HRC58 - Joint statement - on Ethiopia

Human Rights Council – 58^th Session
Item 2: General Debate
Joint Statement on Ethiopia

Mr. Chair,

I am making this statement on behalf of a group of 44 countries.

We welcome Ethiopia as a member of the Human Rights Council. We appreciated Ethiopia’s constructive engagement at the 4^th cycle of the UPR in November 2024, and encourage the government to accept all recommendations advancing the fulfilment of human rights in Ethiopia.

We continue to encourage all parties to engage in peaceful negotiations and dialogue in order to prevent further human rights violations and abuses, and restore peace especially in the Amhara and Oromia regions.

In the Tigray region, the Pretoria agreement remains the cornerstone of peace and stability. We strongly call on all parties to resolve their dispute peacefully and implement the outstanding provisions of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, notably the withdrawal of non-ENDF troops from Tigray, the returns of IDPs, the peaceful settlement of territorial disputes, the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants.

We call on Ethiopia to demonstrate its commitment to transitional justice by emphasising a victim centred approach and taking decisive steps to ensure accountability for all human rights violations and abuses. We stand ready to support Ethiopia to ensure a credible, transparent and independent transitional justice process, and call for the adoption and implementation of the Transitional Justice draft laws, consistent with international human rights standards. We underline the role of the Ethiopian Commission of Human Rights, whose independence is of paramount importance to fully support the implementation of the Transitional Justice process.

A clear delineation of roles between truth-seeking, reconciliation initiatives, amnesties, reparations, and efforts to locate missing persons is essential. Welcoming and building on the fact that there have been no executions since 2007, we urge Ethiopia to reconsider the inclusion of capital punishment in the draft Proclamation on Fundamental Crimes Committed in Violation of International Law. The long-standing moratorium on capital punishment in Ethiopia offers an opportunity to abolish the death penalty altogether.

We remain concerned about the challenging human rights situation in Ethiopia. This includes constraints on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and the silencing of journalists, human rights defenders and civil society. We remain deeply concerned by the suspension of several Ethiopian human rights NGOs and call on Ethiopia to cease any activities curtailing their ability to fulfil their crucial role in monitoring and advocating for human rights. We continue to be alarmed by the high number of human rights violations and abuses by both state and non-state actors as recorded by the Office of the High Commissioner in 2024. Killings and injuries of civilians, torture and ill treatment, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, detentions and attacks on civic infrastructure must end. We call on Ethiopia to decisively combat sexual and gender-based violence and ensure justice and accountability as well as a survivor-centered approach for crimes committed.

We encourage the Government of Ethiopia to take advantage to the fullest extent of the technical assistance available in the Office of the High Commissioner and encourage the Office to continue to monitor the situation and keep this Council informed.

Thank you.