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HRC 54 - President commission on Ethiopia 21 September 2023
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Statements , Conferences | OHCHR , UNOG
HRC 54 - President commission on Ethiopia 21 September 2023
Mr. Mohamed Chande Othman, Chairperson of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia
For the country concerned: Ambassador Tsegab Kebebew Daka, Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations Office at Geneva
Please see PDF document attached for a transcript of the opening statement.
Teleprompter
Mr.
President, Excellencies, since the Commission of human rights expert in Ethiopia last briefed the Council in March of this year, the situation in Ethiopia has deteriorated significantly.
At the time, there was some optimism that the cessation of austerity agreement signed in November 2022 would pave the way for an end to one of the deadliest conflict of the 21st century, one which has devastated communities across northern Ethiopia.
This has not proved to be the case.
Not only has the comprehensive, not only has Koha failed to bring about any comprehensive peace, but atrocities are ongoing and the conflict has become truly national in dimension.
Our last report confirms that Eritrean troops and Amharam militias continue to commit atrocities against civilians in Tigray, including **** and sexual violence against women and girls.
The Commission is especially concerned about the safety of minority Europe and Kunama communities who live near the Eritrean border.
The Commission also documented the continued further expulsion of Tigreans from western Tigray.
10s of thousands of women, men and children cannot return to their homes.
Refugees who flee from the conflict face further violations, including human trafficking.
The continued presence of Eritrean forces on Ethiopian territory more than 10 months after the KOA required their departure and until this Council called for their withdrawal, confirm an ongoing pattern of atrocities.
It is a clear sign of continued complicity in intolerance of such violations by the Ethiopian government.
In doing so, Ethiopia has failed in its primary legal duty as a state to protect its population for human rights violation by an external force.
Moreover, the Commission considers that the prospect of accountability for atrocities by erythian forces is virtually non existent.
Beyond Tigre.
The Commission is really concerned about the situation deteriorating situation in Mahara region.
The announcement last month of a state of emergency was strictly followed by alarming reports of human rights violation, including extrajudicial killings and large scale arrests of Amahara civilians.
The Commission investigation points for a border pattern of increased circularization of the state through states of emergency and command ports without effective civilian oversight.
These ongoing violations did not emerge from nowhere.
Rather, they are direct continuation of and follow a patent set by earlier massive violations of international law dating back to November 2020.
As our report reveals, we cannot overstate the gravity of crimes committed by all parties to the conflict in Ethiopia and their implication for future sustainable peace and stability.
The Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Eritrean Defence Forces, Regional Forces, allied militia perpetrated violations in Tigre on a staggering scale.
This include mass killings, widespread and systematic **** and sexual violence against women and girls, deliberate starvation, forced displacement and large scale arbitrary detention.
These amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Tigran forces and allied militia also committed violations against civilians in Amara and Afar regions, including killings, widespread **** and sexual violence, destruction of property and looting, also amounting to war crimes.
Grave violations have also spread beyond the north of the country.
In Oromia, the Commission uncovered ongoing patterns by government forces of arrest, detention and torture of civilians, in particular men and boys accused of links to the Roma Liberation Army.
Extrajudicial killings of civilians are accompanied by impunity while sexual violence against women and girls continues but is seriously underreported.
The Commission is only concerned also concerned about ongoing, ongoing attacks against Amhara and amoral civilians in Oromia and Amhara regions by Ola, it's sprinter groups and Fano militia.
Mr.
President, these atrocities, past and ongoing, regardless of the affected region or community, are having a serious and ongoing impact on survivors, victims and their families and have seriously eroded the fabric of society.
Entire families have been killed, relative forced to watch horrific crimes against their loved ones, while whole communities have been displaced.
Many are fearful to return and others unable too.
Survivors of **** and sexual violence have yet to receive adequate medical and social cycle support.
The need for a credible, inclusive process of truth, justice and reconciliation, reconciliation and healing has never been more urgent.
Yet Ethiopia's current transmission justice consultation is not that process.
Earlier this year, the federal government released its Draught Ethiopia Policy Option for Transitional Justice paper.
The Polity options paper was followed by a series of consultation hills across the country.
Seen much?
We have carefully assessed the process to date and find it deeply flawed, regrettably falling short of African Union and international standards.
Fundamentally, the process is not driven by the needs of victims.
It lacks inclusivity and transparency, and our many interlocutors made clear that they do not trust the process and moreover expect fear of reprisal if they speak about human rights violation.
The government is rushing to meet an arbitrary deadline for their completion.
As for accountability of its forces, the government has offered no credible evidence of legitimate investigations or trials.
Our Commission has report has repeatedly sought to engage with the Government of Ethiopia on translational justice, including by providing advisory note on ensuring consultations meet international and regional standards.
We regret to have received no response.
We had hoped that despite the government's refusal to cooperate with our Commission, it might at least engage with regional human right mechanism.
Instead, the government largely ignored the Commission of Inquiry established by the African Commission on Human and People's Right.
That Commission was quietly terminated in May this year without even publishing a final report.
In the light of Ethiopia's government action, the Commission cannot but conclude that the government has adopted a strategy of what has been termed quasi compliance.
By that we mean a deliberate effort to evade regional and international scrutiny through the creation of domestic mechanism and instrumentalization of other institutions.
This mechanism was temporarily advanced accountability but in practise result in the alleviation of international pressure and preclude the prospects of stronger international oversight for the hundreds of thousands of victims and survivors.
This cannot be allowed to continue.
I wish to conclude, Mr.
President, by pointing out to the Council the situation in Ethiopia exhibits most of the indicators of future atrocities identified in the UN framework of analysis for atrocity crimes.
As our investigation has shown, the government and its forces under its control have a clear record of committing serious violations as well as continued capacity to commit atrocity crimes, as do a three ethereal forces still in Ethiopia, regional armed growth and militia.
Ongoing situation violence across the country, accompanied by other risk indicators such as the imposition of emergency laws and other security measures that erode fundamental rights.
Prevalence of hate speech and restriction on communication and Internet.
Our report offers a seasonal recommendations for Ethiopia, including benchmarks for a legitimate transitional justice process.
We've also made recommendation to the international community.
All these are oriented towards ending the current violence and preventing its reoccurrence.
That mission of prevention is also a Co purpose of both the African Union and this Council.
At this time of grave violations, ending international scrutiny now would be premature.
We add this Council to ensure robust and continued international investigation and public reporting of the situation.
Failure to do so, respectively, would not only be an abdication of responsibility, but it will send a devastating manage to the thousands of victimless survivors of that conflict.
Thank you very much.