As the Supreme Court held their third meeting ever last week, the justices sounded a clear note of alarm. Proclaiming the supremacy of the law, they announced that the independence and competence of the judiciary system of the nation have been at risk in recent times.

The Plenum was held on December 30, 2018, at Friendship Hotel in Addis Abeba. The justices issued a four-page statement boldly admitting the nation's loss of confidence in the judicial system and the non-independence and incompetence of the system. The statement calls for the retention of judicial independence and fairness and asserts the supremacy of the rule of law.

The justices also unanimously voted on an 11-point declaration announcing that judicial freedom and impartiality are central to the justice system and that the judges themselves should lead the way in judicial reform.

During the meeting, the assembly admitted that the justices were unable to exercise judicial freedom as a result of interference by the executive branch of the government, especially in cases where the state is the litigant.

“The long-standing problems in the justice system forced Ethiopians to lose their faith in the justice system,” said Maeza Ashenafi, president of the Federal Supreme Court. “The assembly will work to address grievances of citizens and restore trust in the system.”

Judges should not only free themselves from government influence but from civil society organisations and interest groups, and work to realise speedy and fair trials by improving the competence of judges, the declaration stated.

“Members of the assembly believe that curriculum and policy for judicial training should be changed,” Solomon Ejegu, communication affairs director of the Federal Supreme Court, told Fortune. “It was also agreed that economic and institutional empowerment of judges is very important to realising judicial independence.”

The Plenum, established in 1996, raised its concern over lawlessness in various regional states of the country, asserting that citizens should refrain not only from engaging in mob justice but also from spreading messages and activities that could lead to violence.