Published in partnership with Ethiopia Insight.
Lamrot Kemal, who was with the musician on the night of his killing, was cleared of all charges. The 29 June assassination of prominent musician Hachalu led to chaos in Addis Ababa and several Oromia cities, as violent protests and clashes broke out in the days which followed. The assassination was quickly followed by the arrest of opposition party leaders Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba, which escalated tensions further.
On 2 October federal prosecutors charged four suspects for the murder. The charges were based on the 2020 Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Crimes Proclamation. They alleged that the defendants conspired with the Oromo Liberation Front “Shane”, and committed the crime with the aim to terrorize the population and coerce the government.
Although the court did not find sufficient evidence to link the second and third defendants, Kebede Gemechu and Abdi Alemayehu, to Hachalu’s killing, it found sufficient evidence to suspect that the defendants were present at the crime scene when the murder took place.
Accordingly, the court ordered a new set of charges to be instituted against the two defendants for their failure to report the murder and attempted robbery.
Meanwhile Tilahun Yami, the first defendant – who allegedly fatally shot Hachalu – remains on trial for the murder and has been ordered to submit his defence on 29 March.
Only the fourth defendant, Lamrot, was cleared of all charges, with judges citing insufficient evidence. She had been charged for taking orders from an unknown member of “Shane” to assist in facilitating the murder by luring Hachalu to a designated location.
However, a federal prosecutor told Ethiopia Insight that the prosecution plans to appeal to the Supreme Court against Lamrot’s acquittal.
The article continues below
Free download
Get your free PDF: Top 200 banks 2019
The race to transform
Complete the form and download, for free, the highlights from The Africa Report’s Exclusive Ranking of Africa’s top 200 banks from last year. Get your free PDF by completing the following form
Witness statements and documentary evidence were presented over the course of the trial. On 2 and 3 December, the prosecution presented ten witnesses to the court. According to the prosecution, more witnesses were willing to testify but they were not presented because the facts had been sufficiently uncovered by the testimonies of others.
Documentary evidence presented against the defendants included: forensic test results from the murder weapon and the corpse, transcriptions and video recordings of the defendants’ statements to the police in which they admitted to committing the crime, and photographs taken from the crime scene by investigators. The next hearing is set for 29 March.
Understand Africa's tomorrow... today
We believe that Africa is poorly represented, and badly under-estimated. Beyond the vast opportunity manifest in African markets, we highlight people who make a difference; leaders turning the tide, youth driving change, and an indefatigable business community. That is what we believe will change the continent, and that is what we report on. With hard-hitting investigations, innovative analysis and deep dives into countries and sectors, The Africa Report delivers the insight you need.
View subscription options
