mengistu claims he also summoned the NeusDergue, a rag tag crowd of soldiers and low ranking officers severalhundred strong to attend the meeting as well along with the Dergue toparticipate in this particular decision and that this groupsubsequently forced his hand by going to extremes. Others say thatMengistu simply used this group to provide him and the smaller Derguewith political cover from future backlash to their fatefull decissionsthey were about to make. After a case was presented to the meeting forGeneral Aman's percieved treasonous behavior, it was agreed that anarmed unit should immediately be dispached to the General's home and hewas to be escorted back to the palace at once. If he resisted thenforce would be used. The subject then turned to theissue of the prisoners in the wine cellars under the palace floors onwhich they were conducting their meeting. According to Mengistu it wasthe Neus Dergue who demanded that the matter of the prisoners bedecided at once, and that he was a reluctant participant in whatfollowed. However, it is more likely that the subsequent events wereexactly what Mengistu wanted, and that all the events were carefullyengineered to bring about the results he desired. One by one the namesof prisoners were read out and cries of "Kill him" and "Let him live"decided the fates of the men who had governed the country for decades.Following this meeting, on the night of November 23rd,1974, soldierssurrounded the home of General Aman Michael Andom and demanded hissurrender. When he refused they opened fire, and the General and agroup of supporters fired back. After a fierce but brief firefight, alarge explosion demolished the General's house and it's occupants wereall killed. Some claim it was blown up by the General and his followersthemselves in an act of Theodorean suicide. With this act completed,the armed unit returned to the palace in the heart of the night andawoke the prisoners. One by one, 58 prisoners of the prisoners weresummoned by name and led out of the cellars. When they asked where theywere being taken they were either not given answers or told they werebeing taken to the central prison. Some of them may have been pleasedat being taken to the prison as that would allow their families tostart visiting them again as they had done when they were imprissonedat the 4th Division. Others such as Ras Mesfin Sileshi are said to havealmost immediatly commented "We are being taken to our deaths". Theformer governor to the Imperial Household, Blata Admassu Retta wasremoved from what his doctors were certain was his death bed at theHaile Selassie I Hospital in order that he be executed. The Eritreanborn veteran of the war with Italy, the elderly General Isayas was alsotaken on a stretcher from the hospital to his execution. Prince AsrateKassa is said to have been loaded into the back of an army truck in awheelchair. The selected prisoners were driven in trucks and buses tothe Akaki Prison (also known as Kerchele) to it's Alem Bekagn (whichtranslates with Finished with the World) section. Under bright spotlights, they were machine-gunned to death and their bodies tossed intoa freshly dug trench nearby, their remains promptly covered bybuldozers. On the night of Friday November 23rd, 1974, the so-called"Bloodless Revolution" of the Dergue showed it's true face. The nextday, the city awoke to the spreading rumor that General Aman had beentoppled, and possibly killed, and that there had been a change ofleadership overnight, but the population had no idea of the scale ofthe previous nights events. The author remembers peering at the remainsof General Aman's house from the grounds of the Princess Tsehaihospital where his parents had gone to visit a doctor friend who livedthere. Then as the people of the counry sat down to lunch on SaturdayNovember 24th, Radio Ethiopia announced the names of the 58ex-officials of the Imperial Government, complete with military,official and noble titles along with the names of Lt. General AmanMichael Andom and the two Dergue members who had died with him. Aspeople waited to hear news of either additional charges, trial date orpardon, they instead heard the announcement that all of the mentionedhad been executed for abuse of power and crimes against the people.Their "ceremony of burial" had been conducted and it would not bepermitted for their family members to ask for their bodies. They hadnever had a chance to defend themselves in open court, as so many ofthem had been sure they would be allowed to do when they surrenderedpeacefully. Immediately a dark mood decended on the city as the horrorof the day sank in. In a courageous act of defiance the widows andclose relatives of the deceased opened their homes to mourners andtheir houses were thronged with weeping people. The wife of one of theGenerals walked up and down the street in front of her house waving hisceremonial sword crying out to all who passed that her brave lion hadbeen killed by "these girls..these cowards" who had to tie his handsbecause they were afraid to fight him. The women and children of theImperial family are said to have learned of the execution of theex-officials at the Duchess of Harrar's palace where they had been allconfined on an upper floor together. One of Prince Asrate Kassa'syounger sons had leaned out the window to listen to a radio beingplayed by the soldier guards below when he heard the name of his fatherand other former officials, and then heard the news of their deaths.His hysterical screams brought the entire family running to hear himscreaming "They killed them all! They killed them all!" As the womenand children panicked and chaotic hysteria began to set in, thesoldiers rushed in and ordered them to be quiet and told them the boyhad misheard and that all that had been anounced was the trial of theprisoners, nothing esle. The next day however, a Dergue member arrivedand informed them of the deaths of six people who the Dergue haddetermined were Imperial relatives. In fact, the Imperial family hadlost 11 relatives of various degrees that day. Prince Asrate Kassa, theEmperor's cousin, and Prince Rear-Admiral Iskinder Desta, the Emperor'sgrandson, being the most prominent family members. When the womentearfully asked to be allowed to visit their graves with a priest, theywere scolded and ordered never to ask such a question again. Their isno public record provided as of yet on what the Emperor's reaction wasto the deaths, but it must have been profound.
Comming soon...the death of Haile Selassie I....
The last known photograph taken of the Emperor while he wasunder detention in the Great Guibi (Menelik) Palace, shortly before hisdeath in 1975
Scene from the Reburial of His Late Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, November 5th, 2000.CLICK HERE FOR THE FUNERAL OF H.I.M. HAILE SELASSIE I, EVENTS, PICTURES, AND ARTICLESBack to Imperial Ethiopia Homepage
