U.N. Human Rights and Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to conduct a joint investigation alleged human rights abuses in Tigray

The deployment will start as soon as possible for an initial period of three months

ADDIS ABABA, March 25, 2021 (EZ) - The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) disclosed today, that it had reached an agreement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to conduct a joint investigation in Tigray, where alleged human rights abuses committed. The deployment will start as soon as possible for an initial period of three months.

EHRC said the two sides will conduct a joint investigation into human rights violations and abuses allegedly committed by all parties in Tigray, in a press statement today, Thursday 25th 2021.

“The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have agreed to conduct a joint investigation into the human rights violations and abuses allegedly committed by all parties in the context of the Tigray conflict, as part of the much-needed accountability process for the victims,” the statement said.

Last week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet has agreed to an Ethiopian government request for a joint investigation into human allegations of atrocities in the Tigray region.

Fighting between government troops and the region’s former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes in the mountainous region of about 5 million.

The EHRC said “The EHRC and OHCHR have been monitoring closely the human rights situation since the start of the conflict on 4 November 2020. Both organizations remain concerned about the reports of serious human rights violations and abuses and the devastating impact of the conflict on the civilian population. With multiple actors involved in the conflict and the gravity of the reported violations, an objective, independent investigation is urgently required,” on its statement.

The agreement to collaborate in a joint investigation is the result of an ongoing partnership and engagement between the two organizations, founded on shared objectives to advance and strengthen respect and protection of human rights as well as accountability for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed by all parties in the context of the Tigray conflict. Such investigations are within the existing mandate of both organizations.

"The deployment will start as soon as possible for an initial period of three months," said the EHRC statement. (EZ)