Wednesday, October 18, 2006

AP Exclusive: Ethiopian security forces massacred protesters, says inquiry judge

The Associated Press
Published: October 18, 2006

NAIROBI, Kenya Ethiopian security forces massacred 193 people _triple the official death toll — during anti-government protests following last year's election, a senior judge appointed to investigate the violence said Wednesday.

Unarmed protesters were shot, beaten and strangled to death, said Wolde-Michael Meshesha, vice chairman of the government-backed inquiry. He said he believed the Ethiopian government was trying to cover up the findings.

Ethiopian officials refused to comment on the claims.
"This was a massacre," Wolde-Michael said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "These demonstrators were unarmed yet the majority died from shots to the head." Read more...

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