by Engidu Woldie
ESAT News (June 29, 2018)
The Human Rights Council said that scores of peaceful citizens were killed and tens of thousands displaced in recent violence in various parts of the country.
The Council said Ethiopia has become one of the top countries in the world where there are high numbers of internally displaced people, (IDPs) mainly due to ethnic motivated attacks.
The report by the Council lists the number of people killed in violence in Hawassa, Benishangul Gumuz, Legedembi, Shaikso and last week’s killings in a bomb attack at a rally in the Capital Addis Ababa, an assassination attempt on the life of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister.
Ten people were killed this month in Hawassa town, Southern Ethiopia while tens of thousands were displaced. Nine people were killed in Benishangul this week while scores were injured. Most of the deadly attacks were ethnic motivated, according to the Council.
The Council also recalled the death of two people in a grenade attack on Saturday in Addis Ababa, where over 150 people were injured.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Council called on the government to release all the remaining political prisoners unjustly thrown in jail. It also called for the establishment of independent judiciary, scrapping laws that restrict the press and civic societies as well as create favorable conditions for independent media to operate freely.
The Council specifically called on the government to bring to justice perpetrators of the killings and torture inflicted on peaceful Ethiopians during the last two state of emergencies, where security forces were shooting people will at will.