The Right to Access to Justice of persons with hearing impairment in criminal cases: The case of Jimma Zone, Oromia region of Ethiopia

Abstract

The right to access to justice of person with hearing impairments is a series problem in criminal cases because liberty of human dignity at stake unlike civil case of pecuniary matters. According to Ethiopia’s third National Population and Housing Census which was conducted on May and November 2007,number of person with disability is high in Oromia region. From Oromia region the number of person with hearing impairments are high in Jimma zone. Person with hearing impairment faces various obstacles to access justice in criminal case in Jimma zone. This paper was basically conducted using both doctrinal and qualitative methodology. Doctrinal I tried to assess the legal gaps exist in our country starting from policy up active laws and legislation in line with CRPD that our country ratified. Under qualitative method I have tried to assess the practical barriers of person with hearing impairment in Jimma zone to access justice in criminal cases on equal basis with other person through using case analysis and conducting interview with justice sector professionals. Accordingly the major finding of this paper makes clear as to existence of series problem on the right to access to justice hearing impaired person in this zone in criminal cases.