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In July 2021, during its 47th session, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council|UNHRC]] called for the OHCHR to provide administrative, technical and logistical support for strengthening the capacity of the EHRC and the Ethiopian criminal justice system and requested updates on the investigation to be provided at the UNHRC's 48th and 49th sessions.<ref name="UNHRC_Situation_Tigray_8July2021" />
In July 2021, during its 47th session, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council|UNHRC]] called for the OHCHR to provide administrative, technical and logistical support for strengthening the capacity of the EHRC and the Ethiopian criminal justice system and requested updates on the investigation to be provided at the UNHRC's 48th and 49th sessions.<ref name="UNHRC_Situation_Tigray_8July2021" />


The initial phase, scheduled from 16 May to 20 August, was extended in September, with 1 November 2021 announced as the new release date of the joint commission's report. A visit to Axum in relation to the [[Axum massacre]] had been prevented by "sudden changes in the security situation and in the conflict dynamics" according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [[Michelle Bachelet]].<ref name="AJE_Probe_did_not_reach_Axum" />
The initial phase, scheduled from 16 May to 20 August, was extended in September, with 1 November 2021 announced as the new release date of the joint commission's report. A visit to Axum in relation to the [[Axum massacre]] had been prevented by "sudden changes in the security situation and in the conflict dynamics" according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.<ref name="AJE_Probe_did_not_reach_Axum" />


==Report==
==Report==
Line 29: Line 29:
As summarised by [[Human Rights Watch]] (HRW), the report recommends that a full-scale international investigation be carried out in order to "identif[y] the pattern and scale of abuses, and those responsible for the worst crimes up to the present".<ref name="HRW_int_investig_needed_ET" />
As summarised by [[Human Rights Watch]] (HRW), the report recommends that a full-scale international investigation be carried out in order to "identif[y] the pattern and scale of abuses, and those responsible for the worst crimes up to the present".<ref name="HRW_int_investig_needed_ET" />


===Criticism===
==Reception==
The governments of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States released a joint statement in which they expressed:
⚫
Following the 3 November publication of the report,<ref name="EHRC_OHCHR_final_report_3Nov2021" /> [[Alex de Waal]] described the report as "deeply flawed" and criticised its coverage of the [[famine in the Tigray War|famine in Tigray Region]], saying that the report "only mentioned a handful of starvation crimes and [had] nothing to say about the unlawful siege on Tigray imposed since June." De Waal stated that "Abiy's hunger plan is an international crime to be exposed, sanctioned, and punished, not appeased."<ref name="AJE_Tigray_is_starving" />


{{Blockquote
⚫
[[Human Rights Watch|HRW]] says that the report gives too little attention to "well-documented trends", only briefly mentions the "abuses committed by Amhara regional forces and militia against Tigrayans in western Tigray", "fails to acknowledge the scale of abuses, including sexual slavery, by Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara forces targeting Tigrayan women and girls", and "glosses over the deliberate and extensive destruction and pillaging of health infrastructure, and the intimidation and killing of humanitarian workers."<ref name="HRW_int_investig_needed_ET" />
|text=Notwithstanding the considerable challenges faced in gaining access to places, people and documentation, we commend OHCHR and EHRC for their impartial and transparent work. We also underscore the value of the investigation’s collection and documentation of human rights abuses and violations, and violations of international humanitarian law, for the purpose of supporting justice and accountability on behalf of victims and survivors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joint Statement on the Release of the OHCHR-EHRC Joint Investigation |url=https://www.state.gov/joint-statement-on-the-release-of-the-ohchr-ehrc-joint-investigation/ |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=United States Department of State |language=en}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Massacres in the Tigray War (up to 16 Nov 2021) and sites visited by the joint EHRC-UNHRC investigation.png|center|thumb|640x640px|Occurrence of massacres in the Tigray War up to 16 November 2021 (red dots), with sites visited by the joint EHRC–OHCHR investigation (blue checkmarks).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Annys |first=Sofie |url=https://zenodo.org/record/5807266 |title=Tigray: Atlas of the Humanitarian Situation |last2=Vanden Bempt |first2=Tim |last3=Negash |first3=Emnet |last4=De Sloover |first4=Lars |last5=Ghekiere |first5=Robin |last6=Haegeman |first6=Kiara |last7=Temmerman |first7=Daan |last8=Nyssen |first8=Jan |date=27 December 2021 |publisher=[[Ghent University]] |series=Version 2.2 |format=PDF |doi=10.5281/zenodo.580428 |doi-access=free}}</ref>]]
⚫
Following the 3 November publication of the report,<ref name="EHRC_OHCHR_final_report_3Nov2021" /> [[Alex de Waal]] described the report as "deeply flawed" and criticised its coverage of the [[Famine in the Tigray War|famine in Tigray Region]], saying that the report "only mentioned a handful of starvation crimes and [had] nothing to say about the unlawful siege on Tigray imposed since June." De Waal stated that "Abiy's hunger plan is an international crime to be exposed, sanctioned, and punished, not appeased."<ref name="AJE_Tigray_is_starving" />


