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

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the State (polity), state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to ...

that took place in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

commissioned by the

Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

government against 60 imprisoned former government officials at

Kerchele Prison Alem Bekagn ( am, አለም በቃኝ, "Farewell to the World"), or 'Kerchele Prison', was a central prison in Ethiopia until 2004. Located in Addis Ababa, the prison possibly existed as early as 1923, under the reign of Empress Zewditu, but beca ...

on the morning of 23 November 1974. The prison was commonly called ''Alem Bekagn'' – "Farewell to the World". The

Ethiopian Revolution The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

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 (russian: Красный террор, krasnyj terror) in Soviet Russia was a campaign of political repression and executions carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police. It started in lat ...

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 ...

that would follow in years after.

List of people executed

The 54 below were executed on the orders of

Mengistu Haile Mariam Mengistu Haile Mariam ( am, መንግሥቱ ኀይለ ማሪያም, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian politician and former army officer who was the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991 and General Secretary of the Work ...

. Their names were read the following morning on

Ethiopian Radio Radio in Ethiopia was introduced during Emperor Haile Selassie regime in 1933 where the first radio station was built in 1931. On 31 January 1935, with assistance of the Italian contractor firm Ansaldo, the largest and more powerful station was bui ...

Executed

#Prime Minister Tsehafi Taezaz

Aklilu Habte-Wold '' Tsehafi Taezaz'' Aklilu Habte-Wold ( am, አክሊሉ ሀብተ ወልድ; 12 March 1912 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician under Emperor Haile Selassie. He was foreign minister of Ethiopia from 1947 to 1958 and Prime Minister f ...

#Prime Minister Lilj Endalkachew Makonnen #Lt. General

Abiye Abebe '' Lij'' Abiye Abebe ( am, አብይ አበበ; born 1918 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician and son-in-law of Emperor Haile Selassie. Biography Son of '' Liqa Mequas'' Abebe Atnaf Seggad, Abiye was born 1918 in Addis Ababa ...

#H.H. Prince (Leul Ras)

Asrate Kassa ''Leul'' ''Ras'' Aserate Kassa (born Aserate-Medhin Kassa; 30 April 1922 – 23 November 1974) was a Viceroy of Eritrea and a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire. He was the fourth son of ''Ras'' Kassa Haile Darge, and his wife Princ ...

#Rear Admiral Leul

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

#Ras

Mesfin Sileshi ''Ras'' Mesfin Sileshi ( Amharic: መስፍን ስለሺ; 5 July 1905 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian Major General and politician. Biography He was born in 1905, in Lafto kebele in Webera province in Hararghe. His father was ''Dejazmac ...

#Ato Abebe Retta #Ato Akalework Habte-Wold #Lt. Colonel

Tamirat Yigezu Tamrat, also Tamirat is a male given name of Ethiopian origin that may refer to: *Tamirat Layne (born 1955), Ethiopian politician and former leader of the Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement * Tamrat Molla (1945–2012), Ethiopian singer and vo ...

#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 Nigus (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 #Kegnyazmatch Yilma Aboye #Brigadier General Wondemu Abebe #Brigadier General Girma Yohannes #Brigadier General Mulugeta Wolde Yohannes #Colonel Yegazu Yemane #Colonel

Alem Zewde Tessema Alem Zewde Tessema (died 1974) was an Ethiopian military figure. He was a colonel of the Airborne Corps, Fourth Division. He was active at the beginning of the Ethiopian Revolution, helping to create the "Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces" ...

#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 (; ti, ኣማን ሚካኤል ዓንዶም; 21 June 1924 – 23 November 1974) was an Eritrean general and the first post-imperial acting head of state of Ethiopia. He was appointed to this position following the coup d'éta ...

#Lieutenant Demisse Shiferaw #Lance Corporal Bekele Wolde Giorgis #Sub-Corporal Tekle Haile #Lt. General

Aman Mikael Andom Aman Mikael Andom (; ti, ኣማን ሚካኤል ዓንዶም; 21 June 1924 – 23 November 1974) was an Eritrean general and the first post-imperial acting head of state of Ethiopia. He was appointed to this position following the coup d'état ...

#Lance Corporal Tesfaye Tekle #Junior Aircraftsman Yohannes Fetoui

References

{{Ethiopian Civil War (1974–1991) 1974 in Ethiopia Massacres in Ethiopia 1974 murders in Africa 1974 murders in Ethiopia