There is outrage and anger in Ethiopia following the sentencing of a man, Getnet Baye, to 25-years imprisonment for raping and murdering his tenant’s seven year old daughter, Heaven Awot, in 2023.
An Ethiopian court has sentenced Getnet Baye to 25 years in prison for his actions but the sentence did not go well with many Ethiopians including right organisations who viewed the punishment as a slap on the wrist compared to the severity of the crime.
Presently, over 240,000 people have signed an online petition protesting against the judgment as Getnet has announced plans to appeal the sentence. The case has been adjourned until October 2024.
In August 2023, Heaven was attacked by her mother’s landlord, Getnet, in Bahir Dar, Amhara region.
According to Heaven’s mother, Abekyelesh, a health worker, she feels “lifeless” after losing her daughter.
One of Ethiopia’ s rights groups, The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, EWLA,condemned the 25-year sentence and argued that Getnet should have been given a death penalty considering the nature of the crime and the age of the victim.
Also government officials, including Minister for Women and Social Affairs Ergogie Tesfaye, have criticized the judgment, calling the crime “inhumane” and promising to address the issue.
Heaven’s mother said she had trusted her landlord, but the trust was betrayed when Heaven was attacked while in the care of her aunt. Her mutilated body was later found outside their home.
Before his sentence, Getnet had escaped from custody when local militias broke into the prison and evaded arrest for a month.