UNHRC Resolution on Ethiopia denotes a Gross Miscarriage of Justice, Violation of the Sovereignty of the country

By Staff Writer

On the 17^th of December, 2021 Friday, the UN Human Rights Council held a special session sponsored by the EU on what it called "the grave human rights situation in Ethiopia”. The request for a session was reportedly supported by 17 nations including Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, the Marshall Islands, South Korea, Ukraine, and the UK. Moreover, 36 observer states, include Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the US.

 Responding to the reesolution passed by 24 supporters, 15 in opposition and 11 abstentions by  the Council member countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia issued a Press Release which stated that:

“Ethiopia is extremely disappointed to have witnessed once again the use of the Human Rights Council by some to advance their politically motivated agenda. Regardless of repeated requests by the government of Ethiopia for the Council not to hold a special session but rather engage in a constructive manner and work in a collaborative spirit with the country concerned, some succeeded in achieving their objective through attaining majority votes in the Council.”

The release noted that the meeting was called “against the recommendations by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission which were submitted to the President of the Human Rights Council on 14 December 2021 and to all members of the Council requesting it to unequivocally support the implementation of the Joint Investigation Team’s recommendations, the work of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force and for the OHCHR and the EHRC to continue with further joint investigations.

The Statement further noted that this is an alternative way of meddling into the internal affairs of a sovereign state and severs no purpose except exacerbating the situation on the ground.

“Ethiopia categorically rejected the special session and its politically motivated outcome which undermines trust in the work of the Council, and most importantly, the territorial integrity, national sovereignty and political independence of Ethiopia, the release added. The statement also thanked all countries who voted against the resolution.

Earlier, in a letter addressed to the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), H.E. Madam Nazhat Khan, and to members of the HRC, as well as Ms Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said setting up a new body to investigate the entire period since 3 November 2021 is repetitive, counterproductive to ongoing implementation processes, and further delays redress for victims and survivors. Rather than repeating the same process, the letter said, the next step should have been rehabilitation, restitution, and compensation, as well as prosecution of the perpetrators. According to the letter, the proposal to set up a new investigative body would give parties to the conflict which have not yet acknowledged responsibility and taken steps to implement the JIT recommendations an option to reject the report in light of new investigations; and it may have the effect of undermining the work and voice of independent human rights institutions such as the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. Speaking on the occasion the Permanent representative of Ethiopia in Geneva, Ambassador Zenebe Kebede rejected the Council proceedings as politically motivated interference, adding Ethiopia’s “unreserved commitment” to human rights.

The Friday’s special session – only the fifth this year at the Geneva-based body - had not condemned “the pillage, destruction of property, rape and sexual abuse, use of child soldiers by these rebel forces, the TPLF”, said Ambassador Zenebe Kebede.

He added that its fighters had commandeered “more than 1,000 trucks delivering humanitarian supplies to the people in Tigray region and used them for military purposes”.

The terrorist forces had also destroyed food warehouses, schools, health facilities and industrial parks, but “the initiators of this Special Session would not care less”, Ambassador Zenebe maintained.

It is easy to discern that the entire deliberations of the UNHRC is a totally biased and one sided attempt to not only discredit the attempts made by the JIT but is also part of the entire program of some western countries to let Ethiopia submit to their global and regional interest to fully ensure just their political and economic domination on the Horn of Africa and more particularly Ethiopia. Some western countries used a series of mechanisms to destroy the democratic political system in the country—i.e. an elected government and replace it by a puppet regime through  what they called “transitional government” through various means of pressures including diplomatic and economic sanctions.

They have also used a combination of false and fabricated propaganda continuously fed by the terrorist group and their commercial media outlets in their respective countries, openly allying with the terrorist group. They are determined to undermine this ancient nation, by meddling in the sovereign rights of the people of Ethiopia to elect their own government, posing clear and present danger on the unity of Ethiopia, just like what they did in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the likes. The US and other western countries provided logistics support to terrorist TPLF through their satellite networks and did not condemn the atrocities conducted by the terrorist which vandalized and destroyed schools, hospitals and public utility structures like power girds and telephone infrastructure. Among other things, the UNHRC deliberately kept silent when massive killings were conducted by terrorist TPLF across all the zones and districts in Amhara and Afar regions,  siding with the terrorist in the pretext of the suffering people in Tigrai, who are in fact under the yoke of this terrorist organization that will soon face its ends.

In amazing double standards, the UNHRC has discontinued its commitments in the JIT and has now come up with an investigation which is deliberately prepared to come into the service of western powers who are indirectly cooperating with terrorist TPLF’s age old desire to destroy Ethiopia and establish banana republics it could control. Will the terrorist TPLF survive to do so? Events and developments in the coming days and weeks will certainly bear the answer.

The resolution itself contradicts the major provisions of the Charter of the UN and related UN conventions and treaties on the sovergnnity and territorial integrity of a UN founding member which has rendered immense contributions to international peace and tranquility.

Remaining cognizant of the treacherous and neo-colonial machinations and ambitions of some western powers, friends of Ethiopia at this critical time did their best to change the course. This clearly indicates,  despite the conspiracies that are now hatched every other day,  Ethiopia’s commitment to regional and global diplomacy and international relations is expanding much further. The lofty goals of Pan Africanism and the global campaign against interference into the internal affairs of countries is gaining momentum while some of the western countries are losing ground in Africa. Ethiopia will not be intimidated by the multiple conspiracies of the west and its media conglomerates. In contrary to the predictions of doomsayers by disoriented western politicians and their media in Ethiopians are more than ever united to repeat a modern replica of the Battle of Adwa. And Ethiopia will emerge victorious!!!