 Top Derg officials at court in Addis Ababa, 1994 | |
| Inquest | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Convicted | |
| Trial | 1994–2008 |
| Verdict | 12 December 2006 |
| Sentence | Life imprisonment to 23 years rigorous punishment |
On 12 December 2006, the Federal Supreme Court found guilty 77 top Derg officials accused by the government of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) over the Red Terror (1976–1978). The head of the Derg, Mengistu Haile Mariam (in office 1977–1991), who fled to Zimbabwe, and other 22 Derg members were sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment on 11 January 2007.
On the whole, the Derg was accused of human rights violations, including genocide, crimes against humanity, torture, rape and forced disappearances. The Special Prosecutor Office (SPO) was launched in 1992 to investigate human rights violations committed in the Derg regime, and the first trial began in 1994.