UN Rights Council should address human rights issues in Ethiopia: watchdog says

ESAT News (June 16, 2017)

The Human Rights Watch says the UN Human Rights Council should address the serious human rights situations in Ethiopia.

The Watchdog renews its appeal to the 35th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council being held in Geneva.

“In Ethiopia, a state of emergency has been in place since October, following a year of protests where around 1000 were killed by security forces, tens of thousands detained, and key opposition figures charged under the antiterrorism law,” the rights group recalled in its call to the UN Rights council

“Restrictions have resulted in a cessation of protests for now, providing a window of opportunity for the government, but there is little sign that they are moving to implement human rights reforms,” Human Rights watch said.

“Ethiopia has ignored repeated calls for international investigations, saying it can investigate itself, but recent investigations by the Human Rights Commission have not met even the most basic standards of impartiality, underlining the need for an international investigation,” it said.