Ethiopia - Court Trial Conducted by Local Official Appointed by the Regent

A court trial being conducted by a local official who was appointed by the Regent. The Regent is seated on the stone steps leading to a wooden porch. Numerous men are sitting and looking on, while the official raises his right hand. A man with a cane is bowing before the seated men to recognize their authority. The Regent referred to was Ras Tafari Makonnen, later known as Emperor Haile Selassie I, who at this point was serving under Empress Zewditu. In Ethiopian tradition, all people had a right to a trial. If the person was not satisfied with the outcome, he or she could appeal the decision to a higher court, and eventually bring the matter before the Emperor himself, in a court known as the Chilot. This tradition was known as Abetuta, (1922).