The Last Hours of Patriarch Abune Theoflos July 7, 1971 On Saturday, some of the prisoners in the basement of the Grand Palace rose early i...

 The Last Hours of Patriarch Abune Theoflos

July 7, 1971 On Saturday, some of the prisoners in the basement of the Grand Palace rose early in the morning and prayed under the direction of the Fathers. You heard the ringing of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. They begged for forgiveness from their Creator , even though they did not know it . After the prayer, the prisoners were allowed to warm up in the morning and return to their cells after a 45-minute break. The sun of July seems to have been sent to comfort the great Ethiopians trapped in the cold ground of the Great Palace; It flashes through the clouds.

Calling the list of wanted persons from Prison No. 2 at 6 p.m. They were told, "Take a blanket and a towel because you are going to a place far away."

Son of Kassa, Mary; B / J Samuel Abebe! ” Then he said, "You are wanted outside. It is said that you should carry blankets and toilet paper because you are going somewhere far away. ”

At this time, the son of Kassa W / Mariam approached Patriarch Theophilus;

“Our Father is going to cast us out. Let me go! ” They have. And he said, God forbid ; Do not be afraid, for they will not kill you, but your flesh . ” Shortly after the crucifixion of the Son of God, Patriarch Theophilus was named. When the patriarch's name was called, he went to his basement, selected the clothes he was wearing, and began to pray. Several minutes passed; The day has come when their spiritual father, Abune Yohannes, prophesied years ago, "Their end will be great ."

The other prisoners called No. 1 and the No. 2 armed guards stood guard at the No. 1 gate, guarded by heavily armed soldiers. Captain Michael Ashde repeatedly calls Patriarch Theophilus; "Our father is being protected!" They have. After the prayer, the patriarch, holding a wooden cross in his hand, left his basement, where he had lived for 3 years, 3 months and 7 days, paddling. Put a monk's hat on their head, He wore a silk robe made of silk; Overcoat: Wearing leather sandals and looking up in majesty, they left the room. According to Dr. Abera Jembere, they went out in a majestic process, stamping their cross - with no urgency.

At this time there was a fear on the patriarch's face: Anxiety was not a sign. Rather, it was a feeling of calm. The rest of the prisoners in the cell stared at each other with wide eyes. But his eyes were not fixed on anyone. King Habtewold described the situation when the patriarch was summoned :

Prisoners of No. 1 stood in two rows as if to welcome a guest. Theophilus no doubt saw them passing by. He also realized that they would not warm up for 45 minutes the next morning. Four days ago, on July 3, the scribe was threatened by the Golden Covenant of Mary; Seifu Mahatme Selassie; On July 5, Abebe Kebede and Assefu Defaye were summoned and left. Today is July 7.

As the patriarch passed through the ranks of the prisoners, he said: “Do not be afraid of the death of the body; It is a fearful death again; May God save you from death again. ” Death was drawing a few feet away from each inmate. It was an unknown order, but all died.

After joining the other prisoners, the patriarch covered his eyes with a black cloth as he boarded the waiting car. The car left the main courtyard of the palace and headed for four kilometers; Armed with automatic weapons, she began to follow the prisoners at close range. There was silence in the car in which the prisoners were found. Their eyes are closed so that they cannot see; But their ears were toward the sound of the carriage; The car to the right of the parliament; The statue of freedom on the left; Menelik II School on the right; Presented by the Patriarch Where they stood and taught; Left where you got the title: Lion enclosure to the right; Addis Ababa University, on the left, climbs Mount Entoto and reaches the compound of Prince Ras Asrat Kassa.

The patriarch's car was parked near the main entrance of Prince Ras Asrat Kassa's compound; The guard at the door approached, confirmed that they were his colleagues, and opened the door. The car sped off and stopped. After the prisoners got out of their cars, the blindfold was taken off. The courtyard was majestic, with lush vegetation; A courtyard of perfect peace; The prisoners had already been invited to eat and drink in this courtyard. Today, he had another party, and he invited them to attend. The owner of the compound was one of the victims of the November 14, 1967, shooting at Haile Selassie's compound in Kerchelle compound.

