
The savage rape and murder of a seven-year-old Ethiopian girl has sparked outrage in the country, with many branding her assailant鈥檚 punishment as too lenient.
By Wednesday more than 2,40,000 people had signed an online petition protesting at the 25-year prison sentence meted out to the man convicted of killing Heaven Awot in an attack last year.
Ethiopia鈥檚 minister for women and social affairs, Ergogie Tesfaye, described it as a 鈥榟orrible and inhumane crime鈥� in a post on her Facebook page, adding that her ministry would follow up on the case with judicial authorities.
Getnet Baye was found guilty of killing Heaven in Bahir Dar, the capital of the northern region of Amhara, but is planning to appeal, Ethiopian media reports said, without specifiying the date of the verdict.
The High Court in Bahir Dar 鈥榗oncluded that the child died as a result of the defendant鈥檚 violence and strangulation when he raped her because she was too young to withstand the pressure鈥�, the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
The Addis Standard said Getnet was the family鈥檚 landlord and attacked her in their home.
A Change.org petition, which currently has around 2,43,000 signatures, urged a review of the sentence to 鈥榬eflect the gravity of his crimes鈥� and ensure it is the maximum possible penalty under Ethiopian law.
It also called for 鈥榬obust legal protection鈥� for Heaven鈥檚 mother, who it said was being threatened for seeking justice for her daughter.
鈥楲et the punishment meted out serve as a deterrent for such heinous crimes in the future and offer some level of solace to Heaven鈥檚 family,鈥� according to the petition, which was started by an Ethiopian feminist organisation.
The Ethiopian Women Lawyers鈥� Association also criticised the sentence as too light, noting that murder was punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
More than 4,700 cases of gender-based violence were reported to the association last year, it said in its annual report.
鈥楾his data reveals the significant challenges women face in securing their safety and rights in Ethiopia,鈥� it said.
But the Amhara Judges Association voiced concerns about the strong reaction to the verdict.
鈥楾he legal system should be based on law and order, and the matter is currently under judicial review,鈥� it said, adding that the pressure on the judiciary was 鈥榰nwarranted鈥�.
鈥楽uch actions can affect judicial independence and the supremacy of law,鈥� it said in a statement.
In a report in May, Human Rights Watch said conflict-related sexual violence had reached 鈥榓larming levels鈥� in Ethiopia, particularly during the two-year war in Tigray between Ethiopian government forces and their allies and Tigrayan rebel authorities.
It said human rights abuses including rape and other sexual assaults were continuing in northern Ethiopia despite the November 2022 peace deal that ended the Tigray conflict.