𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 – 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑, 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟒 – 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚, 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐲 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑, 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟒, 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲!

Fifty years ago today, November 23, 1974, 60 imprisoned former officials of H.I.M. Haile Selassie were taken out in the dead of night and massacred by a self-proclaimed, self-styled gang of revolutionary military thug-junta called “Derg.”

The junta Derg’s so-called revolution began with the slogan “Ityopiya tikdem, yala mimin dem” (“Ethiopia first, without any bloodshed.” Many of the massacred innocent officials — Ethiopia’s best and brightest and war heroes — voluntarily surrendered to the Derg instead of put up a fight or go into flight because they did not want a drop of blood to be shed in Ethiopia. They believed they had committed no crimes, and in the end justice will prevail and they will be set free. But they were murdered in cold blood by the direct order of a bloodthirsty and maniacal monster who now lives in exile in Zimbabwe.

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟔𝟎 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚 (𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬).

During the Derg’s Red Terror (“Qey Shibir”) campaign, over a million Ethiopians perished. On November 23, 1974, the casualty count was not merely 60 officials.

On that fateful date, the rule of law died in Ethiopia.

Due process of law died in Ethiopia.

Justice and morality died in Ethiopia.

Love, trust, faith and hope died in Ethiopia.

𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑, 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟒.

Thank God Almighty, today Ethiopia is slowly but surely rising from the graveyard of hatred, poverty, bitterness and division. A new generation is in charge and facing the challenges head on with determination and resoluteness.

And so, Fifty years to the day I stood and looked at the faces and cheeks of the martyr’s families I saw their tears have dried up. But as I looked closer and deeper I could see on their weathered but resilient faces, Faded tracks of tears from 50 years ago. In those tracks, I saw years of suffering, loss, hardship and unrelenting pain I saw their once bloodied faces and heads Yet, despite the years and tears Today they stood tall and their heads remained unbowed.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦: “𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?” “𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚?”

In the slightly paraphrased poetic words of Algernon C Swinburne in “A Watch in the Night,” I asked them:

“Ethiopian Martyrs, what of the night? –
Nay, is it night with you yet?
We, for our part, we forget
What night was, if it were.
The loud red mouths of the fight Are silent and shut where we are.
In our eyes the tempestuous air Shines as the face of a star.
Ethiopia, what of the night? –

What of the Night of November 23, 1974?
Is Night for slumber and sleep,
Warm, no season to weep.
Let me alone till the day.

Sleep would they still if they might,
Who have slept for two hundred years.
Once I had honour, they say; But slumber is sweeter than tears. Ethiopia, oh Ethiopia!
Your Night of Woe is over
Your Nightmare of tears and fears is over
Your Night of Gloom and Doom is over and done.

Believe!
The Almighty is shining the Light of Peace, Prosperity and Progress upon you.
May God bless the souls of the 60 innocents and the millions who perished in the Red terror Campaign.
May God bless the families of the Martyrs.

May God bless Ethiopia and grant us peace, love, unity and reconciliation. A very special thanks to the organizers of the event የታሪክ አደራ ድርጅት (Ethiopian History Trust Organization).

The Memorial was held at Holy Trinity Cathedral and Wemezekir Library, where there is now a permanent exhibition set on the 9th floor.

God willing, we shall soon have a National Memorial Monument for the Martyrs of November 23, 1974 and the countless victims of the Red Terror Campaign whose names are known only to God.

𝐎𝐧 𝐚 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: When I because a criminal defense lawyer in America, I was guided by one principle: “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.” I hope my life’s commitment to the principle and practice of due process of law honors and exalts the memories of the innocent martyrs of November 23, 1974 and hundreds of thousands that perished in the Dreg’s “Red terror” campaign.

LET’S MAKE ETHIOPIA GREAT AGAIN (MEGA)