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Ethiopia Collective Punishment War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in the Ogaden area of Ethiopia’s Somali Region
HRW Index No.: 1-56432-322-6 June 12, 2008 Download PDF, 1500 KB, 136 pgs Purchase online Download E-Book Shell-Shocked Civilians Under Siege in Mogadishu
HRW Index No.: A1912 August 13, 2007 Download PDF, 659 KB, 116 pgs Purchase online Download E-Book Suppressing Dissent Human Rights Abuses and Political Repression in Ethiopia's Oromia Region On May 15, 2005, Ethiopia will hold national elections. The international community, including international donors, who have poured substantial amounts of aid into Ethiopia since the current government came to power fourteen years ago, will be watching these elections closely for signs that Ethiopia is moving towards real democracy. In advance of these elections, the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi enacted reforms that could, on the surface, make the elections more open. However, as this report documents, the political freedoms required for elections to be a meaningful exercise of Ethiopian citizens’ fundamental right to participate in the selection of their government do not exist for many Ethiopians. HRW Index No.: A1706 May 10, 2005 Download PDF, 310 KB, 46 pgs Purchase online Targeting the Anuak Human Rights Violations and Crimes against Humanity in Ethiopia’s Gambella Region Since late 2003, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) has committed numerous human rights violations against Anuak communities in the Gambella region of southwestern Ethiopia that may amount to crimes against humanity. These abuses have taken place in a region plagued by longstanding ethnic tensions to which the Ethiopian military has become a party. HRW Index No.: A1703 March 24, 2005 Download PDF, 1 KB, 61 pgs Purchase online The Horn of Africa War Mass Expulsions and the Nationality Issue Citizens and residents expelled by both Ethiopia and Eritrea during their 1998-2000 border war should be offered repatriation and the restoration of citizenship, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 64-page report, “The Horn of Africa War: Mass Expulsions and the Nationality Issue,” recounts the plight of almost one hundred thousand citizens and residents of both countries who were uprooted and deprived of their residence and nationality without a semblance of due process. It documents cases of mistreatment typical of the mass expulsions, including prolonged detention, lack of food, water, and medical care, beatings, and other physical abuse. With final demarcation of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea set to take place in May, there is hope that peace will hold between the two countries. For tens of thousands of Ethiopians and Eritreans, though, the human rights consequences of the war are still devastating. HRW Index No.: A1503 January 30, 2003 Download PDF Purchase online Lessons In Repression: Violations Of Academic Freedom In Ethiopia This report focuses on three major abuses: repeated, unjustified use of lethal force by security forces to put down political protests by students; continued repression of the independent Ethiopian Teachers' Association, whose members include many of Ethiopia's most distinguished professors; and the stifling of independent thought through denial of university autonomy and government control of activities on university campuses. The government of Ethiopia, the ruling party of which has its roots in a student movement, has repeatedly failed to hold those responsible for these violations accountable. January 24, 2003 Download PDF Purchase online Ethiopia Lessons in Repression: Violations of Academic Freedom in Ethiopia Being educated can be a risky business in Ethiopia. Students and teachers, often among the most politically active elements of society, are frequent victims of human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest, and denial of freedom of association and expression. Ethiopian leaders since Haile Selassie have targeted the academic community; the current government’s continuation of such abusive practices emphasizes the serious obstacles facing Ethiopia before basic rights are respected and enforced not only on university campuses but across the country.This report focuses on three major abuses: repeated, unjustified use of lethal force by security forces to put down political protests by students; continued repression of the independent Ethiopian Teachers’ Association, whose members include many of Ethiopia’s most distinguished professors; and the stifling of independent thought through denial of university autonomy and government control of activities on university campuses. The government of Ethiopia, the ruling party of which has its roots in a student movement, has repeatedly failed to hold those responsible for these violations accountable. January 1, 2003 Download PDF, 346 KB, 52 pgs Purchase online Printer friendly version Ethiopia: Child Soldiers Global Report 2001 From the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers Thousands of children were recruited, many forcibly, during the recent border conflict with Eritrea. Testimonies of former child soldiers, NGOs and journalists provide evidence of child deployment on the front lines and in massive waves across mine fields. Irregularities in birth registration exacerbate the problem of underage recruitment. Internal armed opposition groups have also been known to recruit children, some as young as 11 years old. June 12, 2001 Ethiopia: Landmine Monitor Report 2000 Key developments since March 1999: In the 1998-2000 border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, it appears that tens of thousands of new mines were laid. Each government has alleged that the other laid mines and observers have expressed concern that both sides may have used mines. Casualties are now on the rise as a result of new use of landmines. August 1, 2000 Ethiopia- The Curtailment of Rights With the legacy of the Derg behind it, the EPRDF proclaimed, as it instituted a four-year transitional period (1991-1995), its