Satellites, Plasmas and Law: The Role of TeleCourt in Changing Conceptions of Justice and Authority in Ethiopia

Abstract

An ambitious experiment in the ICT and justice sector is underway in Ethiopia. As part of an effort to improve service delivery and the responsiveness of the state, the Ethiopian government has created 'TeleCourt,' a system that allows trials to take place between remote areas and regional or federal courts through videoconferencing and a satellite Internet connection. This article is the first to analyze how TeleCourt operates, with a particular focus on the perspectives of end-users, those who have had first-hand experience of how 'justice at a distance' actually works. The findings suggest general satisfaction with the savings - both in terms of financial burden and time costs that are often incurred when travelling to trials - which TeleCourt allows. As the system improves ways to provide justice to the grassroots, in line with the government's commitment towards peasants, this must also be considered in the context of the Ethiopian government's growing efforts to use law to curb political dissent. This is indicative of a broader tendency of selectively adopting and reshaping ICTs and extending them to the poorest people in Ethiopia in order to support the functioning of the state, while other uses of ICTs that are seen as potentially destabilizing are discouraged or forbidden.