ELEVEN Ethiopians have been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment each with hard labour after they pleaded guilty to the offence of Consenting to being smuggled into Zambia.
The Lusaka High Court sentenced the 11 who included a woman yesterday after the 11 took plea to the offence which is contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
The 11 had also been sentenced to nine, six and three months for admitting the charge of failing to appear before the nearest Immigration office upon entering Zambia, contrary to the Immigration and Deportation Act.
The convicts who had been in custody would have their sentences run from the day of arrest in December last year.
High Court judge Mungeni Mulenga, however, reserved judgment to the 12th accused person Berenet Abebe because he had been hospitalised to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), and his judgment was set for September 7, this year.
This was in a case in which, Daboba Habibi, Amenule Desale, Tagasse Selamu, Abdulahi Debiso, Biruk Alimue, Hussein Rahima, (only female), Abdi Aliyi Ahmed, Mubarek Ahmed, Abdurah Mante, Muta Kasim and Arab Tajure had been convicted on the said charge.
In count one, the 12 were facing a charge of Consenting to being smuggled Contrary to Section 9 (1) of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act Number 11 of 2008 of the Laws of Zambia.
In count two, the convicts pleaded guilty to failing to appear before the nearest Immigration officer upon entry into Zambia, contrary to Section 12(2) and Section 51(1) as read with Section 56 (1) of the Immigration and Deportation Act Number 18 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia.
The convicts had earlier appeared before senior resident magistrate Aridah Chulu who could not pass sentence in the first count due to jurisdiction but sentenced them to various months in count one.
She then referred the matter to the High Court for sentencing in the first count where they were now jailed 15 years each with hard labour.
Facts before the court were that a group of Ethiopians left for South Africa where arrangements were made with an agent who was paid an undisclosed amount of money to take them to their desired destination.
The same agent on unknown dates but around December 2011 made the accused persons to cross borders without passing through the Immigration Department offices for their clearance as they were put in a container.
They then found themselves in Lusaka where they were apprehended and handed over to the Immigration and investigations revealed that the convicts had consented to being smuggled from Tanzania to Zambia.
[Times of Zambia]
This is preposterous! Why weren’t they just deported.They hardly stepped in Zambian soil before being apprehended.We don’t even have space in our prisons.Do these judges think? I don’t know how they can sleep at night!
Judges apply the law as it is. They do not create or change any laws. It’s up to government now to arrange deportation so they can finish their sentences in their home country. So if Ethiopian government can afford it, they should engage the zambian government and facilitate this becuase definately Zambia will not spend a dime on any deportation costs.
Iwe Gomes, the cost to keep these poor 11 humans in Zambian prisons for 15 years is more than what it would cost to send them back
In the Civilised World they just deport them back to there country.One hand claim to be a safe heaven for refugees on the other jailing the economic refugees.Callous!
Surely these people just needed to be deported, why keep them in our prisons, if they wer armed robers i would understand but just someone looking for greener pastures, a lot of Zambians live in other countries illegally.
JJ,come to Ethiopia illegally then you will appreciate what has happened,i wont say much
iwe @Jane just because they are shupit in their judgment, please don’t expect us Zambians to behave the same way
You’re wasting money and space keeping them in prison, just deport them!
Sata and his dull thugs are very dull indeed. I dont like the way things are running in Zambia at the moment
Please please please, we already have overcrowded prisons with our own. Let them just be deported period!
I think the Supreme Court needs to overturn this judgement. The punisment is too harsh. In all other countries such people are just deported back to their countries.
I think the judgement is outrageous. They don’t deserve such a punishment
Please these poor people were just looking for greener pastures elsewhere. the people that are supposed to be jailed are people that are making huge amounts of money trafficking them. Rather deport them back to their country.
It is a shame and it just shows how intorelant Zambians are.illigal immigrants are all over the world.You have 10 people entering Zambia and you arrest them and Jail them.as others have already said deport them back to their country rather than keep them in prisons because we cant afford to keep people decently.It is seems like we are selfish people and we should not say south Africa is a bad country because south africa respects foreigners even if they are illigal.They respect human rights and i dont think zambia does.
this is inhumane. what kind of judge is the person.surely its too harsh a sentence. deportation would do.its too callous. the judge lacks empathy
That is if he would understand the word “Empathy!” WHAT HE TOTALLY LACKS IS A SENSE OF LOGIC & COMMON SENSE!! The tragedy of Zambia’s free education, IS THAT PEOPLE HAVE GONE TO SCHOOL & PERFORMED WELL ON PAPER, however what has TRANSPIRED IS THAT MOST HAVE FAILED TO APPLY THAT KNOWLEDGE hence the quagmire we find ourselves in!!!!!!