commitment to democratization and respect for the rule of law and pledged to establish human rights in the country. The transitional legislature ratified the major international human rights treaties. The constitution of today's Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia offers detailed basic human rights guarantees and provides for the incorporation into domestic laws of all the human rights treaties to which Ethiopia is party. New laws were enacted that guarantee the respect of human rights and civil liberties, institute the independence of the judiciary and the press, and provide for multipartyism and free universal suffrage, theoretically allowing the convening of competitive elections for the first time in the country's history. HRW Index No.: A908 December 1, 1997 Purchase online Ethiopia The Curtailment of Rights In May 1991, the Ethiopian People=s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) took power in Ethiopia, having defeated the Derg military dictatorship after almost two decades of civil war. The Derg had presided over one of the darkest periods in recent Ethiopian history, a time in which security forces orchestrated the elimination of thousands of suspected members of urban opposition groups. In rural areas, government attempts to repress rebellious ethnic groups and regions translated into indiscriminate military campaigns that targeted unarmed civilians in total disregard of basic norms of international humanitarian law. Economic mismanagement and tight state=s control over the economy further exacerbated the vulnerability of the rural population. An estimated one million people succumbed to starvation and disease during the tragic famine of the mid-eighties, a disaster due in large part to misguided government policies. Thousands of impoverished peasants died as the government forced the entire populations of famine-affected regions to relocate. The Derg=s interest in its own political survival was, however, more central in the ill-fated move than humanitarian concerns. December 1, 1997 Download PDF, 479 KB, 71 pgs Printer friendly version Children in Combat Throughout the world, thousands of children are used as soldiers in armed conflicts.1 Although international law forbids recruiting children under fifteen as soldiers, such young children may be found in government armies and, more commonly, in armed rebel groups. Armed forces, both governmental and non-governmental, often claim that the children in their camps are there for their own protection and welfare. In fact, however, the involvement of the children in the conflict puts them in grave danger and is detrimental to their physical and mental health and development. This report concerns the ways in which children are recruited, the possible reasons for their recruitment and participation, the roles children play in combat and in violence against civilians, and their treatment by the groups that recruit them. It does not deal with all of the countries in which child soldiers are used, but only with countries in which Human Rights Watch has investigated the practice. Legal standards for the prevention of the recruitment of children and problems in applying and enforcing them are covered as well. January 1, 1996 Download PDF, 219 KB, 26 pgs Printer friendly version Reckoning Under the Law In 1991, the government of former President Mengistu was overthrown by the military forces of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, ending 17 years of repressive rule. The Mengistu government was responsible for torturing, murdering or disappearing tens of thousands of Ethiopians from 1974 to 1991. In 1994, we investigated the process established by the Transitional Government of Ethiopia to bring former officials of the Mengistu regime to justice for these human rights violations, believing that this process of accountability is essential to the building of democratic institutions in Ethiopia. HRW Index No.: A611 December 1, 1994 Ethiopia Reckoning Under the Law In May, 1991, the government of former President Mengistu Haile Mariam was overthrown by the military forces of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), ending seventeen years of the repressive rule of the Dergue regime. The Mengistu government was responsible for human rights violations on an enormous scale. Tens of thousands of Ethiopians were tortured, murdered or "disappeared" after arrest during the period from 1974 to 1991. Human Rights Watch/Africa (HRW/Africa) documented these violations in its book-length report Evil Days: 30 Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia (Evil Days) in 19911. In March and April, 1994, HRW/Africa sent a mission to Ethiopia to investigate the process established by the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE) to bring former officials of the Mengistu regime to justice for these human rights violations. December 1, 1994 Download PDF, 351 KB, 55 pgs Printer friendly version Waiting For Justice Shortcomings in Establishing the Rule of Law The Transitional Government of Ethiopia, which assumed power in July 1991, has set itself an ambitious agenda for transforming the political structure of Ethiopia and establishing democracy and human rights. The Transitional Charter, the basic constitutional document adopted at the national conference in Addis Ababa in July, incorporates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as supreme law. The government, headed by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has promised that human rights and civil liberties will be respected, the press will be free, and the judiciary independent. It has said those accused of crimes committed during the former regime of President Mengistu Haile Mariam will be given a fair trial before an independent court. The government has initiated moves to make Ethiopia signatory to all major international human rights conventions. Free multi-party national elections leading to the adoption of a constitution and the creation of a permanent government are scheduled by the end of 1993. All these developments are welcome and indicate a commitment by the Transitional Government