Addis Ababa, July 13, 2021 (FBC) – The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has expressed its disappointment at the resolution by the European Union on the situation of human rights in Tigray adopted at the 47th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
It is to be recalled that the Ethiopian Government has agreed to the deployment of the joint investigation team composed of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to inquire into human rights violations allegedly committed during the crisis in Tigray.
In a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government of Ethiopia underlined: “The joint team has commenced its investigation in May this year and is expected to finalize its work in August 2021. In addition, investigations are being expanded in scope by coordinating the efforts of the military justice system, regional law enforcement authorities and federal investigators and prosecutors”
Since the proposal was put forth by the European Union at the 47th Session of the Human Rights Council, the Government of Ethiopia has been appealing for the withdrawal of the resolution on the premise that first, it is premature, and second, it interferes with and undermines the integrity of the ongoing joint investigations, the statement says.
It has made its case clear before the Council, pleaded for the investigation to run its course and called on the august body to provide the necessary time and space for the investigations to be completed.
“All its efforts, however, were to no avail and, in its view, there is no moral nor legal ground to justify the untimely adoption of a politically motivated resolution. Constructive engagement, rather than a hasty decision by the Council, would have contributed to expeditiously bring the ongoing efforts to a successful conclusion. For these reasons, Ethiopia rejects this resolution” the statement indicates.
“Let it be known that those who were involved in committing crimes will be brought to justice and punished to the full extent of the law”
The Government of Ethiopia once again reiterates its commitment to fulfill its national and international human rights obligations.