Addis Ababa, July 13, 2021 (Walta) – Ethiopia Government 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.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Ethiopia released a statement on the untimely adoption of a politically motivated resolution by the European Union on the situation of human rights in Tigray.
The statement reads 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.
The joint team has commenced its investigation in May this year and is expected to finalize its work in August 2021, it added.
According to the statement just released by MoFA, 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, MoFA argued.
it also reiterates that 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.
The ministry says that the resolution is politically motivated.
: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.”
The Government of Ethiopia reiterates its commitment to fulfill its national and international human rights obligations, according to MoFA.
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 expressed grave concern at the reports of serious human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law allegedly committed by all parties in the Tigray region since the start of the conflict on 4 November 2020; and called for the swift and verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean troops from the Tigray region.
It also underscored the need to hold accountable all those responsible for human rights violations and abuses. The Council requested the High Commissioner to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its forty-eighth session during an enhanced interactive dialogue.
The resolution was adopted by a vote of 20 in favour, 14 against and 13 abstentions.