All passengers and crew on board were in good health when the plane landed in February 2014
Keystone
An Ethiopian Airlines pilot who changed course while flying a passenger plane to land in Geneva and request asylum has been sentenced in absentia in his home country. Despite Switzerland refusing extradition, a court decided on a sentence of 19 years and six months.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The man was found guilty of aircraft hijacking by an Ethiopian court on Friday.
Switzerland had informed the Ethiopian government in May 2014 that a case had already been opened against the man, and that he would be tried in the Swiss justice system on criminal charges.
He took full control of the airplane in February 2014, while his pilot colleague was in the toilet. He diverted the flight, which was originally on route from Addis Ababa to Rome, and landed in Switzerland.
200 passengers and crew were on board at the time. The man alerted authorities personally about the change of course and his intention to claim political asylum. He gave himself up upon landing and was arrested.
Ethiopia has a poor record on human rights according to numerous organisations, such as Human Rights Watch, which states that authorities in the country “severely restrict the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly”.
The incident also exposed an embarrassing hole in Switzerland’s security measures. Fighter jets couldn’t be scrambled to the unexpected entry into Swiss air space as Swiss fighter jets only operate during standard office hours, not early in the morning or at night. Instead, two Italian jets were called on to accompany the plane.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Hijacked plane lands in Geneva
This content was published on
Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement that one of its flights had been “forced to proceed” to Geneva, adding that all passengers and crew were safe at the airport. The co-pilot of the plane hijacked it while the pilot was taking a bathroom break, according to an airport spokesman, and took the opportunity to lock…
This content was published on
The Swiss government refused to extradite him to Ethiopia, as confirmed by the Federal Office of Justice. Switzerland informed the Ethiopian government that the case against the hijacker had already been opened in Switzerland based on the same facts that were used to demand his extradition. On the morning of February 17, Ethiopian Airlines flight…
This content was published on
The co-pilot took control of the plane, which was flying from Addis Ababa to Rome, while the pilot was taking a bathroom break, locking himself in the cockpit. One passenger said the hijacker threatened to crash the plane if the pilot didn’t stop pounding on the locked door. Another said he was terrified “for hours”…
This content was published on
For Switzerland’s 2,000-strong Ethiopian community – like many other expat communities divided by politics back home – finding common ground or agreeing on the reason for the hijacking on February 17 is nearly impossible. United by their homeland, Ethiopians living in Geneva regroup separately according to their political convictions, meeting at distinct venues, including the…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.