Traditional Prisons, Legal Codes and Punishments in Ethiopia: An Overview of Historical Integrative Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to trace the historical development, change, and continuity of traditional prisons, legal codes, and punishments in Ethiopia from antiquity to recent times. The researcher used a qualitative method and a descriptive research design. Data were collected through document review, and then the collected data were analyzed both thematically and chronologically. The author used both primary and secondary sources. Traditional prisons, legal codes, and punishments continued until the reign of Menilek II. After a strong king, Menilek, a modern constitution was written in 1931 during the reign of Haile Selassie I, who ruled Ethiopia for a long time. The ancient and traditional prisons revealed by the research, what the early laws were like, and how and what punishments were applied based on these laws and other customs were analyzed in the research. Mainly, the three legendary prisons of Däbrä Damo, Amba Gešän, and Wähn Amba were used to confine the successors to the throne. In other prisons, inmates were occasionally brutalized. Even Fetha Nägäest has cruel laws or articles. According to those cruel laws, criminals were punished severely, from mutilation to the death penalty. Due to the long-standing practice of torture punishments and the influence and legacy of harsh laws, being imprisoned in Ethiopia still means an ordeal and is considered like going to hell.

Keywords: prison, tradition, male descendants, confinement, legal codes, Ethiopia, and torture

DOI: 10.7176/HRL/54-01

Publication date:September 30^th 2023