The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1937-04-23


Secretary General OF the League Of (
Nations on the recent outrage. COM i
mitted In Ethiopia, according to New
Times and Ethiopia News seml-offi- |
cial publication Of Ethiopian affairs; /
To his Excellency, Monsieur JOS !
eph Avenol, Secretary General of {
the League of Nations e
Peace be with you.
| request Your Excellency TO be sol
good as to communicate the follwing /
to all the states members Of the /
League Of Nations.
/. Since the evil day on which
the territory of my Empire was in ]
vaded by the Italian aggressar IN yio-
Iation of the Covenent Of the League
Of Nations, the unfortunate Ethio
plan people has not ceased 70 be the
victim Of 'innumerable crimes and
terrible suffeerings. Those wIo fell
fighting are more fortunate than
those who to-day are undergoing the
repeated blows Of cruel aRgleSSof.
Voice Not Heard
On several occasions, from the bot ,
tom Of the abyss, have urged upon
the League Of Nations and the world
the appeal which rises from our dis /
tress and our despair, Hitherto our |
voice has not been heard The Gov |
ernments, pre-occupied with the dc
sire to avoid tho disaster of war for !
their peoples have closed their ears ,
10 our lamentations.
Nevertheless, hope remains at the !
bottom of our hearts. # you knew !
the iniquity q our oppressors you /
would give us justice.
To-day. the aggressor is reaoubl-
ing his barbarity Exasperated by !
resistance which he believed that had
broken, his fury pitilessly continues
the work of exterminating weak
people which, on the solemn promi
ses made to il believed that the most
effective means Of preserving its IN
dependence and Of winning the es-
teem Of the world was to place its !
trust in the respect Of international
pledges.
information Verified
have not protested at every new
crime; / wish first Of all 70 verify
the information which has become
available in spite Of censorship and
prohibitions in order to denonnce
only precise and certain facts.
II. I denounce to the League Of
Nations and to the world three acts
Of barbarity committed ii the month
of February. 1887. either in Adds
Ababa or in its neighbourhood:
I) the execution Of Ras Desta, Of
the Dediazmatch Beyene Mered, and
Of numerous other chiefs and Off
GERS taken prisoner on the field OF
battle;
(2) the killing of thousands of per-
ing the three days which followed the
attempt on the life Of Marshall Gra-
ziani;
(3)the systematic massacres Of the
Ethiopian population. The London
Times" estimates the number Of
these victims at 5000 Reliable in
formation enables me to declare that
the number is much higher.
Fiout international Law
All these crimes are in violation
Of the rules Of public international
law embodied In the Fourth Hague
Convention Of 1907, concerning the |
Laws and Customs Of Land Warfare
The sigatory powers of the Hague
Convention animated by the desire
to serve the interests Of humanity and !
the ever progressive needs Of civviii-
zatiJn, have thought it important, !
with this object to revise the general
laws and customs of war, with the
view on the one hand of defining
them with greater precision, and, on
the other hand, of confining them
WlLHlH iAIIl4AA IntEHdNd W lliittEstNN
their severity as far as possible. I
Consequently, they declared that the
inhabitants and the belling erents re-
main under the protection and the
governance Of the principles of the
law Of nations, derived from the us =
ages established among civilised peo-
pies. from the laws of humanity,
and from the dictates OF the public =
conscience"
Ras Desta fascinated
III. Ras Desta. the Dediazmath
Beyene Mered and numeous other &
chiefs and officers taken prisoner on 3
the field OF battle were immediately Y
executed This Is an assassination
committed III violation of Artical N
of the Regulations annexed to the q
fourth Hague Convention Of 1907: 4
sprisoners Of war are in the power OF +
she hostile government, and not Of the =