As a result of the protests, the government placed Hailu Shawul and other high-ranking leaders under house arrest for weeks. When the CUD held an initially peaceful protest the highly armed government security forces augmented the situation by using excessive force which turned it violent, leading to the deaths of more than 200 peaceful demonstrators in the capital alone and an unknown number in the countryside in October 2005. The government claimed the death of four police officers. Hailu Shawel and 23 other CUD leaders were arrested and imprisoned on charges of treason and genocideS.