April 20, 2023

Ethiopian Government sued over its abducted citizen in Kenya

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The victim's lawyer confirmed that the abducted man has a certificate testifying that he has been free from crime in Kenya in the past 19 years.

Avatar: Ilyas Kifle
By Ilyas Kifle

Ilyas is a reporter at Addis Zeybe experienced in creative writing and content production.

Ethiopian Government sued over its abducted citizen in Kenya

Samson Teklemichael's family filed a complaint against the Ethiopian Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over his abduction in Kenya in 2021. Samson was kidnapped by individuals in Kenyan police uniform in Nairobi 18 months ago and has not been found since.

According to Samson's wife, Milen Halefom, the Ethiopian government made some efforts to locate him, but they were not sufficient to safeguard citizens' rights when they were violated in another country. Samson's lawyer, Daba Chufa (PhD), stated that the accused parties did not fulfill their obligations, leading the case to court. He anticipated the court would order them to carry out their legal obligations.

Samson's attorney also claimed that he possessed a certificate from Kenya, where Samson has resided for more than 19 years, stating that he had no criminal record. Millen expressed her doubt that Samson's work posed a threat, adding, “Perhaps his humbleness and sincerity expose him to this.”

In the case brought to the Federal Higher Court's second human rights Bench, it was argued that the government must uphold its responsibility to safeguard Samson's and his family's rights and those of the nation's inhabitants. The Ministry of Justice represents the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the court, and Daba Chufa is following up on the case.

The lawyer hoped for two outcomes from the legal process. Firstly, the government should respect them for managing the case in court, and secondly, they anticipate a solution.

Samson Teklemichael's family had demonstrated in the streets of Nairobi three months after he disappeared, demanding justice. At the time, the Ethiopian Embassy in Kenya had requested that the Kenyan government investigate the situation, claiming that the Kenyan government permitted neither Ethiopian nor foreign investigators.

Samson was not abducted by savages, according to his wife, but by the police. She emphasized that his human rights should not be violated even if he was a criminal and urged the Ethiopian government to allow his deportation from Kenya to Ethiopia.

The next court date is scheduled for April 21, 2023, and will be postponed to Monday, April 16, if Eid al-Fitr falls on that day.