Mercy Proclamation

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Mercy Proclamation (1940)
by Haile Selassie, translated by Haile Selassie I Press

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Proclamation of July 7, 1940

Haile Selassie142750Mercy Proclamation1940Haile Selassie I Press

By the Proclamation released on Hamle 17th, 1932, I announced to you that I advised the Italians in Ethiopia and who were completely encircled to submit to our Chiefs in order to avoid being killed. Consequently I recommend to you to receive in a suitable manner and to keep all the Italians who submit to you with or without arms. Do not reproach them for their atrocities to which they had subjected our population. Show them that you are soldiers possessing human feelings and a human heart. Do not forget that during the Battle of Adowa, the valiant Ethiopian warriors who had handed over the Italian prisoners to their Emperor have increased the honour and elevated the name of Ethiopia.

Actually, as you know, the Italian troops are wandering about dispersed, in Libya, Albania and Ethiopia. In Libya the British troops have captured more than 130,000 men. The Greek troops have captured many thousands of Italians in Albania. The British troops have co-operated with us and those who have penetrated into Eritrea continue to capture each day numerous Italians.

The Italians are escaping and evacuating the regions to the West of Ethiopian territory, from the North of Ethiopia to Lake Rudolph. In the face of these circumstances, be vigilant on all your positions so as to avoid that they destroy the country in the course of their withdrawal.

But We recommended to you to spare their lives and treat well the enemy which will represent humanity; We particularly recommend to you spare and respect the life of children, women and old people. Do not pillage the goods of others, even the property of the enemy. We recommend to you not to burn any house.

When I order you to respect all these things it is only to ask you to perform an act of conscience, because my heart tells me that the Ethiopian people is not unfair to any other civilized people in their respect for the laws of war.

This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was first published in Ethiopia, which is not a participant in the Berne Convention or any other treaty on copyright with the United States, and was not simultaneously published in another country.

This work is also in the public domain in Ethiopia if it meets one of the following criteria:

It is an anonymous, pseudonymous or posthumous work and 50 years have passed since the date of its publication.
It is a collective or audiovisual work and 50 years have passed since the date of its publication.
It is a photographic work, and 25 years have passed since the date of its creation (or publication, whatever date is the latest).
It is another kind of work, and 50 years have passed since the year of death of the author (or last-surviving author).
It is "any official text of a legislative, administrative or of legal nature, as well as official translations thereof".

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Translation:

This work is in the public domain worldwide because it has been so released by the copyright holder.

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