But ma Guys, it’s NOT the fault of the Judges to lock up these hapless souls; it’s what the Law of the Land dictates and says. Mind you, the Judges are not part and parcel of these inacted, rightly so, achaic Laws left by our colonial masters. They are just practicing and being guided by what is laid down in the Law books. The best argument here is to go back to the drawing board and change these senseless laws. I agree however that the best option for such behavior by these so-called asylum seekers is to send them back them home. What are their Embassies doing about this anyway?
Excuse me sir. Where was law when the Chinese were shooting fellow citizens with every intent to kill? Are telling me that the law tolerant one person who shoots another with the intent to kill?? Those Chinese were not prosecuted and they are back safely in their country. The truth is, currently, the Zambian justice system wants to flex a muscle where it is completely uncalled for. You cannot tell me that it is right to imprison people for violating some laws while simply seeking a better life, for 15 years with hard labor, and you let others go free after shooting Zambian with the intent to kill. Where is the sense in that?? Remember, they were not in the country illegally, they just entered for goodness sake!! Even poeple caught for drugs get sentenced for only a couple of years!
Just deport them and save the country some resources. I wonder if these judges were once monks at UNZA?
Zambia the real Africa.lol
This is ultra harsh and definitely satanic! I am now very afraid for Zambia. Our beloved country is now firmly in the hands of the evil one. African countries in general except Zambia and a few other stupid ones don’t really care about who is illegal or not. Even South Africa isn’t this callous regarding illegals. These boundaries were created by foreigners from europe who have since been kicked out. How comes it then we still hang on to their evil system that was designed to divide us?! These officials must be ashamed of themselves.
this is so harsh especially a country calling itself christian nation why not just deport them those people are not criminals but looking for green pasture
why not deport foreingners who are dealing in drugs are walking free coz they got money
This PF Zambian government is barbaric, 15 yrs in jail on wonderful Ethiopians? I think the PF are jealous of their good-lookingness.
I am a Zambian but this PF, kwena they’re very evil. these Ethiopians don’t deserve to be sentenced to 15 yrs. all PF should do is deport them. if they refuse, then put them in detention for a short period of time. We have these kaponya’s stealing and are not locked up for that long. Have a good heart for people and let these people be released and sent back. the corrupt judge should be rebuked and we call the church and the human rights people to speak out for them.
If the country they belong doesn’t say a thing about this, I declare them to be Stateless.
No country would ever let its citizen to be treated that way in foreign land. If indeed there existed a country called Ethiopia, it would have come out and say, ‘Let our people free!’.
If their nation can’t bother to free them then release this citizen so as to fight back to free their nation!!
So much for African brotherhood. These people were only after a better life they lacked at home. Granted, deportation is acceptable but locking them up for 15 years is just heart breaking. In Ethiopia even though we are poor we treat our African brothers with love. and offcourse they are here illegally but still….
There has to be an example to deter would be offenders. Judge is ok. Infact he should have given them 20 years each and deportation after they serve the sentence.
What of the Congolese who rob, steal, maim,murder and steal Zambian citizenship?
Can the human rights commission do something please.
This is totally unfair trial. I feel deportation is adequate. These are poor people misguided by selfish brokers and had already sufferred a lot.
Areyou kidding me? 15 years! What the heck. When are this african leaders get a brain?
This is too harsh,inhumane and simply unacceptable.Deportation would have been the best option.
When the UK is introducing a bill to jail people who employ or traffic in illegal immigrants for up to 14 years. You lot are busy saying this is too harsh. Such tough sentences are meant to be a deterrent to other would be offenders. If their country cares for them they will negotiate with the Zambian Government to have them deported. Hopefully using Ethiopian resources. And please don’t blame the PF. Have they just brought these laws since they have been in power?
YOU ARE NUTS!!! YOU ARE EVEN FAILING TO UNDERSTAND YOU OWN ARGUMENT!!! YOU ARE RIGHT IN MENTIONING THAT IT IS TRAFFICKERS THEY ARE TARGETING – YES TRAFFICKERS IS THE OPERATIVE WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Boxale. You muppet! These chaps consented to be trafficked thereby willingly participating in a CRIME. Therefore they are just as guilty as the trafficker. Unless you can convince us that they were forcefully brought into the country. They thought Zed was still soft like in the past. Too bad my brothers next time try using the right channels
No problem, if this is the law of Zambia we see that with our patriot Zambian that leave in Ethiopia.
