Press Statement: Centre for Human Rights releases a second press statement calling on Ethiopia, the African Union and the United Nations human rights monitoring mechanisms to take steps regarding the gross human rights abuses in Ethiopia August 31, 2016
Posted by OromianEconomist in #OromoProtests.Tags: #OromoProtests, Africa, Human rights violation, Human Rights violations against Oromo People, Oromia, Oromo, Press Statement: Centre for Human Rights, Tyrannic Ethiopia
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The Ethiopian government has rejected the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (UNOHCHR) request that the government allow international observers to assess the human rights violation in Ethiopia. The government has stated that it would establish a domestic body to investigate the matter. However, the findings of the commissions of inquiry established in the past by the Ethiopian Parliament (House of Peoples’ Representatives) have generated mistrust by stakeholders, human rights organisations and other bodies. In the past, instead of the main perpetrators of the violence that actually committed the arbitrary killings and detentions, individuals who took part in the protests have been held accountable on charges like incitement and terrorism. The commissions of inquiry have not implicated members of government forces and senior government officials, and as a result, they have not been held accountable. These commissions of inquiry have also lacked adequate participation of stakeholders and transparency. Moreover, the fact that senior government officials have been, and continue to make statements threatening protesters from making peaceful protests amounts to approving the human rights violations. Such statements send a signal to the Ethiopian security and military forces to assume that the ongoing arbitrary killings, arrests and detentions are legitimate. With a view to addressing these problems, making a credible, independent, impartial, effective and transparent inquiry is imperative. To this end, the Centre is convinced that international or regional inquiry mechanisms are better suited than domestic commission of inquiry in Ethiopia. Therefore, the Centre for Human Rights makes the following requests:
For more information, please contact: Prof Frans Viljoen |