Commissioner Blames Political Actors for Human Rights Violations, Bill on Human Trafficking Approved

Addis  Ababa, January 23/2020 (ENA) Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) blamed the recent gross violations of human rights in the country on proponents of extreme political views.

Presenting half-year performance report of the commission today, EHRC Commissioner Daniel Bekele said most of the violations are caused by extreme views of political actors.

He told the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) that abuses committed by government security forces have now declined and improvements are witnessed in this regard.

However, the commissioner pointed out that political elites have been fanning divisive political discourses which have resulted tremendous human rights abuses in different parts of the country.

Because of these extreme political views based on identity and religion, conflicts that cost lives of many innocent civilians have arisen, Daniel noted.

Members of the House of People’s Representatives finally gave direction to officials of the commission to submit a thematically organized comprehensive report.   

Meanwhile, the House of People's Representatives (HPR) also approved the revised Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling with majority vote.

The bill imposes long imprisonment and substantial fines on traffickers, smugglers and their accomplices.

An individual involved in illegal human trafficking would be sentenced from 7 to 12 years, and fined 40,000 to 100,000 Birr, it was learned.

The law is expected to help the country avert and defend peoples’ rights from human trafficking which has become the most complicated crime and cause of loss of many lives.