Are the prisons ever going to be decongested? 15 years
These are innocent pipo, why not cage Mmembe and Kunchito for the 18billion, soon to be 20 billion bcoz of interests.
People who steal billions are given light sentences. Why give harsh sentences for such minor crimes? God didn’t create the political/country boundaries that we have.
Sometimes I couldn’t believe what I hear; this is our continent and Zambians are our brothers…but what happened to all that? Wasn’t deportation enough? Locking them 15 years with hard labor; It is idiocy on steroids. O Africa !
Insane! Bullish! Calamitous! Terrorist!!! Barbarics! Cruel!!! Inhuman!!! Real Gurrela! >>>>> Typical Africa!!!
They are just stupid as it gets….who wants to live in Zambia anyways….I hope they all burn in hellllllllll!!!! Dedeboch!!
abena zed uku fwaya ukuba bwino for nothing. your sis’ n cuz’s are rotting in foreign jails cus they broke laws in these foreign lands, imwe ati deportation! If these chaps broke the law, and if the penal code categorically says they should be jailed then why not. otherwise it defeats the whole purpose of having constitutions and laws. just saying!
This is crazy and extreme Noooooooooo! Ba Zambia naimwe think about our citizens also in other countries. Please just deport them.
lock them up for 3 years only…its enuff to send a message….too many ethiopians and somalians in zambia…go to ndola..they even have their own gatherings. they are taking over our land..etc. one somalian even ran away with my money. jail them
Its personal ka
Yaba!! This is excessive, we will end up spending more feeding them on the Cilemba ya Tushishi than just sending them back home or dumping them in Tanzania or Malawi.
What! This has to be one of the cruelest things I have ever heard. There has to be a mistake somewhere or this has to be the harshest sentence on record, in the world, for entering a country illegally without carrying anything illegal like drugs.
You will now be feeding them for 15 years
@Dont worry pal they will die before 15years
Who cares about their stupid mabo jambo food…..these people just lost their lives
Q. what do the Chinese get for illegally entering african countries?
A. huge pieces of land to farm export food products for rich countries,
– can sell chickens, ifitumbuwa, at local markets…
– can import counterfeit products to african markets without a problem
– can live like a King in africa as long as they have money in their pockets
– can get away with crime scott free …….
*Essay*
What does an african black person gets for illegally entering another country other than his own????????????????????
“The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.”
? Kwame Nkrumah
When will Kwame Nkrumah’s vision/dream of unification of Africa become a reality? When will Africans be able to move around the continent of their birth without being told they have cross the line into a demarcation zone which was drawn in Berlin conference 1884 -1885?
Is this Zambia’s gift to the late PM Meles Zenawi and the late patriarch Abune Paulus of the 3000 years Ethiopian Orthodox Church?
For the lack of knowledge/commonsense my people perish as it is written in the good old book.
I agree with the other bloggers.Deportation could have been the best option.
Africans are aping everything European but sadly we are not aping union like the European Union. What a shame! The judge that passed this sentence must bow his head in shame. The judge must free his/herr mind from the shackles of mental slavery and the rest will follow.
“I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.”
? Kwame Nkrumah.
AFRICA MUST UNITE FOR THE SAKE OF HER OWN SURVIVAL.
“Africa is one continent, one people, and one nation. The notion that in order to have a nation it is necessary for there to be a common language, a common territory and common culture has failed to stand the test of time or the scrutiny of scientific definition of objective reality… The community of economic life is the major feature within a nation, and it is the economy which holds together the people living in a territory. It is on this basis that the new Africans recognise themselves as potentially one nation, whose dominion is the entire African continent. ” Class Struggle in Africa Kwame Nkrumah
Before President Clinton made his famous quote It is the economy stupid in his bid for elections Kwame Nkrumah the greatest African son of all times has already figured it out.
I am very angry that my country can pass such a stupid sentence to these poor Ethiopians. Lock the real people smugglers for 3 to 5 years but these people people should be deported with no more imprisonment. This judge will pay for his action and he is putting the lives of innocent Zambians in Ethiopia at risk. LT open up a bank account for these poor Ethiopians so that we can hire human rights lawyers to fight this inhumane treatment of our brothers and sisters from Ethiopia. I thinkmI am now coming to hate PF for its bad polities.
Naturally Zambians hate foreigners. The immigration’s laws are very rough towards foreigners. I came in Canada 4 months ago, they don’t chase foreigners here even those illegal ones. I have never seen a country where Immigration officers are busy arresting people in town like in Zambia, one day they came in Kanyama, chawana, Mandevu at night and they were knocking on each door asking for papers. Just release these Ethiopians who are still mourning their PM. Let be tolerant and love each other.