Unarmed in the yard; Hard-nosed soldiers scurry about. The detainees did not know that one of the wings of the Special Forces was in the compound. The number of troops is 60. It was occupied by the Cuban army after the occupation. After the Cuban army moved to Hararge, a special force was deployed. The camp was trained by Col. Zerihun Agafari and assigned by the Minister of Public Security, Col. Tesfaye W / Selassie. The colonel called his mother "Zerihun" but today they are killing people.

Prisoners from the palace stared at the crowd, They were prisoners who had been sentenced to death in various places; They bite: Holding blankets in their hands; Hold small knots, Scattered people… Most prisoners are introduced; But they do not know what to do next. Some saluted near the patriarch's cross; Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.

Col. Zerihun Agafari called the crown and took him to his office; A few minutes later, the crown prince appeared with a list of 15 names. The soldier was instructed to follow the names on the paper in advance. In the first row was the name of the patriarch Abune Theophilus. The soldier ordered the prisoners to march to the left of the house; As soon as their names were called, they lined up behind the patriarch as they grasped their knots. He then instructed them: 'When your name is called, leave the knot here and there. ' The soldier first said, "Abune Theoflos , come in. " The patriarch looked up and walked up the stairs. He was 69 years and 2 months old at that time.

As soon as Patriarch Theophilus stepped out of the living room and reached the entrance to the corridor, Col. Zerihun said, " Here and there . " They headed to the spot where Col. Zerihun was sitting in front of them; As they approached , they were told, "Stop there ." The patriarch stared at him; The colonel stared at them, He knows them… He knows them well…

"Yes, once upon a time in the Great Palace, he was escorted by a guard to the hospital, where he was taken ill. And so it was

Patriarch Theophilus was escorted by Col. Zerihun to a medical facility at the Jal Meda Honor Hospital after undergoing treatment at the Grand Palace. As soon as they arrived near St. Mary's Church, Considering the speed of construction of the twin buildings…

“Buffalo! "These people know not only how to arrest and kill, but also how to work," he said.

"Where is your country ?" They say

"Cornelius," replied the colonel

He said, "Then, if you are a child of Machiavelli, why haven't you asked me yet?" They say

He said, "That's why I was assigned to accompany you today."

They said, "Be kind."

Col. Zerihun knew them well in this way before; Today, they stand before him to be executed.

Col. Zerihun is careful not to kill anyone else by mistake; After looking at the list of names, he looked up and said, "You are Abune Theofolos. " He said, " Yes. " Then he said to them, "Come near to me. " As Patriarch Theophilus stepped forward, the soldier who was standing in the dark jumped out of his hiding place like a cat lurking in the shadows. He twisted the rope around his head and carried it on his back until their souls came out. When he saw that their souls were gone, he threw them down like a log in the front of the ruler. Then he dragged them down to the morgue, He stretched out his back…

Next to him, they finished the prisoners in the compound one by one until 9 p.m. …

Upon receiving the report of the assassination, Col. Legesse came and saw the corpse lying on the ground as the fish came out of the sea, ordered that no rumors be spread, and they buried him there.

The soldiers who took part in the killing theater went to Sodre the next day at the expense of a central investigation; To make them forget the horrible act and prepare for the same horrific murder; They make their necks spin like chickens, This is what life means for them ??? How can the oppressors be cleansed today? In what country will Biked survive the judgment of conscience? The only solution is to think and act as a human being ????

After Abune Merkorios became patriarch, the church sent a letter to Lt. Gen. Mengistu H / Mariam; Is His Holiness Abune Theoflos alive or not? If they are not alive, we should pray for them. ” "What are you telling me to do?" Here are two bishops: Two priests' representatives: A paper signed by two parishioners: "Didn't you ask for action?" they said. An unbalanced answer,… Genet Ayele, when asked, " Did you know that Tesfaye W / Selassie" knows this? ? ” "No, I could not," he said. What can I do? ” They said. Didn't the government know who the victims were when Col. Tesfaye W / Selassie ordered them to gather and thank the members of the Special Forces who strangled and killed people?