Editing Haile Selassie (section)

=== The Ethiopian revolution ===

{{main|Ethiopian Revolution}}

In February 1974, four days of serious riots in Addis Ababa against sudden economic inflation left five dead. The Emperor responded by announcing on national television a reduction in petrol prices and a freeze on the cost of basic commodities. This calmed the public, but the promised 33% military wage hike was not substantial enough to pacify the army, which then mutinied, beginning in [[Asmara]] and spreading throughout the empire. This mutiny led to the resignation of Aklilu Habte-Wold as prime minister on 27 February 1974.<ref name="evang">Launhardt, Johannes (2005). ''Evangelicals in Addis Ababa (1919–1991)''. LIT Verlag. {{ISBN|3-8258-7791-4}}, pp. 239–240.</ref> Selassie again went on television to agree to the army's demands for still greater pay, and named [[Endelkachew Makonnen]] as the new prime minister.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mohr|first=Charles|date=1 March 1974|title=Selassie, to Placate Army, Appoints a New Premier|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/01/archives/selassie-to-placate-army-appoints-a-new-premier-selassie-picks-new.html|access-date=30 December 2023|archive-date=30 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230034443/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/01/archives/selassie-to-placate-army-appoints-a-new-premier-selassie-picks-new.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=4 July 1974|title=Selassie Grants 5 Concessions to Army, Including an Amnesty|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/04/archives/selassie-grants-5-concessions-to-army-including-an-amnesty-army.html|access-date=30 December 2023|archive-date=6 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706033932/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/04/archives/selassie-grants-5-concessions-to-army-including-an-amnesty-army.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite Endalkatchew's many concessions, discontent continued in March with a four-day general strike that paralyzed the nation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 April 1974|title=Ethiopia: Postal Workers End Four-day Strike|url=https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/130937/|website=[[Pathé News]]}}</ref>

==== Imprisonment ====

{{main|1974 Ethiopian coup d'état}}

The [[Derg]], a clique of junior officers and enlisted men, set up in June to investigate the military's demands, took advantage of the government's disarray to depose the 82-year-old Selassie on {{nowrap|12 September.<ref name=qceros>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dDRWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6032%2C2832764|work=Eugene Register-Guard|location=(Oregon)|agency=Associated Press|title=Quiet coup ends reign of Selassie|date=12 September 1974|page=1A|access-date=21 September 2020|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030164414/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dDRWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6032%2C2832764|url-status=live}}</ref>}} General [[Aman Mikael Andom]], a Protestant of Eritrean origin,<ref name="evang" /> served briefly as provisional head of state pending the return of Crown Prince Asfa Wossen, who was then receiving medical treatment abroad. Selassie was imprisoned briefly at the 4th Army Division in Addis Ababa<ref name="evang" /> before being moved back to the Grand Palace where the Emperor spent the last months of his life under house arrest.<ref name="fate">Meredith, Martin (2005), ''The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair''. Public Affairs, {{ISBN|1-58648-398-6}}, p. 216.</ref>[[File:The Ethiopian Royal Family.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Following the [[1974 Ethiopian coup d'état|1974 coup d'état]], much of the [[Ethiopian royal family]] fled the country, were imprisoned, or were executed.]]

Though initially most of the imperial family was detained at the late [[Prince Makonnen|Duke of Harar]]'s residence in the north of the capital, most were later moved into Addis Ababa's [[Kerchele Prison]], also known as "Alem Bekagn". On 23 November 60 former high officials of the imperial government were summarily [[executed by firing squad]],<ref name=shinn44>{{Harvnb |Shinn | p = 44}}.</ref> including Selassie's grandson, Rear Admiral [[Iskinder Desta]], General Aman and two former prime ministers.<ref name= fate /><ref name=arexsxtu>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DaRVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3163%2C5786259|work=Eugene Register-Guard|location=(Oregon)|agency=Associated Press|title=Army rulers in Ethiopia execute 62|date=24 November 1974|page=1A|access-date=21 September 2020|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125225216/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DaRVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3163%2C5786259|url-status=live}}</ref> These killings, known to Ethiopians as [[Massacre of the Sixty|"Black Saturday"]], were condemned by the Crown Prince; the Derg responded to his rebuke by revoking its acknowledgment of his imperial legitimacy, and announcing the end of the [[Solomonic dynasty]].<ref name="shinn44" />

==== Execution and cover-up ====

On 27 August 1975, Selassie was murdered on the orders of the Derg regime, a fact that was to remain undiscovered for another twenty years. On 28 August 1975, state media reported that Selassie had died on 27 August of "respiratory failure" following complications from a prostate examination followed up by a prostate operation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Haile Selassie of Ethiopia Dies at 83|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0723.html|work=The New York Times|date=28 August 1975|access-date=21 July 2007|archive-date=25 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825184920/http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0723.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Dr. [[Asrat Woldeyes]] denied that complications had occurred and rejected the government version of his death. The prostate operation in question apparently had taken place months before the state media claimed, and Selassie had apparently enjoyed strong health in his last days.<ref>{{harvnb|Asserate|p=348}}</ref>

In 1994, an Ethiopian court found several former military officers guilty of strangling the Emperor in his bed in 1975. Three years after the Derg regime was overthrown,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/15/world/ex-rulers-of-ethiopia-charged-with-strangling-haile-selassie.html|title=Ex-Rulers of Ethiopia Charged With Strangling Haile Selassie|agency=Reuters|work=The New York Times|date=15 December 1994|access-date=6 November 2018|language=en|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104003/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/15/world/ex-rulers-of-ethiopia-charged-with-strangling-haile-selassie.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the court charged them with genocide and murder, claiming that it had obtained documents attesting to a high-level order from the military regime to assassinate Selassie for leading a "feudal regime".<ref name="wapo">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/12/15/ethiopian-court-hears-how-emperor-was-killed/af51020c-547c-4b9c-92df-52be6e2a2241/|title=Ethiopian Court Hears How Emperor Was Killed|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=6 November 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=31 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231103240/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/12/15/ethiopian-court-hears-how-emperor-was-killed/af51020c-547c-4b9c-92df-52be6e2a2241/|url-status=live}}</ref> Documents have been widely circulated online showing the Derg's final assassination order and bearing the military regime's seal and signature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ethioreference.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/By-Wibshet-Mulat-Amdetsion-Minilik.jpg|title="እንኳን ሰው ዝንብ አልገደልኩም!" ኮ/ል መንግሥቱ የ''60ዎቹ'' ባለስልጣናት ግድያ 43ኛ ዓመት መታሰቢያ|date=1 November 1974|website=Ethio Reference|access-date=6 November 2018|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104040/http://www.ethioreference.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/By-Wibshet-Mulat-Amdetsion-Minilik.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://face2faceafrica.com/article/the-real-story-of-the-last-days-of-emperor-haile-selassie-of-ethiopia|title=The real story of the last days of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia|date=27 August 2018|work=Face2Face Africa|access-date=6 November 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104142/https://face2faceafrica.com/article/the-real-story-of-the-last-days-of-emperor-haile-selassie-of-ethiopia|url-status=live}}</ref> The veracity of these documents has been corroborated by multiple former members of the Derg regime.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Misekerenet Bebaale Seltanatu Andebet|last=Riste|first=Tesfaye|year=2009|location=Addis Ababa, Ethiopia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Egnana Abiyotu|last=Wogderess|first=Fikre Selassie|publisher=Tsehay Publishers|year=2014|pages=211, 310}}</ref>[[File:Tomb of Emperor Haile Selassie (11320061113).jpg|alt=The tombs of Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Menen Asfaw|thumb|The tombs of Haile Selassie and Menen Asfaw inside the [[Holy Trinity Cathedral (Addis Ababa)|Holy Trinity Cathedral]] in Addis Ababa]]