These Ethiopians were not armed,they were not carrying drugs just empty handed in search of greener pastures. People stealing billions are walking scott free. I pity for that only woman sentenced to 15 years. I stay near the border between Canada and the US in Quebec we see people from Mexico especially coming illegally to the USA in search for jobs once they are arrested after some few days they are deported or given proper papers. Let us love and support those who are not able to afford even a decent meal. DEPORT THEM especially that woman.
If the judge followed the letter of the law, I would suspect that he went for the maximum sentence. I also wish to ask: have the laws changed over night since I cannot remember, in the history of Zambia, any illegal immigrant being jailed for this long with hard labour simply for being in the country illegally. It, therefore, seems reasonable that the judge should have simply ordered deportation. After all, deportation is a cheaper option than keeping an illegal immigrant in prison. This is also why many enlightened countries are increasingly embracing the practice of deporting convicted prisons after serving part of their sentences. This, to me, is not rocket science!!!
This GOVT is indeed CNP!! It is prosecuting on our behalf, SO I’D EXPECT THE PROSECUTOR TO PERSUE THE SMUGGLER, rather than the smuggled. AS THEY ARE NOT PERPETRATORS, KEEPING THEM IN OUR JAILS AT OUR EXPENSE IS CERTAINLY NOT IN OUR PUBLIC INTEREST, DEPORTATION IN THIS INSTANT IS JUSTIFIABLE!!!!!
Cases such as PAULSEN if indeed found with a Zed passport illegally, SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED & CONVICTED THEN DEPORTED THEREAFTER – it just beggars belief how this govt is being run! For all their qualifications, those manning ministry of justice are certainly a waste of tax payers money , NOT JUST NOW, BUT EVER SINCE THEY STARTED OBTAINING FREE EDUCATION courtesy of Tax payers before them!!!!!
These Ethiopians are not criminals.Theirs offence is a minor transgression with no harm to anyone.This is draconian and sickening to the core.We live in borderless world,the west understands,the east understands and every sane human understands.If there is a continent on this earth that needs tolerance, it is Africa.We have the most wars,the most instability and the worse of everything.Zambia has no welfare state for anyone to claim these people were entering to drain our resources,everyone fends forthemselves.Surely,we cannot simply send prople jail just like when there are better alternatives for both parties.Africans like everyone is ever on the move.Imagine if all other countries were sending such offenders to jail.What would become of world-A concentration camps! Just let them go home
This is too harsh! So many Zambians are illegal immigrants in Diaspora, no one is incarcerating the for 15 years.
If this law still exists, parliament and opposition must quickly get to work and repeal it. There is no place for such laws in Zambia today. Clearly this is synoymous with the dictatorial one party state peddled by Kaunda. Chiluba lived through it, Mwanawasa lived through it and Banda lived through, none of them jailed a single soul on such flimsy grounds. We do have resources or the capacity to contain our own prison population and even if we had, this sentence is not appropriate.There is failure all round in this government,from domestic to foreign diplomacy. Impeachment on grounds of diminished responsibility on the part of the head of state is also in the Acts. It should now be seriously considered before 2016.It is too painful to watch one CNP ruine everything while we standby.
Discusting sentence ……. my opinion .
Where is the diplomacy in that
consenting to be smuggled .they admitted to the charge,thinking they would just be deported back home.but when the judge went through the books of law, he was also surprised that the minimum years for this charge is 15 years.what did you expect him to do?the judge merely interpreted the law.SORRY BASA, NEXT TIME THE ETHOPIAN EMBASSY SHOULD SEND A LAWYER TO ADVISE.LET HIS EXCELLENCE THE PRESIDENT PARDON THEM.
When our fellow citizens where shot by Chinese nationals with the intent to kill, did the judge go through the books and find that they could go completely free?? What is more, did he find that no prosecution was even necessary? It is puzzling.
Too harsh and an unreasonable. How come emerald theiving/smuggling illegal senegalese and malians on copperbelt never get these kinds of sentences. The chaps were in transit after all. Such a setence ought to go to the organiser of the human smuggling ops. The poor ethopians did not have money to oil the syatem. Justice for sale in Zambia. Shame. Can MCS pliz [pardon them and have them deported.
This is the reason why white people define black people as monkeys or even less.if the zambians have brain to think with they should do something to change this meaningles and inhuman law b/c it contradicts with the international law.Any way please deport our poor and innocent people back to there home country.oh my God is that a country where the beloved “kalusha Boalia” was born?
