Table Of ContentProsecution of Core Crimes in Ethiopia
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
International Criminal Law Series
Founding Editor
M. Cherif Bassiouni
Editor- in- Chief
William Schabas, Professor of International Law, Department of Law, Middlesex University;
Professor of International Criminal Law and Human Rights, Leiden University; Honorary Chairman,
Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway; Canada/I reland
Editorial Board
Kai Ambos, Judge at the Kosovo Chile Eboe- Osuji, Judge, Trial Director, Whitney R. Harris
Specialist Chambers (KSC), Division, International Criminal World Law Institute, Washington
The Hague; Professor of Law Court; former Legal Adviser University School of Law; Alexis
and Head, Department for to the High Commissioner de Tocqueville Distinguished
Foreign and International for Human Rights, Office of Fulbright Chair, University of Cergy-
Criminal Law, Georg August the High Commissioner for Pontoise; St. Louis, France/ USA
Universität; Gottingen, Germany Human Rights, Nigeria Michael Scharf, Dean and John
Mahnoush Arsanjani, Member, Geoff Gilbert, Professor of Law Deaver Drinko- Baker & Hostetlier
Institut de Droit International; and Head of the School of Law, Professor of Law, Director, Frederick
former Director, Codification University of Essex, Colchester UK K. Cox International Law Center,
Division, United Nations Philippe Kirsch, Ad hoc Judge, Case Western Reserve University
Office of Legal Affairs, Iran International Court of Justice; School of Law; Cleveland, USA
M. Cherif Bassiouni, Distinguished former President, International Ulrich Sieber, Professor of Criminal
Research Professor of Law Criminal Court; Ambassador Law, Director, Max Plank Institute
Emeritus, President Emeritus, (Ret.) and former Legal for Foreign and International
International Human Rights Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Criminal Law, University of
Law Institute, DePaul University Affairs of Canada; Sallēles Freiburg; Freiburg, Germany
College of Law; Honorary d’Aude, Belgium/ Canada Goran Sluiter, Professor of Law,
President, International Institute André Klip, Professor of Law, Department of Criminal Law and
of Higher Studies in Criminal Department of Criminal Law Criminal Procedure, Faculty of
Sciences; Honorary President, and Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Amsterdam;
Association Internationale de Law, Maastricht University; Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Droit Pénal; Chicago, USA/E gypt Maastricht, The Netherlands Françoise Tulkens, Former Vice-
Mohamed Chande Othman, Chief Errki Kourula, Former Judge President, European Court of
Justice, Court of Appeal of and President of the Appeals Human Rights; Strasbourg, France
Tanzania; Dodoma, Tanzania Division, International Criminal Xuimei Wang, Professor of
Eric David, Professor of Law, Free Court; The Hague, Finland International Criminal Law,
University of Brussels, Faculty Motoo Noguchi, Chair of the College for Criminal Law Science,
of Law, Brussels, Belgium Board of Directors, ICC Trust Beijing Normal University;
Mireille Delmas- Marty, Professor Fund for Victims; Ambassador Executive Director, ICC Project
of Comparative Legal Studies for International Judicial Office; Beijing, China
and Internationalisation of Cooperation, MOFA; Former UN Christine van den Wyngaert, Judge,
Law, Collège de France; former International Judge, ECCC, Japan International Criminal Court;
Professor of Criminal Law, Diane Orentlicher, Professor of former Judge, International
University of Paris; Paris, France International Law, Co- Director, Criminal Tribunal for the
Adama Dieng, UN Secretary- Center for Human Rights and Former Yugoslavia; former Ad
General’s Special Adviser on the Humanitarian Law, Washington hoc Judge, International
Prevention of Genocide; former College of Law, American Court of Justice, Belgium
Registrar, International Criminal University; Washington, USA Gert Vermeulen, Professor of Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda; former Fausto Pocar, Judge and former Law, Director, Research Group
Secretary General, International President, International Criminal Drug Policy, Criminal Policy
Commission of Jurists, Senegal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia; and International Crime, Ghent
Mark Drumbl, Class of 1975 President, International Institute University;Extraordinary Professor
Alumni Professor of Law, of Humanitarian Law; Professor of Evidence Law, Maastricht
Director, Transnational Law of International Law Emeritus, University; Ghent, Belgium
Institute, Washington and Lee University of Milan; Italy Giuliana Ziccardi Capaldo, Professor
University School of Law, USA Leila Nadya Sadat, Henry of International Law, Faculty of Law,
H. Oberschelp Professor of Law, University of Salerno; Salerno, Italy
volume 15
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
Prosecution of Core Crimes
in Ethiopia
Domestic Practice vis- à- vis
International Standards
By
Tadesse Simie Metekia
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Metekia, Tadesse Simie, 1984- author.
Title: Prosecution of core crimes in Ethiopia : domestic practice
vis-a-vis international standards / by Tadesse Simie Metekia.
Description: Leiden, The Netherlands : Koninklijke Brill NV, [2021] |
Series: International criminal law series, 2213-2724 ; volume 15 | Based
on author’s thesis (doctoral - Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, 2020). |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021000329 (print) | LCCN 2021000330 (ebook) |
ISBN 9789004447257 (hardback) | ISBN 9789004447264 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Criminal law–Ethiopia. | Prosecution–Ethiopia. |
International crimes–Law and legislation–Ethiopia.
Classification: LCC KRP3800 .M48 2021 (print) | LCC KRP3800 (ebook) |
DDC 345.63/05042–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021000329
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021000330
Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”. See and download: brill.com/b rill- typeface.
issn 2213-2 724
isbn 978-9 0-0 4-4 4725-7 (hardback)
isbn 978-9 0-0 4-4 4726-4 (e- book)
Copyright 2021 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi,
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without prior written permission from the publisher. Requests for re- use and/ or translations must be
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This book is printed on acid- free paper and produced in a sustainable manner.
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
In loving memory of a dear friend, Belay Gezahegn Kassa
∵
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
Contents
A cknowledgments xi
L ist of Tables xiii
A bbreviations xiv
1 I ntroduction 1
1.1 E thiopia’s Involvement with International Crimes: A Prelude 1
1.2 S tatement of the Problem 6
1.3 C entral Questions of the Book 14
1.4 R eview of the Literature 15
1.5 M ethodology 20
1.6 S cope of the Book 29
1.7 S tructure of the Book 32
part 1
The Setting in Motion of Prosecutions of Core Crimes in
Ethiopia
2 T he Decision to Prosecute Core Crimes
Contexts and Contents 43
2.1 I ntroduction 43
2.2 A mnestying or Prosecuting the Dergue: The Choice of the tge 46
2.3 T he Scope of the Decision to Prosecute: ‘Heinous and Horrendous’
Criminal Acts 62
2.4 T he Decision to Prosecute: Removing Latent Impediments 76
2.5 C onclusion 88
3 T he Decisions to Prosecute
Possible Motivations 90
3.1 I ntroduction 90
3.2 T he tge’s Conviction to Uphold a Duty to Prosecute 94
3.3 T he Absence of Actual or Perceived Adversary 109
3.4 P erpetrators’ Lack of Remorse and Apology 114
3.5 T he tge’s Intention to Use Prosecution for Political Legitimacy 122
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
viii Contents
3.6 Post- tge Decisions to Prosecute Core Crimes: The Persistence of
Political Considerations 129
3.7 Conclusion 137
4 The Decisions to Prosecute
Who Should Be Brought to Justice? 139
4.1 Introduction 139
4.2 Delineating Prosecutorial Scope: The Notion of Unjustified
Selectivity 140
4.3 The Issue of Fugitive Offenders: Trial in Absentia / Trial by
Default 170
4.4 Conclusion 185
part 2
Ethiopian Core Crimes Trials: Applicable Laws, Crimes, and
Punishment
5 The Crime of Genocide in Ethiopian Law 189
5.1 Introduction 189
5.2 The Early Ethiopian Ratification of the Genocide Convention 191
5.3 Incorporating the Crime of Genocide into Ethiopian Law 194
5.4 Evolution of the Ethiopian Law on Genocide 208
5.5 T he Status of the Genocide Convention in the Ethiopian Legal
System 219
5.6 C onclusion: The Duality of Laws Applicable to the Crime of Genocide
in Ethiopia 231
6 The Crime of Genocide in Ethiopian Trials
Elements of the Crime 236
6.1 I ntroduction 236
6.2 M aterial Element: Protected Groups 239
6.3 Actus Reus of Genocide: Underlying Offenses 251
6.4 Mental Element of Genocide 271
6.5 Conclusion: Undiscussed Genocides 305
7 War Crimes in Ethiopia
Law and Practice 308
7.1 Introduction 308
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
Contents ix
7.2 E arly Efforts to Punish War Crimes in Ethiopia: The unwcc and the
ewcc 313
7.3 W ar Crimes Law in Ethiopia and the Serious Violations of ihl
Yardstick 321
7.4 N eutrality of the Ethiopian War Crimes Provisions: The Abolition of
the Distinction between Armed Conflicts 327
7.5 T he Scope of War Crimes in Ethiopian Law: Interpretative and Direct
Application of ihl 334
7.6 I ndividual Acts of War Crimes: Ethiopian Law vis- à- vis the icc
Statute 348
7.7 W ar Crimes in Ethiopian Practice: The Legesse Asfaw et al. Case 353
7.8 T he Absence of More War Crimes Trials: Why Only Legesse Asfaw
Et al.? 366
7.9 C onclusion 370
8 P unishment and Sentencing of Core Crimes in Ethiopia 373
8.1 I ntroduction 373
8.2 A pplicable Penalties for Core Crimes under Ethiopian Law: Principal
and Secondary 378
8.3 C hanges in Applicable Penalties and the Principle of Lex Mitior 399
8.4 S entencing Rationales 403
8.5 F actors in Sentence Determination: Aggravation and
Mitigation 407
8.6 M ultiplicity of Convicts and the Problem of Individualization of
Punishment 427
8.7 C onclusion 429
9 C onclusion
Trying Core Crimes with Political Ambition and Judicial Ineptness 431
9.1 F indings in Part 1 Prosecuting Core Crimes through Political
Emphasis and Indifference 432
9.2 F indings in Part 2 Duality of the Applicable Law and Singularity of
the Jurisprudence 439
9.3 F inal Remarks: Legacy of Trials That Did Not Mirror icl
Standards 447
L ist of Cases 450
L ist of Laws 466
B ibliography 475
I ndex 498
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
Tadesse Simie Metekia - 978-90-04-44726-4
