The brutal rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Ethiopia has ignited widespread outrage, with many expressing dissatisfaction with the sentence handed down to her attacker. By Wednesday, over 240,000 people had signed an online petition condemning the 25-year prison sentence given to the man convicted of killing Heaven Awot last year, deeming it far too lenient.
Ethiopia’s Minister for Women and Social Affairs, Ergogie Tesfaye, described the crime as “horrible and inhumane” in a Facebook post, pledging that her ministry would closely monitor the case through judicial channels.
Getnet Baye, found guilty of the murder in Bahir Dar, the capital of the Amhara region, is reportedly planning to appeal the verdict, though the exact date of the ruling remains unspecified by Ethiopian media.
According to the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, the Bahir Dar High Court determined that Heaven’s death resulted from the violent assault and strangulation inflicted by Getnet during the rape, given her young age and inability to resist.
Local news outlet Addis Standard reported that Getnet was the family’s landlord and attacked Heaven Awot in their home.
The online petition, which has amassed around 243,000 signatures on Change.org, calls for a review of the sentence to better reflect the severity of the crime and to ensure that the maximum penalty under Ethiopian law is applied. It also urges enhanced legal protection for Heaven’s mother, who has reportedly faced threats for seeking justice for her daughter.
The petition, initiated by an Ethiopian feminist organization, asserts that the punishment should serve as a deterrent for future crimes and provide some measure of solace to Heaven’s grieving family.
The Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association has also criticised the sentence, arguing that murder in such cases should be met with life imprisonment or even the death penalty, both of which are permissible under Ethiopian law.
In its annual report, the association revealed that over 4,700 cases of gender-based violence were reported last year, highlighting the persistent dangers women face in securing their safety and rights in Ethiopia.
However, the Amhara Judges Association expressed concern over the strong public reaction to the verdict, emphasising that the legal system must operate based on law and order, without undue pressure on the judiciary. The association warned that such public outcry could compromise judicial independence and the rule of law.
In a broader context, Human Rights Watch reported in May that sexual violence related to the conflict in Ethiopia had reached alarming levels, particularly during the two-year war in Tigray. Despite a peace agreement signed in November 2022, human rights abuses, including rape, continue to plague northern Ethiopia.