193 Protesters Said Killed in Ethiopia

Members of the Ethiopian army patrol the streets of Addis Ababa after recent clashes with protesters, in this June 10, 2005 file photo. Ethiopian security forces massacred 193 people, triple the official death toll, during anti-government protests following after last year's election, a senior judge appointed to investigate the violence said Wednesday Oct. 18, 2006. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo, file) (Karel Prinsloo - AP)

Wolde-Michael and the other commissioners spent six months interviewing more than 600 people, including the prime minister, police officers, witnesses and government officials.

In early July, shortly before completing its report, the team held a vote and ruled eight to two that excessive force had been used. The vote and comments of the commission members were recorded on video, a copy of which also has been obtained by the AP.

"Many people were killed arbitrarily," inquiry chairman and supreme court judge Frehiwot Samuel, who is also believed to have fled Ethiopia, was heard saying on the video. "Old men were killed while in their homes and children were also victims of the attack while playing in the garden."

An Ethiopian Orthodox priest, Estatiose Gebrekristos, was recorded as saying: "Based on my eyes, ears and knowledge the actions taken were 100 percent wrong."

But two of the commission members said the government responded appropriately.

"I consider the motives of the protesters was to overthrow the government," Elias Redman, vice president of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Council, said on the video. "I therefore fully support the action taken by the police."

Meles said at the time that demonstrators were attempting a revolution. Prior to the unrest, he had banned demonstrations and announced on state television he had put security forces under his direct control.

Wolde-Michael, who was appointed a judge by the current government in 1994, said the inquiry team came under intense pressure once the ruling party learned of its findings. Their offices were surrounded by security forces and the electricity was cut, he said.

Two days before the report was to be released, the team was summoned by the prime minister and told to reverse its findings, Wolde-Michael added.

In January, Britain withheld $87 million in aid because of concerns about the government's handling of the unrest. Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and more than half of its 77 million people live on less than $1 a day.