Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam headed the junta which in 1974 overthrew the government of Emperor Haile Selassie in a bloody coup. Known as the "Derg" or "Dergue," the "committee," the junta consisted of about a hundred junior officers drawn from all regions of Ethiopia.
|
Background Briefing
Profile on Ethiopian Dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam
GIVING TUESDAY MATCH EXTENDED:
Did you miss Giving Tuesday? Our special 3X match has been EXTENDED through Friday at midnight. Your gift will now go three times further to help HRW investigate violations, expose what's happening on the ground and push for change.
More Reading
-
December 3, 2025
Cameroon: Prominent Opposition Leader Dies in Custody
-
December 1, 2025
An Opportunity to Address Mining Abuses Globally
Reports
-
-
October 30, 2025
“You’ll Die Waiting for Justice”
Impunity for Security Forces Abuses in June 2021 Unrest in Eswatini
Most Viewed
-
February 19, 2014
A Wedding That Became a Funeral
-
April 30, 2025
Venezuela: Brutal Crackdown Since Elections
-
November 25, 2019
A Dirty Investment
-
-
