Falls Church, Virginia (10/07/2022) – On October 7, 2022, the UN Human Rights Council voted to adopt a resolution on the situation of human rights in Ethiopia by a vote of 21Y-19N-7A. This resolution renews the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE), the body tasked with investigating allegations of human rights abuses in Ethiopia. In addition to renewing the mandate of this body, the preambulatory text of the resolution recognizes that, “serious human rights violations […] reportedly continue to be committed across a number of regions in Ethiopia, including Afar, Amhara, Oromia and Tigray, prompting the need for additional inquiries to promote accountability and justice for victims and survivors.”
As previously reported by OLLAA, the ICHREE was formed after the UN adopted a resolution on Ethiopia during a special session in December 2021. Since this resolution was adopted, OLLAA has been advocating for the Commissioners to investigate all credible allegations of human rights abuses committed across Ethiopia, and particularly, those committed inside Oromia and against Oromo civilians. On September 19, 2022, the ICHREE released its initial report, in which they investigated a few key incidents and thematic violations that occurred in the Tigray and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. Although OLLAA was disappointed to find that this initial report did not include an investigation into the numerous human rights violations that have been perpetrated against Oromo civilians since November 2020, we were encouraged by the report’s explicit acknowledgement of the need to investigate Oromia in future reports. OLLAA’s Executive Director traveled to meet with members of the ICHREE following the publication of the report to discuss the need for their investigations to encompass the entirety of Ethiopia
OLLAA welcomes the announcement that the ICHREE’s mandate has been renewed, and we issue a call for the Commissioners to ensure that their next report includes a thorough investigation of the series of human rights violations that have been perpetrated against Oromos. At the same time, we note that, in order to ensure that the ICHREE’s future investigations are comprehensive, members of the Oromo community must be willing to speak with the ICHREE about the human rights abuses they have experienced. Going forward, OLLAA will share updates with the community regarding opportunities to submit reported abuses to the ICHREE directly. In the meantime, we encourage any persons who are willing to discuss the human rights abuses they or their family have experienced with OLLAA or the ICHREE to reach out to us at info@ollaa.org.
OLLAA is an umbrella organization that works in collaboration with dozens of Oromo communities around the world.