⚫
[[Human Rights Watch|HRW]] says that the report gives too little attention to "well-documented trends", only briefly mentions the "abuses committed by Amhara regional forces and militia against Tigrayans in western Tigray", "fails to acknowledge the scale of abuses, including sexual slavery, by Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara forces targeting Tigrayan women and girls", and "glosses over the deliberate and extensive destruction and pillaging of health infrastructure, and the intimidation and killing of humanitarian workers."<ref name="HRW_int_investig_needed_ET" />
[[Jan Nyssen]], who leads a team at [[Ghent University]] that maps the humanitarian situation in the Tigray War<ref name="atlas21">Annys, S., Vanden Bempt, T., Negash, E., De Sloover, L., Ghekiere, R., Haegeman, K., Temmerman, D., [[Jan Nyssen|Nyssen, J.]], 2021. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349824181 Tigray: Atlas of the humanitarian situation, version 2.1. Ghent (Belgium): Ghent University, Department of Geography] {{Webarchive|url= https://archive.today/i1A55|date=2021-10-13}}</ref>, stated that “We have mapped allegations of 260 massacres committed during the Tigray War. Many of them are also very thoroughly documented by the international press. It is then startling that the team behind this investigation has only visited five or six of the places where massacres are alleged to have been committed”.<ref name=" Bistandsaktuelt ">Bistandsaktuelt (Norway), 4 November 2021: [https://www.bistandsaktuelt.no/nyheter/2021/etiopia-over-200-massakrer-kartlagt-fn-team-besokte-5-6-steder/ Forsker slakter FN-rapport: Abyi-regimet vil bruke den til «å hvitvaske seg»]</ref>
Nyssen further referred to the massacre sites of [[Axum massacre| Aksum]], [[Mahbere Dego massacres|Mahbere Dego]], [[Togoga airstrike|Togogwa]] and [[Debre Abbay massacre|Debre Abay]] that had not been visited by the investigation team. The report is criticised for being particularly “soft” for the [[ENDF]].<ref name=" Bistandsaktuelt "/>
{{Quote frame |quote=
the Eritrean military was invited into the war with ''carte blanche'' by [Ethiopian prime minister] Abiy, so he must take clear responsibility for the abuses committed by the Eritreans as well.
|author=Jan Nyssen |title= Forsker slakter FN-rapport: Abyi-regimet vil bruke den til «å hvitvaske seg» (Scientist slams UN report: Abiy regime will use it to ‘whitewash itself’) |source= Bistandsaktuelt (Norway), 4 November 2021<ref name=" Bistandsaktuelt "/>}}


==Criticism of method==
''[[The Guardian]]'' described "many Tigrayans in Ethiopia and abroad" as "outright reject[ing]" the EHRC's participation in the joint investigation.<ref name="Guard_accused_by_all" />
''[[The Guardian]]'' described "many Tigrayans in Ethiopia and abroad" as "outright reject[ing]" the EHRC's participation in the joint investigation.<ref name="Guard_accused_by_all" />


