(June 03, 2011, Addis Ababa)- The government of Ethiopian has relieved 23 former Derg regime high-ranking officials of the death sentence imposed on them for committing genocide.
President Girma Woldegiorgis made the announcement to local media at the national palace on Wednesday.
All the 23 prisoners on whom court has passed death sentence have now received pardon from the government, President Girma noted.
Accordingly, the death sentence that the court has passed on all the 23 prisoners has been lessened to lifetime imprisonment.
The pardon was granted to the 23 former Derg officials compliant with the constitutional system.
According to the President, the fact that the government had held the former Derg officials accountable to the court of law was both appropriate and instructive .
Unquestionably, the crime that was committed by the former Derg officials has knocked the doors of millions of Ethiopians.
Yet, the government has settled on granting them the pardon with the conviction that the crimes they have committed would never happen again.
The 23 former Derg officials had submitted their request to the Pardon Board asking the government to grant them pardon so that they will spend the remaining few years of their lifetime with their children.
Religious fathers have also exerted unrelenting efforts to make the current pardon a reality which is effective as of 28 May 2011.
Source: ertagov. news
No comments:
Post a Comment