A federal court in Dire Dawa has sentenced two men for smuggling people out of Ethiopia through Djibouti. Neim Awel received 20 years in prison and a 200,000 birr fine while Seid (Sadiq) Hasen was given 18 years and 100,000 birr.
The convicted men transported victims from Oromia region to the Djibouti border by vehicle and on foot. They threatened families over the phone and beat victims while demanding ransom payments. In one case a victim named Remedan Enwar Mohamed died after being struck on the head with a stick.
The court examined witness testimony and documents before finding both men guilty under Proclamation 1178/2012. Dire Dawa city police had placed the suspects under surveillance and brought them before the federal first instance court.