Gebrekiros Temare Getachew, writing in ''[[Ethiopia Insight]]'', criticised the EHRC's participation. He argued that there was a structural bias, with Tigrayans ''de facto'' excluded from the [[House of Peoples' Representatives]], to which the EHRC is legally accountable. He criticised the EHRC's preliminary report on the [[Mai Kadra massacre]] for presenting "ethnic Amharas as the sole victims", and the four-month delay between the [[Axum massacre]] and EHRC's preliminary report on it. He criticised the lack of attribution of perpetrators in the EHRC's report of [[sexual violence in the Tigray War]]. Gebrekiros also argued that the investigation would be ineffective because of Tigrayans' mistrust of the EHRC and because of EHRC's lack of institutional capacity and experience.<ref name="ETInsight_justice_not_served" />
Gebrekiros Temare Getachew, writing in ''[[Ethiopia Insight]]'', criticised the EHRC's participation. He argued that there was a structural bias, with Tigrayans ''de facto'' excluded from the [[House of Peoples' Representatives]], to which the EHRC is legally accountable. He criticised the EHRC's preliminary report on the [[Mai Kadra massacre]] for presenting "ethnic Amharas as the sole victims", and the four-month delay between the [[Axum massacre]] and EHRC's preliminary report on it. He criticised the lack of attribution of perpetrators in the EHRC's report of [[sexual violence in the Tigray War]]. Gebrekiros also argued that the investigation would be ineffective because of Tigrayans' mistrust of the EHRC and because of EHRC's lack of institutional capacity and experience.<ref name="ETInsight_justice_not_served" />


In June 2021, [[Debretsion Gebremichael]], the [[2020 Tigray regional election|elected leader]] of Tigray Region, "rejected" the investigation, stating, "It's very clear they are partial."<ref name="NYT_interview_Tigray_leader" />
In June 2021, [[Debretsion Gebremichael]], the leader of the Tigray Region, "rejected" the investigation, stating, "It's very clear they are partial."<ref name="NYT_interview_Tigray_leader" />


Members of the investigating team told ''[[Associated Press]]'' that Daniel Bekele, head of the EHRC, understated evidence of abuses by Amhara forces and emphasized abuses by Tigrayan forces. Bekele stated that the commission was independent and "primarily accountable to the people it is created to serve". ''[[The Guardian]]'' described the concerns about limitations to the report, but expected the report to "nevertheless be the most authoritative overview of the war and its consequences".<ref name="Guardian_objectivity_concerns" />
Members of the investigating team told ''[[Associated Press]]'' that Daniel Bekele, head of the EHRC, understated evidence of abuses by Amhara forces and emphasized abuses by Tigrayan forces. Bekele stated that the commission was independent and "primarily accountable to the people it is created to serve".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/africa-united-nations-kenya-ethiopia-abiy-ahmed-ccf2665d453f6af0d08e3bdf8db81b96|title=Ethiopia tried to limit rare UN report on Tigray war abuses|date=2 November 2021|publisher=Associated Press}}</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'' described the concerns about limitations to the report, but expected the report to "nevertheless be the most authoritative overview of the war and its consequences".<ref name="Guardian_objectivity_concerns" />


==See also==
==See also==
*[[ACHPR Tigray investigation]]
*[[ACHPR Tigray investigation]]
*[[International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia]]


==References==
==References==
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<ref name="deWaal_call_out_war_crimes">{{cite web | last1 = de Waal | first1 = Alex | author1-link = Alex de Waal | title= Who Will Call Out Eritrea's War Crimes in Tigray? | website= [[Tufts University]] |date = 2020-12-23 | url = https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2020/12/23/who-will-call-out-eritreas-war-crimes-in-tigray | access-date = 2021-02-08 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210208232049/https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2020/12/23/who-will-call-out-eritreas-war-crimes-in-tigray/ |archive-date= 2021-02-08 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="deWaal_call_out_war_crimes">{{cite web | last1 = de Waal | first1 = Alex | author1-link = Alex de Waal | title= Who Will Call Out Eritrea's War Crimes in Tigray? | website= [[Tufts University]] |date = 2020-12-23 | url = https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2020/12/23/who-will-call-out-eritreas-war-crimes-in-tigray | access-date = 2021-02-08 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210208232049/https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2020/12/23/who-will-call-out-eritreas-war-crimes-in-tigray/ |archive-date= 2021-02-08 |url-status=live }}</ref>


