-Caveat Lector- Times of london December 7 1999 AFRICA Dictator finds a haven in South African hospital FROM MICHAEL DYNES IN JOHANNESBURG Links IN THE comfort of his private bed in Johannesburg's Garden City Hospital, Mengistu Haile Mariam, 62, the former Ethiopian dictator and mass murderer, is watching the fading blooms of the jacaranda trees sway in the breeze as he recovers from heart treatment. A young receptionist does not recognise the name of the patient when I inquire about him. "There's no one here with that name. Is he a relative?" she asked. "Er, not exactly," I mumbled. "He is the man who is reputed to have personally throttled Emperor Haile Selassie before going on to murder thousands of his fellow Ethiopians, ruin his country's economy and earn himself the title of Butcher of Addis Ababa." "Oh," she said. "I'm afraid we're not allowed to talk to journalists. You'll have to get in touch with public relations." John von Klemperer, general manager of Netcare, South Africa's biggest private hospital group, said it was its policy "not to confirm the admission or medical status of patients without prior consent". Colonel Mengistu had requested no publicity. The former Ethiopian despot, who is being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity and genocide, arrived in South Africa for urgent treatment two weeks ago. Travelling on a dubious diplomatic passport from Zimbabwe, where he has been living for eight years, he had received assurances from Pretoria that he would not face the same fate as General Augusto Pinochet in Britain, but Ethiopia has made a formal request for his extradition. Human rights groups may make a private prosecution. Colonel Mengistu came to power in 1974, after overthrowing Ethiopia's centuries-old monarchy, and attempted to mould the nation into a modern socialist state. After becoming chairman of a committee of revolutionary soldiers, he unleashed the bloody "Red Terror Campaign" against opponents and civilians, backed by the former Soviet Union and Cuba. Purges in his 17-year rule left an estimated 200,000 dead, 750,000 refugees stateless and more than 100,000 children crippled or orphaned. Faced with rebellions and a series of droughts and famines, he ruined the economy through the forced collectivisation of farms and the movement of entire populations. When Russian troops pulled out in 1991, he fled to Harare. Colonel Mengistu, who will probably slip out of South Africa in the next couple of days, is an old friend of the African National Congress. Asked why South Africa had not responded to Ethiopia's extradition request, a spokesman for Nkosazana Zuma, the Foreign Affairs Minister, said the Government had allowed people who had perpetrated crimes under apartheid to remain in the country, so why should it not allow foreign human rights offenders to remain as well? DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
