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ACHPR .... !.' African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Human Rights our Collective Responsibility I v. Burundi where the Commission underlined theimportance of equality of arms in I I criminal proceedings=, Media Rights Agen~a v. Nigeria where it held that a detainee , held for 49 days without access to a lawyer was a violation of Article 7(1)(c )23 and I Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and ttenghts v. Egypt where it held that the absence of lawyers for the accused persons at the critical early interrogation stage was a violation of Article 7(1)(c )24. 103. The Second Complainant right to be presumed innocent in that the publicity campaign nt State violated her also alleges that the, 1lruOPiJ ducted a negative i-- against her aimed, a~ J?r~jy~icirigt~.t~~" Government officials including the Prim~~~i~~Jt~~~e ,;~, , , t, \ ',I ,an<ll,:l' documentary was" ,own on national their guilt prior to the end of the I ,', ),' ' ",'" _"," " lt as'cerrorist, It is also alleged that during television accusing the Second Ii':" the trial the prosecution '\>, ,,' ! : " ,<, ,:, .I burden of proving her guilt, ,">' instead, she was £>v'....a'~f-arh,f- against her. She cited the Commission's & IHRDA (on behalf of Suleiman v. Sudant» and Media former Dergue offipials) v Ethiopia,25 """"~!,,,><,-./ Rights Agenda v:}:;Jigeria27 to support " ':,;, 104. The Secd~~'\Complainant '<:'\:'0"':':,: she was not tried by an >, independent and d)wpetent the government interfered in the judicial pro~~~;;~~~t~~~sof n~~a~~~'~::1i18?~f€i~ ~;&_~, '~<~, .. .::; -·-:~:::t·:/~'\, the pf(j~:~,ediiig;" ":!:~\ ; t her, countless fair trial violations during : 's11 the Appeals Court failed to address, existence of a pattern in ,/,:.:".\::,)...~" -[:'~::·:)f::::'~s:~.~,~:':"~~",DJ/ : Ethiopia t8~itlvariably"~;~nvict journalists under repressive laws for their reports and \::'~ .(f" commentaries on matters of public interest and cases of sentence of owners of \jh~ I Ethiopian pJ~~i¢~tions to lengthy custodifl sentences in abse~tia without any real : t.'~ I 8 . evidence to support the convictions. Therefore, her right to be tried, i!~""'~NA"'D .~~e . endent . I /..s; I 22 Communication 23 Communication 24 Communication 25 Communication 26 Communication 27 Communication No. 231/99 (6 November 2000), para. 27. No. 224/98 (6 November 2000), para 55 No. 334/06 (1 March 2011), para. 133. . No. 301/05 (7 November 2011). No, 222/98-229/99 (3 May 2003), para, 54 No. 224/98 (6 November 2000), para. 48 !l 6,i~G I . ~ X. ~ ~. ~ ~. •. ,"'.60 ~~ I I I ! '. o ~fi.'fA.R. l.qr .o~o ~ ~ ~~,;.:-~'~\ I$'-a \Il L~' .....,. ~~ (3 s ~ '" ~<i" en ,:y (:OA/A"RI(."'~~:'i'<V.§' . ""; O,,",Mf [1 \>~ I ··..i 251 P age The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights 31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District, West Coast Region Gambia Phone: (220) 23,0 4361 Fax: (220) 441 0504 Email: au-banjul@africa-union.org https:/achpr,au.intlO 0 a.

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Communication 461/13 - Eskinder Nega Fenta and Reyoot Alemu (Represented by Media Legal Defence Initiative and Freedom Now) v. Ethiopia

ACHPR Decision

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Type of Document

Decision

Keywords

Arbitrary Arrest and Detention
Detention Facilities/Conditions
Freedom of Expression / Digital Rights
Right to Fair Trial
Right to Health
Women in prison

Case Head Notes: The First Complainant was arrested on suspicion of terrorism, five days after publishing an online column that criticized the Respondent State's 2009 Proclamation on Anti-Terrorism. The Second Complainant, despite having their sentence reduced from 14 years to five years, had the charge of participation in a terrorist organization upheld against her by the Cassation Division of the Federal Supreme Court. She also states that she was forced to return to prison, after undergoing an operation to remove tumours, during which time she experienced significant pain and discomfort. The Complainants assert that the 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, and its subsequent implementation have resulted in a significant number of prosecutions of dissenting voices in the Respondent State and that this constitutes a serious or massive violation of human rights, both dejure and defacto. The Commission found a violation of Article 7 because the Second Complainant was not promptly informed of the reason for her arrest, she was not promptly brought before a court of law, she was denied access to a lawyer from the time of her arrest to her preliminary hearing and, when she had access to lawyers, she was not permitted to hold private meetings with them. The Commission further found that Article 7 was violated because negative publicity regarding her guilt, prior to the conclusion of her trial, compromised her right to be presumed innocent, and because, for a number of the charges, she was required to prove her innocence rather than the Court being required to prove her guilt beyond a resaonsable doubt. Additionally, the Commission stated that the negative pre-trial campaign, and a statement by the Prime Minister to Parliament either did, or could have, influenced the proceedings to the detriment of the Second Complainant, and violated her right to an indepedent and impartial proceeding. The Commission found a violation of Article 9 stating that it is the responsibility of the Respondent State, and its officials and agents, to ensure that freedom of expression is respected and protected. As government officials, directly and indirectly, sent the Second Complainant death threats, contributed to the closure of her magazine, and intimidated her to stop writing articles, the Second Complainant's right to freedom of expression was violated by the Respondent State. Additionally, the Commission noted that the broad language of the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation is suceptible to arbitrary application, and affirmed that, in the present case, it did not provide a legitimate basis for restricting the Second Complainant's freedom of expression. The Commission found a violation of Article 16 as, on account of poor sanitary conditions, it did not provide the Second Complainant with conditions of detention consistent with human dignity and the highest attainable standard of health. Further, the Respondent State failed to take measures to ensure adequate and timely medical treatment, including, access to essential drugs, trained medical personnel, preventitive measures against diseases, and recognition of her specific health needs as a woman. The Commission also cited the Respondent State's non-response to the Provisional Measures that were issued to prevent irreparable harm to the Second Complainant. The Commission requested the Respondent State to pay suitable compensation to the Second Complainant (including loss of earnings and compensation for extended pain and suffering), to declare that the 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation is not line with the Respondent State's obligations under international law and to amend it accordingly, and to inform the Commission of the measures being taken to implement the decision.

Country

Ethiopia

Outcome: Decided on Merits

Year Decided: Aug 2, 2022

Rights Alleged to be Violated (ACHPR Provisions)

ACHPR 7: Right to Fair Trial
ACHPR 9: Right to Receive Information and Free Expression
ACHPR 16: Right to Health

Rights Violated (ACHPR Provisions)

ACHPR 7: Right to Fair Trial
ACHPR 9: Right to Receive Information and Free Expression
ACHPR 16: Right to Health

Duration of Procedure

Nov 12, 2013 ~ Aug 2, 2022

Country Geolocation

Latitude: 9.145000000000001

Longitude: 40.489673

Country Geolocation (linked ACHPR Decision): Ethiopia

Primary Documents

Eskinder Nega Fenta & Reyoot Alemu (Represented by Media Legal Defence Initiative and Freedom Now) v Ethiopia.pdf
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African Human Rights CLA 2.0

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Communication 461/13 - Eskinder Nega Fenta and Reyoot Alemu (Represented by Media Legal Defence Initiative and Freedom Now) v. Ethiopia

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