Woman heads highest court

– Ethiopia’s parliament yesterday appointed the country’s first female supreme court chief, the latest post in a trend of elevating women to high offices, a top official said.

Meaza Ashenafi’s appointment as president of the highest court followed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s moves last month to designate a woman in the ceremonial role of president and also to name a 20-person cabinet where women hold half the posts.

“Ethiopia’s march towards gender parity in key leadership positions continues unabatedly,” Abiy’s chief-of-staff Fitsum Arega wrote on Twitter.

“Meaza Ashenafi is one of Ethiopia’s most seasoned lawyers and a prominent women rights activist.”

Addis Ababa

A former high court judge, Meaza was also an advisor on the writing of the Ethiopian constitution, and founded the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported.

As EWLA’s executive director, Meaza successfully defended a 14-year-old girl accused of killing a man who raped her in a saga that was dramatised in the 2014 award-winning movie Difret on which Hollywood star Angeline Jolie served as executive producer.

Appointing women to high offices is the latest reform championed by Abiy, who has also made peace with neighbouring Eritrea and announced the privatisation of key industries following his April inauguration. –