A Man Who Raped And Murdered A Seven-Year-Old Ethiopian Girl Was Sentenced To Only 25 Years In Prison And People Want Justice
Seven-year-old Heaven Awot was raped and killed by her mother’s landlord.
A man who raped and murdered a seven-year-old Ethiopian girl has been sentenced to only 25 years in prison and people want justice.
Seven-year-old Heaven Awot was raped and killed by her mother’s landlord, Getnet Baye, in Aug. 2023.
Baye had lured Heaven into his home when her mother was at work and sexually assaulted her.
Later that day, Heaven's body was found in front of her home with clear marks of strangulation.
In the following months, Baye fled the police station where he was being detained.
He wasn't arrested again until a month after his escape.
Despite the gravity of his crime, Baye was sentenced to only 25 years on Aug. 14, and he has since announced his plans to appeal.
The case has sparked outrage, and more than 200,000 people have signed an online petition calling for a harsher sentence that "reflects the gravity of the crime."
A women's lawyers group has said that the sentence was “very light” and that the murder alone should warrant a “life sentence”
The case is currently adjourned until October, when the court will hear Baye's appeal.
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Helena Lin
Kassy Cho
