The UN Human Rights Office and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on Friday released a joint report urging the Ethiopian government to anchor its transitional justice policies in international human rights law, prioritizing the rights and needs of victims and their families.
The report documents, which were the outcomes of 15 community consultations conducted from July 2022 through March of the current year, saw the participation 800 individuals-319 of them were women, from the Afar, Amhara, Harari, Oromia, Somali, and Tigray regions, as well as the Dire Dawa city administration.
The collective feedback underscores the critical need for a comprehensive approach to transitional justice that encompasses criminal accountability, truth-seeking, reparations, and measures to prevent recurrence. The participants unanimously agreed on the imperative of holding perpetrators accountable for crimes, including those that violate international law, to break the cycle of violence and ensure such actions face prosecution.
Furthermore, the report stresses the need for peaceful resolution of conflicts and the safe, dignified return of internally displaced people to their homes. It also notes the community’s readiness to back the transitional justice process, contingent on the independence and integrity of the institutions involved.
“I welcome Ethiopia taking concrete steps to develop a national transitional justice policy in line with the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. “It is crucial for such efforts to be holistic and consistent with international human rights norms and standards, placing victims and affected populations, especially women and girls, at the center.”
This report builds on the 2021 joint investigation by the UN Human Rights Office and the EHRC in the Tigray Region, reinforcing the advocacy for a human-rights-based framework for transitional justice in line with the recommendations from the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. Both organizations have extended technical assistance to support the implementation of the policy.