<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary">{{cite web |title=Rapid Investigation into Grave Human Rights Violations in Maikadra: Preliminary Findings |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vS-0N8xCDZDRAM5lzBAELTVjqfKLrzJha8xpKdqh1OE/mobilebasic |publisher=Ethiopian Human Rights Commission |access-date=24 November 2020 |location=Addis Ababa |language=en |format=Digital report |date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201125221438/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vS-0N8xCDZDRAM5lzBAELTVjqfKLrzJha8xpKdqh1OE/mobilebasic |archive-date=2020-11-25 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="EHRC_Preliminary">{{Cite web|url=https://ehrc.org/ethiopian-human-rights-commission-rapid-investigation-into-grave-human-rights-violation-maikadra-preliminary-findings/|title=Rapid Investigation into Grave Human Rights Violation Maikadra - Preliminary Findings|date=November 24, 2020|website=[[Ethiopian Human Rights Commission]]}}</ref>


<ref name="Vice_Exterminate_Us_All">{{Cite news |last1= Steers | first1= Julia | date= 2020-12-24 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzqw/hes-planning-to-exterminate-us-all-ethiopians-speak-of-ethnic-massacres |title='He's Planning to Exterminate Us All': Ethiopians Speak of Ethnic Massacres |newspaper=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |access-date=25 December 2020 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20201225193844/https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzqw/hes-planning-to-exterminate-us-all-ethiopians-speak-of-ethnic-massacres |archive-date= 2020-12-25 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Vice_Exterminate_Us_All">{{Cite news |last1= Steers | first1= Julia | date= 2020-12-24 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzqw/hes-planning-to-exterminate-us-all-ethiopians-speak-of-ethnic-massacres |title='He's Planning to Exterminate Us All': Ethiopians Speak of Ethnic Massacres |newspaper=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |access-date=25 December 2020 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20201225193844/https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpzqw/hes-planning-to-exterminate-us-all-ethiopians-speak-of-ethnic-massacres |archive-date= 2020-12-25 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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<ref name="Telegraph_make_you_HIV_pos">{{cite news | last1= Kassa | first1= Lucy |last2=Pujol-Mazzini|first2=Anna | title= 'We're here to make you HIV positive': Hundreds of women rush to Tigray hospitals as soldiers use rape as weapon of war | date= 2021-03-27 |newspaper= [[The Daily Telegraph]] | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/make-hiv-positive-hundreds-women-rush-tigray-hospitals-soldiers |access-date= 2021-03-28 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210327170234/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/make-hiv-positive-hundreds-women-rush-tigray-hospitals-soldiers/ |archive-date= 2021-03-27 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Telegraph_make_you_HIV_pos">{{cite news | last1= Kassa | first1= Lucy |last2=Pujol-Mazzini|first2=Anna | title= 'We're here to make you HIV positive': Hundreds of women rush to Tigray hospitals as soldiers use rape as weapon of war | date= 2021-03-27 |newspaper= [[The Daily Telegraph]] | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/make-hiv-positive-hundreds-women-rush-tigray-hospitals-soldiers |access-date= 2021-03-28 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210327170234/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/women-and-girls/make-hiv-positive-hundreds-women-rush-tigray-hospitals-soldiers/ |archive-date= 2021-03-27 |url-status=live }}</ref>


<ref name="UNHRC_Situation_Tigray_8July2021">{{cite web | title= 47/... Situation of human rights in the Tigray region of Ethiopia | website= [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] |date = 2021-07-08 | url = https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/G21/176/04/pdf/G2117604.pdf | access-date = 2021-10-23 |archive-url= |archive-date= |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="UNHRC_Situation_Tigray_8July2021">{{cite web | title= 47/... Situation of human rights in the Tigray region of Ethiopia | website= [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] |date = 2021-07-08 | url = https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/G21/176/04/pdf/G2117604.pdf | access-date = 2021-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713091731/https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/G21/176/04/PDF/G2117604.pdf |archive-date=2021-07-13 |url-status=live }}</ref>


<ref name="AJE_Probe_did_not_reach_Axum">{{cite news | title= Probe in Ethiopia's Tigray did not reach site of Axum attack: UN | date= 2021-09-13 |newspaper=[[Al Jazeera English]] | url= https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/13/un-probe-in-ethiopias-tigray-didnt-reach-axum-massacre |access-date= 2021-10-24 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211023224808/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/13/un-probe-in-ethiopias-tigray-didnt-reach-axum-massacre |archive-date= 2021-10-23 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="AJE_Probe_did_not_reach_Axum">{{cite news | title= Probe in Ethiopia's Tigray did not reach site of Axum attack: UN | date= 2021-09-13 |newspaper=[[Al Jazeera English]] | url= https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/13/un-probe-in-ethiopias-tigray-didnt-reach-axum-massacre |access-date= 2021-10-24 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211023224808/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/13/un-probe-in-ethiopias-tigray-didnt-reach-axum-massacre |archive-date= 2021-10-23 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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}}
}}


{{Tigray conflict}}
{{Tigray conflict|state=collapsed}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:EHRC-OHCHR Tigray investigation}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:EHRC-OHCHR Tigray investigation}}
[[Category:Tigray War]]
[[Category:Tigray War investigations]]
[[Category:Human rights in Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Human rights in Ethiopia]]
[[Category:United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]]

Latest revision as of 00:26, 15 February 2024

One of the civilian victims of the Togoga airstrike[1]

The EHRC–OHCHR Tigray investigation is a human rights investigation launched jointly by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in mid-2021 into human rights violations of the Tigray War that started in November 2020.[2][3][4] The EHRC–OHCHR joint investigation team's report was published on 3 November 2021.[5]

Background

[edit]
Main article: war crimes in the Tigray War

Human rights violations in the Tigray War that started in November 2020 were widely viewed as war crimes[6][7][8] including systematic sexual violence, possibly amounting to rape as a weapon of war,[9][10][11] crimes against humanity[12][13] or genocide.[14]

Creation

[edit]

In March 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, stated that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had agreed to carry out a joint investigation into human rights violations during the Tigray War. Bachelet referred to "possible war crimes".[2]

The OHCHR stated that the investigation would cover "human rights violations and abuses allegedly committed by all parties in the context of the Tigray conflict". The OHCHR stated that itself and the EHRC had an ongoing partnership and shared objectives for human rights accountability for the Tigray War. The initial phase of the investigation was planned for a three-month period.[3][15]

Leadership and members

[edit]

Sonny Onyegbul, one of the OHCHR human rights staff working on the investigation, was deported from Ethiopia along with six other UN officials in October 2021, for what the federal authorities described as "meddling in internal affairs".[16]

Investigation schedule

[edit]
One of the numerous mass graves of civilian victims in Tigray, massacred by ENDF and allied forces, that the joint commission will need to investigate[17]

In May 2021, the OHCHR and EHRC signed an agreement detailing "geographic scope, issues of investigation and engagement mechanisms". Six people were selected by each of the two commissions to create a team of twelve investigators. Legal, gender, security and translation staff were also appointed. Daniel Bekele, head of the EHRC, stated that the EHRC had received no communications from the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) on possible cooperation in the investigation.[4]

In July 2021, during its 47th session, the UNHRC called for the OHCHR to provide administrative, technical and logistical support for strengthening the capacity of the EHRC and the Ethiopian criminal justice system and requested updates on the investigation to be provided at the UNHRC's 48th and 49th sessions.[18]

The initial phase, scheduled from 16 May to 20 August, was extended in September, with 1 November 2021 announced as the new release date of the joint commission's report. A visit to Axum in relation to the Axum massacre had been prevented by "sudden changes in the security situation and in the conflict dynamics" according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.[19]

Report

[edit]

Publication and structure

[edit]

The EHRC–OHCHR joint investigation team (JIT) published its full 156-page report on 3 November 2021, including a 6-page executive summary, descriptions of methods, legal framework and context, detailed findings, an "overall findings" summary, a discussion of accountability mechanisms and the JIT's recommendations. The report includes, as annexes, requests to the Eritrean government, to the TPLF and to the government of Amhara Region for responses to the JIT's findings, and a 22-page response by the Ethiopian federal government.[5]

