An Ethiopian dictator known as "the butcher of Addis Ababa" was convicted of genocide Tuesday in a rare case of an African strongman being held to account by his own country. Lt. Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam, who has been living in exile in Zimbabwe since 1992, was convicted in absentia after a 12-year trial.
Yet some bloggers are doubtful if Mariam will ever face justice. He is
currently residing in Zimbabwe under the protection of President Mugabe. The writers at the Center for Global Development are hopeful that this conviction may shine light on Mugabe's own human rights violations:
Coddling a genocidaire will only serve to highlight the blood on Mugabe's own hands, too, particularly from a military campaign known as gukuruhundi that slaughtered up to 20,000 people in Matabeleland in the early 1980s. The abuses are well-documented by human rights groups and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, but there has been no action yet taken against those responsible. Indeed many of them are still in top positions in the Mugabe government, and several are even considered possible successors to the 82-year old president. The outcome in Addis yesterday may be a partial victory for justice in Ethiopia. But it could also help to force Zimbabwe to face its demons as well.
