9-2-2016
Ethiopia’s ruling Front, TPLF/EPRDF’s current rhetoric of undertaking a “good governance movement” has been put to doubt after the Ministry of Justice has officially sacked judges, who called for constitutional reform. The judges were fired in the national parliament and were replaced by three new judges.
Judges Gizachew Mitiku, Habtamu Milki and Abaraha Tetemke also were accused different types of legal malpractices. None were accused of financial corruption.
According to the government’s news agency, ENA, Gizachew was sacked because “he frequently states that the Constitution should be amended, for not being loyal to the Constitution, he said Ethiopia is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) because the government commits human rights abuses and violations and because he said ethnic equality has not been achieved in Ethiopia.” Also, he is fired for frequently saying “why do we return budgets at the end of the year, why do not we buy the necessary equipment or why shall it not be distributed for judges?”
Similarly, the other two judges have been accused bizarre offences such as “giving decisions dissimilar to what other judges normally decide, continuing to try cases they were told not to follow by prosecutors and for pushing judges to stop processing some cases.
By the looks, of the government’s own acts the current “good governance movement” is targeting civil servants who have boldly called for good governance.
The Amharic version of the report by the government’s Ethiopian News Agency is attached below:
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