Ethiopia: court passes death and life sentence over 4 criminals

By Tesfa-alem Tekle

April 5, 2008 (ADDIS ABABA) — The federal high court of Ethiopia this week passed a death sentence and life imprisonment on four criminals who has been organized on armed robbers and murder.

The Second Criminal Court found all the four defendants, guilty of killing and robbery.

Accordingly, the court sentenced Dawit Diriba to death While Mikael Mezgebe,Hailemariam Kidanewold and Birhanu Kibret to life in prison.

Police sources, said that the first defendant has a record of repeated robbery and murder in the capital Addis Ababa at different times.

He has also escaped from jail where he had been serving life sentence, killed two persons and wounded one in collaboration with the other two criminals and robbed money and other materials in the capital city

The gangsters also attempted to kill a colonel who was heading a police team tracking down them, it was learnt.

(ST)