How does the Red Terror meet the standards of a genocide?
*Stages 2 and 5 were not present in this genocide
STAGE 1: Classification- The suspected members of the EPRP were targeted by the Derg, the military junta. Beforehand, Mengistu Haile Meriam assassinated multiple political leaders, including the capture of the previous political leader, Haile Selassie.
STAGE 3: Dehumanization- The Derg captured suspected threats, and put them into prisons. Prisoners were tortured extensively. According to alembekagn.org, prisoners were burned, hung by the arms, people had fingernails ripped out, and men had their testicles crushed. The conditions at this time were horrible. It was said that some soldiers would tape newspapers to prisoners backs and then light them on fire. The bodies were disposed of in the streets.
STAGE 4: Organization- The Dergs acted as the extermination force at the time. As political leaders and the military junta, the Derg had the ultimate power over the country and had authority to carry out any act or event they wanted. Much like Hitler, Mengistu rose to power by slowly gaining control of the major positions in the government, eventually he became head of state, and of the Derg.
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STAGE 6-7: Preparation & Extermination - The Derg carry out the Red Terror, many people are arrested and tortured. There are three separate waves or stages that the Red Terror was executed in;
Wave 1: This stage consisted of the Derg targeting anyone suspicious of being a member of the EPRP, or otherwise anyone who went against the Derg. The most commonly targeted were those who were young and educated. During the time this wave lasted, many people were arrested, tortured, and killed. Wave 2: After directly targeting suspected members of the EPRP, the Derg turned their attention to another group, the MEISON. Although previously allied with the Derg in the past, Mengistu Haile Meriam suspected that this group may be home to many EPRP members or supporters. Wave 3: In the last few months of the Red Terror genocide, there were much fewer executions, however they still happened fairly frequently. Mass arrest continued well after the official end of the Red Terror, and many were killled. STAGE 8: Denial- After the conclusion of the Red Terror campaign, Mengistu Haile Meriam and the Derg were free of opposition. The Derg kept quiet about the mass killings, however Mengistu was eventually accused of genocide.
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