Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fetha Negast
Fetha Negast
Srs
.
Dengel (CRHist 75f.). The Chronicles of as
.
e Susenyos, as
.
e Iyasu II, as
.
e Iyoas
I, as
.
e Tewodros II and as
.
e Menilek II mention the authority of the F.n. in civil and penal matters.
More remarkably, in a law issued by Menilek II concerning the powers and duties of the Minis-
ter of Justice, it was expressly provided that the F.n. be the law regulating civil and duties of the
Minister. Art. 2 of the regulation established that the Minister of Justice must supervise every judg-
ment diligently and conformably to the expression of F.n. (MahZekr 68f.).
As a mark of importance of the F.n. in the legal system of Ethiopia, it is worth mentioning
some instances related to the modern legislation of the country . In promulgating Ethiopias rst
Penal Code in 1930, the legislator clearly stated that his work was a revision of the F.n., updated
so as to meet the needs of present times. He emphasized his intention not to depart from the law
written in the F.n. and he made clear references to the latter in more than 60 Articles. In 1957 a new
Penal Code was issued, prefacing to which H
ayl