Mengistu to remain Zimbabwe's guest, govt says

Ethiopia's Supreme Court has sentenced
former dictator Mengistu to death in his
absence, along with 17 senior officials of
his regime

27 May, 2008

HARARE, May 27 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's former ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam, sentenced to death by his country's supreme court, will remain in Zimbabwe under the protection of President Robert Mugabe's government, a government minister said on Tuesday.

"He remains our guest in Zimbabwe. He will remain in Zimbabwe and we will protect him as we've always done," Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said.

Mengistu, sentenced to death in absentia on Monday, has lived a life of comfortable exile in Zimbabwe since he was toppled in 1991. He is unlikely to face punishment unless Mugabe loses a run-off election next month and gives up power.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, whose leader Morgan Tsvangirai will face Mugabe in the presidential vote on June 27, said dictators like Mengistu were not welcome.

"We don't want dictators on our land," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said, hinting Mengistu may be extradited if Tsvangirai wins next month.

"Of course we do not condone killing or the death sentence as MDC, but we want justice to be delivered to the victims and to the perpetrators so that there's restoration," he said.

The MDC said in 2006 it would withdraw the protection afforded by Mugabe's government, which considers Mengistu a friend of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.

Matonga said there had been no formal request regarding Mengistu from the Ethiopian government.

"Even if they make the request, he's not going anywhere."

Wahade Belay, spokesman for Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Reuters: "Since the court case against Mengistu has now been finalised, we are still hoping that the Zimbabwe government would extradite Mengistu to Ethiopia."

The death penalty was imposed after the prosecution appealed against a life term imposed on Mengistu in January 2007, after he was found guilty of genocide during his 17-year rule.

He and more than a dozen senior officers were found guilty after a 12-year trial that concluded Mengistu's government was responsible for the deaths of 2,000 people and the torture of at least 2,400.

"My joy comes from the fact that I lived to see this day and thank God for that (but) I know that the killing of one or 18 members of the junta would not bring back our loved ones," said Mulugeta Asrat, son of Prince Asrat Kassa.

Prince Asrat was gunned down along with 60 other members of the Ethiopian royal family, ministers and generals of the late Emperor Haile Selassie and buried in a mass grave. (Additional reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse in Addis Ababa; Writing by Marius Bosch; Editing by Giles Elgood)