Afar region has been affected by the conflict in the north.
No Annual Report was available for police. The number of complaints (425) appears unusually low and the number of investigations conducted (425) unusual (as not all complaints or reports of crime justify an investigation). The 11 GBV cases recorded were all investigated and all sent on to the PP. Police record sending 386 files to the PP in total.
The OAG record receiving 973 files from police. Their cases data are sourced from the AR 2013 which also notes they achieved a 98% conviction rate.
The way in which it sets out the case data is as follows (note: informal translation from the Amharic):
‘Between 2012 and 2013 budget year, 596 files were registered, 973 new files were registered in 2013, a total of 1567 (sic) cases was brought before the court. Out of 1567 files, 666 cases get a verdict. Out of 666 cases in 566, the court finds the accused guilty and in 29 the court acquitted the accused, 37 cases were resolved through negotiation by the party, and 872 cases are pending. 3 case was referred to the body which has jurisdiction, 60 cases are under investigation by the public prosecutor.
Therefore the plan for prosecution resulting in conviction by public prosecutor was 98% in the year and the outcome was 95.1% in mid-year.’
The AR goes on to note as concerns appeal cases:
‘Public prosecutors won on 60% of appealed cases that are appealed by public prosecutors. Accused won on 39% of appealed cases.’
PPs do not only prosecute cases, they provide free legal aid services to indigent accused (40 in the year) and assist in drafting laws.
The Annual Report collects case data broadly by number of cases registered, disposed and carried forward and the revenue collected.
Case data for Zonal and Woreda Courts are combined in the Annual Report on which the case data collected relied. The number of cases per level of court is not known and so ‘No data’ is entered. The Data Note sets out the total case data for both courts.
EWLA is the service provider and opened an office in the course of the year. Data for the year are incomplete.
Samara University Law Clinic ceased functioning with the outbreak of the pandemic
The five prisons are stated to have a holding capacity of 2000-3000. The lower figure is given here and shows 25% space available is occupied by 561 prisoners (3% women) of whom 43% are unsentenced (on remand). The prisons had no data for the number of persons under 18.
In interview, the opinion provided by the prison administration was that 3% of the general population posed a danger to society and over 30% suffered from some mental illness. The data do not show whether any prison police were injured or otherwise threatened or harmed in the course of their duties.
OAG
AR records the following disposals:
566 convicted (85%)
37 settled through negotiation
29 acquitted (4%)
COURTS
RHC and RFIC: case data are combined in the Annual Report for both Zonal and Woreda Courts by Zone.
New Criminal cases total: 8596
Disposed: 7814
Carried forward: 799
LASPs
Samara University operated free legal aid services from 4 centres in the region. All of them stopped functioning since the COVID 19 outbreak.
PRISONS
Data mismatch in total population and breakdown by status (sentenced / unsentenced)
Holding capacity is given as 2000-3000. There is no specific figure nor indication of how capacity is calculated in terms of m2 per prisoner.