Recommendations

[edit]

As summarised by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the report recommends that a full-scale international investigation be carried out in order to "identif[y] the pattern and scale of abuses, and those responsible for the worst crimes up to the present".[20]

Reception

[edit]

The governments of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States released a joint statement in which they expressed:

Notwithstanding the considerable challenges faced in gaining access to places, people and documentation, we commend OHCHR and EHRC for their impartial and transparent work. We also underscore the value of the investigation’s collection and documentation of human rights abuses and violations, and violations of international humanitarian law, for the purpose of supporting justice and accountability on behalf of victims and survivors.[21]

Occurrence of massacres in the Tigray War up to 16 November 2021 (red dots), with sites visited by the joint EHRC–OHCHR investigation (blue checkmarks).[22]

Following the 3 November publication of the report,[5] Alex de Waal described the report as "deeply flawed" and criticised its coverage of the famine in Tigray Region, saying that the report "only mentioned a handful of starvation crimes and [had] nothing to say about the unlawful siege on Tigray imposed since June." De Waal stated that "Abiy's hunger plan is an international crime to be exposed, sanctioned, and punished, not appeased."[23]

HRW says that the report gives too little attention to "well-documented trends", only briefly mentions the "abuses committed by Amhara regional forces and militia against Tigrayans in western Tigray", "fails to acknowledge the scale of abuses, including sexual slavery, by Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Amhara forces targeting Tigrayan women and girls", and "glosses over the deliberate and extensive destruction and pillaging of health infrastructure, and the intimidation and killing of humanitarian workers."[20]

The Guardian described "many Tigrayans in Ethiopia and abroad" as "outright reject[ing]" the EHRC's participation in the joint investigation.[24]

Gebrekiros Temare Getachew, writing in Ethiopia Insight, criticised the EHRC's participation. He argued that there was a structural bias, with Tigrayans de facto excluded from the House of Peoples' Representatives, to which the EHRC is legally accountable. He criticised the EHRC's preliminary report on the Mai Kadra massacre for presenting "ethnic Amharas as the sole victims", and the four-month delay between the Axum massacre and EHRC's preliminary report on it. He criticised the lack of attribution of perpetrators in the EHRC's report of sexual violence in the Tigray War. Gebrekiros also argued that the investigation would be ineffective because of Tigrayans' mistrust of the EHRC and because of EHRC's lack of institutional capacity and experience.[25]

In June 2021, Debretsion Gebremichael, the leader of the Tigray Region, "rejected" the investigation, stating, "It's very clear they are partial."[26]

Members of the investigating team told Associated Press that Daniel Bekele, head of the EHRC, understated evidence of abuses by Amhara forces and emphasized abuses by Tigrayan forces. Bekele stated that the commission was independent and "primarily accountable to the people it is created to serve".[27] The Guardian described the concerns about limitations to the report, but expected the report to "nevertheless be the most authoritative overview of the war and its consequences".[16]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Voice of America – Tigrinya, 24 June 2021: ኣብ ቶጎጋ ትግራይ ብዝተፈጸመ መጥቓዕቲ ዝቆሰሉ ናብ ዓይደር ሆስፒታል ምእታው ምጅማሮም ተገሊጹ
  2. ^ a b Nichols, Michelle (2021-03-18). "U.N. rights chief agrees to Ethiopia request for joint Tigray inquiry". Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  3. ^ a b "Ethiopia: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to conduct a joint investigation with a view to a credible accountability process". OHCHR. 2021-03-25. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  4. ^ a b Sahlu, Sisay (2021-05-15). "Joint team to start investigation in Tigray". The Ethiopian Reporter. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  5. ^ a b c "Report of the EHRC/OHCHR Joint Investigation into Alleged Violations of International Human Rights, Humanitarian and Refugee Law Committed by all Parties to the Conflict in the Tigray Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia" (PDF). EHRC, OHCHR. 2021-11-03. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  6. ^ de Waal, Alex (2020-12-23). "Who Will Call Out Eritrea's War Crimes in Tigray?". Tufts University. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
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