Criminal
The 2004 Criminal Code, with anti-terrorism law that has driven most controversy
The Criminal Code Proclamation 414/2004 replaced the 1957 Penal Code, criminalising FGM, trafficking and marital rape-adjacent conduct. The 2009 anti-terrorism proclamation was replaced in 2020 after years of criticism over its use against journalists.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Criminal law is federal; both federal and regional courts try offences depending on the offence and the parties.
Governing law
- Criminal Code Proclamation 414/2004
- Criminal Procedure Code 1961
- Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Crimes Proclamation 1176/2020
- Computer Crime Proclamation 958/2016
In practice
The 2004 code modernised the substantive law considerably, adding offences around harmful traditional practices and human trafficking that the 1957 code did not address. The contested area has been counter-terrorism: Proclamation 652/2009 defined terrorism broadly enough to reach reporting and political organisation, and it was used to convict journalists and opposition figures, which is why its 2020 replacement narrowed the definitions, tightened detention limits and removed some evidentiary shortcuts. Criminal procedure still rests on the 1961 code, which is widely regarded as the weakest link — a long-running redraft has not been enacted — so pre-trial detention practice and the rules on remand are governed by a text older than the substantive code it serves. Ethiopia retains the death penalty in law but executions are extremely rare.