'' Lij'' Abiye Abebe (; born 1917 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician and son-in-law of Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or ''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Lij, Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles, Rege ...

Biography

Son of '' Liqa Mequas'' Abebe Atnaf Seggad, Abiye was born 1918 in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

as a '' Lij''. He attended the Holeta Military Academy. In the 1940s and 1950s he was

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

, and later served as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

and Minister of the Interior. He chaired the High National Security Commission during the

Ethiopian Revolution The Ethiopian Revolution () was a period of civil, police and military upheaval in Ethiopia to protest against the weakened Haile Selassie government. It is generally thought to have begun on 12 January 1974 when Ethiopian soldiers began a rebel ...

until his arrest by the

Derg The Derg or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally "Civil government, civilianized" the ...

on 16 July 1974. Lt. General Abiye was serving as Chief of the General Staff when he was arrested. According to John Spencer, when Prime Minister

Aklilu Habte-Wold '' Tsehafi Taezaz'' Aklilu Habte-Wold (; 12 March 1912 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician under Emperor Haile Selassie. He was foreign minister from 1947 to 1958 and prime minister from 1961 until his overthrow and execution by th ...

sought to resign his post in 1973, he suggested to the Emperor that he be replaced by General Abiye. Other sources indicate that Aklilu Habte-Wold's rival Prince Asrate Kassa was the person who put General Abiye forward as a fellow aristocrat. However Abiye consented to becoming Prime Minister only if his nomination, and those of his cabinet, were approved by the Ethiopian parliament, a condition Emperor Haile Selassie found unacceptable. As a result, Haile Selassie decided to appoint Endelkachew Makonnen Prime Minister instead. Abiye was one of 60 former government officials executed the night of 22–23 November at Akaki Central Prison by the Derg. General Abiye was married three times. At

, on 26 April 1942, he married Princess Tsehai of Ethiopia who died in childbirth a year later. After this marriage, Lt. General Abiye Abebe was accorded the dignities and protocol rank of the Emperor's son-in-law, even after he remarried. In 1946, married '' Woizero'' Amarech Nasibu, daughter of Nasibu Zeamanuel, and then in 1970 to Woizero Tsige Aynalem, his widow, with whom he had three children, Phebe, Berkinesh, and Abiye.

Career history

* Brigadier-General (24 April 1942) * Governor-General of Wollega province (1942–1943) * Minister for War 1949–1955; Acting (1943–1947) * Minister of Justice (1958–1961) * Minister of Interior (1961–1964) * Ambassador to France (1955–1958) * Viceroy of Eritrea (1959–1964) * President of the Ethiopian Senate (1964–1974) * Minister for Defence and Chief of Staff (28 February 1974 – 22 July 1974)

Honours

National

* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Trinity * ETH Order of Menelik II - Grand Cross BAR

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Menelik II The Imperial Order of Emperor Menelik II is an Ethiopian Order (decoration), order established in 1924 by then-Regent Haile Selassie, Tafari Makonnen, during the reign of Zewditu I of Ethiopia, Empress Zewditu I, in order to honor the memory of Em ...

* Military Medal of Merit of the Order of St George * Haile Selassie I Gold Medal * PatriotMedalEtiopia

Patriot Medal & three torches (1944) * RefugeePatriotMedalEtiopia

Refugee Medal (1944) * Jubilee Medal (1955) * ETH Emperor Haile Selassie I Jubilee Medal

Jubilee Medal (1966)

Foreign

* Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

(Kingdom of The Netherlands, 13 November 1953)Nationaal Archief, inventory 2.02.32, dossier 373, registry number 854 * Order Sint Olaf 1 kl

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (Kingdom of Norway, January 1956) * Legion Honneur GC ribbon

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Legion of Honour (French Republic) * JOR Order of the Renaissance GC

Grand Cordon of the

Supreme Order of the Renaissance The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (,) is the second-most senior order of merit in the Kingdom of Jordan. History The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the British For ...

(Kingdom of Jordan) * Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sahametrei (Kingdom of Cambodia, 4 January 1968) * Honorary Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(United Kingdom, 1965) * 39-45 Star BAR

British Star (United Kingdom, 1939–1945) * Ribbon - Africa Star

Africa Star The Africa Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943 during the Second World War. Three clasp ...

(United Kingdom, 1940–1943) * War Medal 39-45 BAR

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men and women of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were st ...

(United Kingdom, 1939–1945) * Ordre national du Merite GC ribbon

National Order of Merit (France) National Order of Merit may refer to: * National Order of Merit (Algeria) * National Order of Merit (Bhutan) * National Order of Merit (Brazil) * National Order of Merit (Ecuador) * Ordre national du Mérite (France) * National Order of Merit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abiye Abebe 1917 births 1974 deaths Ethiopian generals Defence ministers of Ethiopia Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of Supreme Order of the Renaissance (Jordan) Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Grand Crosses of the Royal Order of Sahametrei Executed Ethiopian people 20th-century Ethiopian politicians Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia People executed by Ethiopia by firing squad Executed politicians Executed military leaders