Why were they crossing Zambia. It is to go SA. Not Zambia. We, Ethiopians, may dream of going to other countries but no Zambia.
Please bring back our children. 10 of them for 15 years, this is barbaric. Have they killed the countries soil person. Even if still poor, Ethiopia can feed them. Please our African brothers have mercy and deport them back.
Satanic government we have alot of Zambians in South Africa, Bostwana, Swaziland living without legal documents. i have a lot of Zambian friends living in the USA and UK without legal papers. what waste of time and money! can we reason pliz?
Diplomatic suicide for Zambia!!!
God I pray take care of these innocent people and let them go back home to their loved ones. Amen.
There is nothing wrong with the judgment that was passed on these illegal immigrants. Rather, what remains to be done is for the government to now engage the ethiopian government so that these stupid useless illegal immigrants can be deported back to their impoverished country. Besides, the government should not spend a dime on them.Ethiopians are bad-hearted motherf**ckers!
“VIBROSOMAL”, Sounds like you are suffering from “Vibrio diarrhea!!”
@Boxale. No need to insult Vibrosomal. The truth hurts doesn’t it? These chaps consented to be trafficked into Zambia because they saw a weakness in the immigration system that has been exploited in the past.
Kelvin Mugala, on South Africa respecting illegal aliens, just ask Zimbabwean illegals who live there. On South Africa and human rights, ask the foreigners who had to run for their lives in the recent past. Not to mention the massacre of the miners. That said, let those Ethiopians just be deported back home. After all, the one they were running from is dead now.
Fifteen years for entering the country illegally! That’s too harsh.
The stupid judge, this was a case for immigration, simply to deport them. why lock them up for 15 years? did they sell drugs?
God, I pray that you visit these humble simple poor people in prison and release them. I call upon JESUS, JESUS, JESUS – RELEASE THEM and let them go back home to their poor families. Amen
Vibrosomal
why so angry?
The decsion is too harsh. Africans need to learn to unite. Those people were only looking for a better opportunity. Just deport them back.
Pa Zambia napena circus taipwa.
This is too much. I fear for all my friends who will be connecting via Addis when the summer is over. The right and economical thing to have done is deport them.
what?… sorry our African brothers, Please let them deport, this things happen everywhere in the globe but 15 years hmmmm… BTW did they kill someone?
what’s wrong with Kenneth Kaunda’s country! bad image for Pan Africanism!
If only we were not forgiving…..I dont even have the words to explain my self. But Ethiopia is a country which has been/is giving shelter to many needy people of Africa, and this is how we are repaid by our so called brothers….they aint my brother….I wish i dont meet any Zambian soon!!!!
Zambians we are ashamed of your penal system…..Its like an early 20th century French system, you know we didnt colonize you, you dont have to punish us….oh this is just unjustifiable and with no excuse. You will see how the Zambian Embassy in Ethiopia will deal with!!! Damn you people you come and punish us on our time of mourning….good brotherhood!!!!!
This is heart breaking to see my fellow citizens jailed for 15 years for illegally entering the country. It is too harsh punishment. The Ethiopian embassies does not give a shit for what happens to its citizens abroad and will do nothing to help our brothers and sisters…so please release these innocent people immediately. arrest and punish the traffickers instead. so sad!
what………
Thanks Zambia for the wonderful brotherhood :( Why not deported them. All these people wanted do was find a better opportunity. They are not criminal. Why not send them home, they might not have enough food, but they will recieve plenty of love that is obviously locking in your country!!!! Shame on you Zambia for doing this on your brothers and sisters!!! Karma is a bitch! what comes around goes around!! Big one is coming for you!!!!
Thanks Zambia for the wonderful brotherhood :( Why not deported them. All these people wanted do was find a better opportunity. They are not criminal. Why not send them home, they might not have enough food, but they will recieve plenty of love that is obviously locking in your country!!!! Shame on you Zambia for doing this on your brothers and sisters!!! Karma is a bitch! what comes around goes around!! Big one is coming for you!!!!
I can’t believe this. The people must be really desperate, who wants to live Zambia anyways!!! Regardless, they should just deport them. Why jail them, don’t you have enough criminal in your country, i KNOW you do. So, save yourself some space and send the incocent GOD fearing Ethiopian people home.
This is insane 15yrs For entering an African country come on now. Can we please start a petition To release these poor people. Just deport them back to their country
The truth of the matter is that there is a very clear motivated ajenda behind the judgment…we are living together…we know who is behind and all the tricks…it”s a matter of time.