Friday December 27, 2024
The Federal High Court, Dire Dawa branch, Jigjiga Criminal Court Rotating Bench sentenced 81 people accused of engaging in “terrorist activities as members of the Al-Shabaab group” to up to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, state media reported.
The Ministry of Justice’s Organized and Trans-Border Crime Dire Dawa regional branch prosecutor presented the evidence against the 81 accused Al-Shabaab members under the file name of Muktar Abdi who were facing criminal and terrorism charges on provisions of the Ethiopian Federal Criminal Code of 2004 under Articles 32(1)(a) and (b), 35, Article 3(2); and the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Crimes Proclamation No.1176/2020, respectively.
They were charged and convicted for “leading and participating in terrorist activities.”
Additionally, under Article 30(1) of the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Crimes Proclamation, the accused were also charged for their “association with Al-Shabaab”, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, with their membership and involvement dating back to 2022.
Although the news does not mention if the 81 who were convicted today at the regional branch court have an association with Al-Shabaab’s July 2022 attack inside Ethiopian territory, part of the timeline matched when the militants attacked two villages near the border with Ethiopia, “killing 17 people including three civilians and Ethiopian police officers inside Somali territory while 63 of its fighters were killed.”
Part of the charges said the accused had participated in Al-Shabaab’s operations since 2019, “receiving training, engaging in jihadist warfare, and executing missions aligned with the group’s religious and political goals.” They were also involved in destabilizing the public, attacking government entities, and undermining the state in operations spanning several local areas in Afder and Shebelle zones in the Somali Regional State.
The attack, the first major attack inside Ethiopia by the militant group, was quelled after reinforcement members of the national defense forces were sent on 25 July to join the Somali region security forces. Prior to that the Somali region security council said that more than 100 members of the group were were killed in the three-day operation, and “13 vehicles were burnt and the weapons and supplies they brought with them were confiscated.”
During the sentencing today, federal prosecution detailed their offenses and actions that included “carrying out attacks with the intent to instill fear,” and presented evidence during the trials that included “57 eyewitness testimonies and 396 pages of documentary evidence.”
The defendants reportedly lacked the means to appoint private legal counsel, prompting the court to assign public defenders. However, following a review of the evidence, the court found the defendants guilty of the charges, with some confessing to their “involvement in the outlined terrorist activities, leading to their convictions.”
Accordingly, the court has sentenced 18 of the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment each. The remaining defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 years based on their level of involvement.