to the highest standards of respect for human rights. However, serious human rights abuses are still occurring. This newsletter addresses one series of concerns, to do with the arbitrary actions of the EPRDF and other political organizations, and the establishment of a functioning and independent judiciary. Sadly, in Ethiopia today, obtaining justice remains a privilege, not a right. May 8, 1992 Download PDF, 179 KB, 19 pgs Printer friendly version Evil Days: Thirty Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia For the past thirty years under both Emperor Haile Selassie and President Mengistu Haile Mariam, Ethiopia has suffered continuous war and intermittent famine until every single province has been affected by war to some degree. Evil Days documents the wide range of violations of basic human rights committed by all sides in the conflict, especially the Mengistu government's direct responsibility for the deaths of at least half a million Ethiopian civilians. The Ethiopian army and air force have killed tens of thousands of civilians. The notorious urban "Red Terror" of 1977-78 was matched by indiscriminate violence against rural populations, especially in Eritrea and Tigray. Counterinsurgency strategies involved forcibly relocating millions of rural people and cutting food supplies to insurgent areas. Also, these military policies were instrumental in creating famine, and the government used relief supplies as weapons to further its war aims. There is now a prospect of lasting peace, but concerns remain such as the demand for justice and the future protection of human rights. HRW Index No.: ISBN 1-56432-038-3 September 1, 1991 Human Rights Crisis as Central Power Crumbles Killings, Detentions, Forcible Conscription and Obstruction of Relief Ethiopia is in the midst of a massive political upheaval. Government forces have been defeated in recent rebel offensives, endangering the survival of the government of President Mengistu Haile Mariam. President Mengistu and the National Shengo (Assembly) have made a desperate and dramatic bid for a "transitional system" embracing all "pro-unity" forces, and involving a "peace forum" and an amnesty for all Ethiopians living abroad. The principal rebel forces -- the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF*) and Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) -- are almost certain to reject the government's new peace conditions, because the peace offer explicitly rules out the possibility of Eritrean independence, which is a central plank of their programs. Indeed, Mengistu himself appeared to rule out the participation of the EPRDF and EPLF in a transitional government when he dubbed them "anti-unity groups" and described their actions in these words "at no time in our country's history has our country produced treachery of this magnitude. April 30, 1991 Download PDF, 194 KB, 24 pgs Printer friendly version Mengistu's Empty "Democracy" One Year after Reform is Announced, No Improvements in Civil and Political Rights This newsletter examines the promises of reform held out by the Ethiopian government one year ago, and assesses whether these promises have been fulfilled. Africa Watch considers that few promises were made in the way of increased respect for civil and political rights, and that the small improvements promised in freedom of association have not in fact been delivered. The Ethiopian government has made no serious attempt to increase respect for human rights, and in important areas such as freedom of information and the independence of the judiciary, it has not even made the most basic gestures of intent concerning reform. March 5, 1991 Download PDF, 146 KB, 14 pgs Printer friendly version 200 Days in the Death of Asmara Starvation as a Weapon and Violations of the Humanitarian Laws of War Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, is a besieged city. Food supplies are running out, and there is scarcely any fuel and water. The army rules, exercising a wide range of arbitrary powers, requisitioning food at will, and preventing people from trying to ease their plight by searching for food outside the city. The civilians of Asmara are ultimately held as hostages, a human shield for the army garrison. Apart from Assab far to the south, Asmara and its immediate environs is the last area of Eritrea still controlled by the government; the rest of the population live in areas controlled by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), which is fighting for independence for Eritrea, in a war that entered its thirtieth year this month. Asmara contains 280,000 civilians, plus people displaced by the war. The other towns and villages in the enclave contain a further 800,000 people, who suffer conditions even worse than those in the city. The garrison consists of over 120,000 soldiers. Africa Watch calls upon the Ethiopian government to observe its obligations under international humanitarian law, and appeals to both sides for a truce to allow the provision of relief to the civilian population, and to allow people to leave the enclave in safety. September 20, 1990 Download PDF, 162 KB, 15 pgs Printer friendly version Ethiopia Violent Suppression of Student Protest For ten days in May of this year, Ethiopia saw its first significant open civilian opposition for fifteen years, in a series of protests led by students. A wave of strikes was sparked by the government execution of 12 army generals on May 19. Earlier in March, the government had promised political tolerance and pluralism. In May it betrayed those promises, and suppressed the student demonstrations with deadly force. Colonel Mengistu's "democracy" has proven to be hollow - as many had expected. Little news has reached the outside world about the brief protest movement and its suppression. Africa Watch has obtained detailed information about the events of those ten days, including fresh evidence suggesting that several students may have been killed when the security forces opened fire on the evening of May 22, 1990. August 30, 1990 Download PDF, 177 KB, 18 pgs Printer friendly version |
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