UNHRC Resolution to Establish Commission on Ethiopia Abuse of Int’l Norms, Resources: Press Secretary
Press Secretary Billene Seyoum said today that rallying behind the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution to establish an international commission on Ethiopia is in essence abusing international norms and resources.
Briefing the media, she stated that the resolution to establish an international commission of human rights experts that undertakes a new investigation looking into the same period as the recent investigation simply because some did not get the results they anticipated does not make sense.
The resolution with the mandate to conduct and investigate into allegations of human rights violations is politically motivated, the press secretary added.
Ethiopia has categorically rejected the resolution from its inception not only when it was adopted but the entire process. Friendly African countries as well as other friendly countries have also joined by giving a no-vote to the resolution.
“Particularly here we want to emphasize that this rejection on the part of the Government of Ethiopia should not be misconstrued as rejection of probes or efforts to address human rights violations within the country,” Billene noted.
The Ethiopian government acknowledges that the resolution is a politically motivated instrument set to discredit efforts undertaken and recommendations put forward by the joint Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in their investigation report, the press secretary further elaborated.
Stating that the investigation was facilitated by the government, she added that once the report was finalized and it came out in early November, it was accepted by the government with reservations because of the limitation of the scope with regard to coverage of the report.
Nevertheless, Billene affirmed that the federal government accepted and endorsed some of the findings and remedial process was launched.
According to her, the reason for initiating the resolution is “simply because some did not get the results that they had anticipated. We do recall that the previous report totally rejected accusations and allegations of genocide have taken place and the utilization of famine or starvation as a weapon of war.”
In this regard, the press secretary underscored that the United Nations Human Rights Council should first recognize the efforts to address to alleged human rights violations and accept the joint investigation report and appreciate the efforts of the government to address issues based on the recommendations.
The council should stop its double standards on human rights violations in Tigray versus Amhara and Afar regions where we have seen gross human rights abuses committed by the TPLF, she stressed.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency