The Massacre of the Sixty, or Black Saturday (, ''tikuru kidami''), was an

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

that took place 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 ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

commissioned 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 ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

against 60 imprisoned former government officials at Kerchele Prison on the morning of 23 November 1974. The prison was commonly called ''Alem Bekagn'' – "I've had enough of this world". The Ethiopian Revolution started about ten weeks before the massacre. Before this point, the Derg was able to instill hope among the people that the revolution could remain bloodless. Epitomised by the slogan ''"Ityopiya tikdem, yala mimin dem”'' – “Ethiopia first, without any bloodshed”. The massacre presaged the

Red Terror The Red Terror () was a campaign of political repression and Mass killing, executions in Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia which was carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police ...

and

Ethiopian Civil War The Ethiopian Civil War was a civil war in Ethiopia and present-day Eritrea, fought between the Ethiopian military junta known as the Derg and Ethiopian-Eritrean anti-government rebels from 12 September 1974 to 28 May 1991. The Derg overthre ...

List of people executed

The 54 below were executed on the orders of

Mengistu Haile Mariam Mengistu Haile Mariam (, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian former politician, revolutionary, and military officer who served as the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991. He was General Secretary of the Workers' Party o ...

. Their names were read the following morning on Ethiopian Radio.

Executed

#Prime Minister Tsehafi Taezaz Aklilu Habte-Wold #Prime Minister Lilj Endalkachew Makonnen #Lt. General Abiye Abebe #H.H. Prince (Leul Ras) Asrate Kassa #Rear Admiral Leul

Iskinder Desta Rear Admiral Iskinder Desta (6 August 1934 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian naval officer and member of the Ethiopian Imperial family. A grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie I, he served as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Ethiopian Navy ...

#Ras Mesfin Sileshi #Ato Abebe Retta #Ato Akalework Habte-Wold #Lt. Colonel Tamirat Yigezu #Dejazmatch Kifle Irgetu #Lt. General Kebede Gebre #Lt. General Issayas Gebre-Sellasie #Lt. General Assefa Ayana #Lt. General Debebe HaileMariam #Lt. General Belete Abebe #Lt. General Deresae Dubale #Lt. General Haile Baikedagn #Lt. General Assefa Demisse #Lt. General Abebe Gemeda #Lt. General Yilma Shibeshi #Ato Mulatu Debebe #Dr. Tesfaye Gebre Igzi #Dejazmatch Workineh Wolde Amanuel #Dejazmatch Aemero Selassie Abebe #Dejazmatch Solomon Abreha #Dejazmatch Sahelu Difeye #Dejazmatch Worku Enko Selassie #Dejazmatch Legese Bezu #Colonel Solomon Kedir #Blata Admasu Retta #Ato Nebiye Leul Kifle #Ato Solomon Gebre Mariam #Ato Tegegn Yetashework #Afe Negus (Lord Chief Justice) Abeje Debalke #Dejazmatch Kebede Aliwele Asfaw #Major General Gashaw Kebede #Major General Seyoum Gedle Giorgis #Major General Tafesse Lemma #Lij Hailu Desta #Fitawrari Amde Abera #Fitawrari Tadesse Enko Selassie #Fitawrari Demisse Alamirew #Kegnazmatch Yilma Aboye #Brigadier General Wondemu Abebe #Brigadier General Girma Yohannes #Brigadier General Mulugeta Wolde Yohannes #Colonel Yegazu Yemane #Colonel Alem Zewde Tessema #Colonel Tassew Mojo #Major Berhane Mecha #Captain Mola Wakene #Captain Wolde-Yohannes Zergaw #Lieutenant Belai Tsegaye

Killed in shootout

The remaining six were killed in a shootout at the home of General

Aman Andom Aman Mikael Andom (; ; 21 June 1924 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian military officer and politician who was the first post-imperial acting head of state of Ethiopia. Aman was also the first Chairman of the Derg. He was appointed to this ...

. #Lieutenant Demisse Shiferaw #Lance Corporal Bekele Wolde Giorgis #Sub-Corporal Tekle Haile #Lt. General Aman Mikael Andom #Lance Corporal Tesfaye Tekle #Junior Aircraftsman Yohannes Fetoui

References

{{Ethiopian Civil War (1974–1991) Massacres committed by Ethiopia Massacres of the Ethiopian Civil War 1974 murders in Ethiopia November 1974 in Africa Massacres in 1974 People executed by Ethiopia by firing squad 1970s in Addis Ababa Military history of Addis Ababa Prison massacres Crime in Addis Ababa