State of Emergency Does Not Infringe on Rights of Diplomatic Community: MoFA

Addis Ababa November 18/2021 (ENA) The state of emergency does not infringe on the rights of members of the diplomatic community, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

Briefing the media today, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Dina Mufti said various complaints have been raised from some member of the diplomatic community about the engagement of some of the law enforcement agencies in connection with the state of emergency.

“Here we want to remind and tell with this nobody is going to be scrutinized and held by anyone because of being from a particular ethnic group, country or region,” he stated.

According to him, what the government does is actually implementing law enforcement agencies, and only those who contravene the laws and regulations prevailing in the country are held accountable.

There could be some anomalies by police forces whenever they are carrying out these activities, the spokesperson said, adding that otherwise the Vienna Convention will be observed and the diplomatic community respected.

Yet he stressed that “ everybody should strictly respect the very essence of rules and regulations of the country.”

It is to be recalled that a state of emergency proclamation enacted to avert the threat against national existence and sovereignty has been issued by the Council of Ministers on November 2, 2021.

Briefing diplomats and representatives based in Addis Ababa, Justice Minister Gedion Timothewos said early in November that “the Government of Ethiopia would like to provide assurances to the concern of inter-governmental organizations and others for the purpose and duration of this proclamation the immunities and privilege with inter-governmental organizations and their staff enjoy pursuant to other international treaties or host country agreement concluded with the Government of Ethiopia will be considered as being analogous to and enjoying a similar exempt status from the state of emergency proclamation as diplomatic communities and privilege  provided for under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”

Spokesperson Dina reiterated that a similar exempt status from the state of emergency proclamation would be enjoyed by diplomatic communities as under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

He further elaborated that the Ethiopian Disapora and friends of Ethiopia are making a significant contribution to the country.

The diaspora and friends of Ethiopia living in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain held a rally in Brussels early this week protesting against undue external pressures on Ethiopia.

The demonstrators displayed posters that denounced the atrocities of TPLF, supported the leadership of the Government of Ethiopia, and called on the international community and the media to respect the sovereignty of Ethiopia, Dina said.

The Ethiopian Embassy in London, in collaboration with the UK and Ireland support Network for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, collected over 11.4 million Birr in a one-night fundraising event in London, the spokesperson revealed.