THE ETHIOPIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL (EHRCO)
A SPECIAL URGENT REPORT
(JANUARY 1996)
Sub: Wife of Ato Shachachew Sheno, a High Court Judge and
Vice President of the Court Tortured.
Ref.No.EHRCO/SUR/1/1996
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads:
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent
national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights
granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia states that All international agreements
ratified by Ethiopia are an integral part of the laws of
Ethiopia. Article 9(2)of the Constitution states: All citizens,
government bodies, political parties and other associations and
their officials are bound by the constitution and have the duty
to ensure its observance.
Article 25 of the Constitution further states: All persons are
equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination
to the equal protection of the law. The law shall guarantee to
all persons equal and effective protection without
discrimination…
In spite of these clear and other constitutional provisions,
action that will seriously damage the freedom of the judiciary
has been committed against a judge in the High Court in the
Southern Peoples’ Region, in the Shakacho Zone. Ato Shachachew
Sheno, a High Court Judge and Vice President of the Court,
issued an arrest warrant in accordance with the law (Criminal
Procedure Code Art. 53) and the request of the police for the
apprehension of Ato Adinew Ayno, in charge of the Economic
Section of Shakacho Zone and presently representative of the
Shakacho Zone in the House of Representatives, and seven other
persons for alleged homicide. The arrest warrant issued to the
police was in accordance with the law and was written on June
4,1994 (ref.no.50/87). Because Ato Shachachew Sheno fulfilled his
function as a judge, he was suspended from the bench by a letter,
ref.no. 12/6024/87 on 1 August 1995 written and signed by Ato
Adinew Ayno who was then in charge of the economic section of
Shakacho Zone and presently a member of the House of
Representatives. Ato Adinew Ayno was clearly acting beyond his
legal authority and transgressing Article 79 of the Constitution
which establishes the independence of the judiciary.
Ato Shachachew Sheno has been seeking justice at all levels,
from the Regional Administration in Awasa to the House of
Representatives in Addis Abeba. So far he has not been able to
get any support from anywhere. In fact while he was seeking
justice in Awasa and Addis Abeba, an attempt was made to stop him
by detaining and torturing his wife, Weizero Amete Mariam
Garefo, a teacher in Masha town. The authorities in Shakacho
ordered her detention and she was tortured by clamping her two
hands in screwable handcuffs made of steel rods. As a result her
two hands have been severely incapacitated.
Finally, the authorities in Shakacho have zeroed in on Ato
Shachachew in Addis Abeba and there are good reasons to
believe they are attempting to abduct him and take him back to
Shakacho where they can do anything. Only because Ato Shachachew
was doing his duty as a judge, he was suspended from his job by
the very persons who are accused of criminal offense; he fails to
get support from the Regional Administration and the House of
Representatives; his wife is tortured and her two hands
incapacitated; and now he cannot find security even in Addis
Abeba where the very persons who are accused of criminal offense
are attempting to turn him into a criminal. Ato Shachachew and
his wife have seven young children. The Ethiopian Human Rights
Council appeals to the government authorities to halt the
harassment of Ato Shachachew and his family and to serve justice.
All persons of goodwill, human rights organizations,
governments and international organizations, political and
religious institutions are urged to do whatever they can to help
and stop the repeated injustice committed against this father of
seven children and his wife.
cc:
House of People’s Representative
P.O.Box 80001
H.E.Dr. Negasso Gidada
President, The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
P.O.Box 1031
H.E.Ato Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister, The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
P.O.Box 1031
H.E.Ato Mahteme Solomon
Minister, Ministry of Justice
P.O.Box 1370
The Honourable Ato Kemal Bedri
President, The Central Supreme Court
P.O.Box 6166
Ato Zer’u Melese
Deputy Attorney General, Ministry of Justice
P.O.Box 4467
Addis Abeba , Ethiopia
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