Ethiopia trial witness says PM on assassination list

Oct 25, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and five other senior government officials were named on an opposition assassination list, a witness said on Wednesday at a treason and genocide trial of opposition members.

The witness was allowed to give evidence without stating his name. An opposition member said he was part of the prime minister’s security team.

About 111 leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), journalists and civil society activists have been charged with treason and inciting violence after post-election clashes last year in which an inquiry says 193 civilians were killed.

The clashes came between protesters and security forces over election results that the opposition said were rigged.

The first of eight prosecution witnesses said he had seen police search the house of CUD official Gezachew Shiferaw.

“The police had asked me to be an observer when they searched the house of Gezachew Shiferaw last year,” said the 41-year-old, who was granted anonymity and identified himself as a businessman.

“We found writings, documents, cassettes and computers. There was also a list of high-profile government people to be assassinated. There were around six including Meles Zenawi,” he told the court.

Gezachew denied this, telling the court the witness was a member of the security staff in the prime minister’s office.

“The list had been planted by security forces,” he said.

The witness denied both allegations.

The trial has drawn censure from rights watchdogs and Western governments, and led some European donors to cut direct aid to Addis Ababa.

(Reuters)