Civilian's Plight in Fresh Wave of Attacks in Ethiopia: Daily Brief

For eight hours on June 18, heavily armed assailants shot and killed about 400 Amhara civilians, including many women and children, in villages in Tole and Sene. An armed group killed several hundred Amhara civilians in western Oromia in June 2022 while Ethiopian security forces did little to protect them. Nearly three months later, the Ethiopian government has not provided adequate shelter or meaningfully addressed the serious health and protection concerns of surviving residents. The unidentified assailants also burned and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, and looted livestock and other property. This is just the latest such massacre for which the Ethiopian government needs to do more to ensure credible and independent investigations, identify those responsible, and ensure adequate assistance reaches everyone in need.

Sri Lanka authorities detained three student activists who participated in an August 18 demonstration under the abusive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) law, which allows up to a year’s detention without trial. Since he was sworn in as president on July 21 following the flight and resignation of then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President Wickremesinghe has suppressed rights including the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. His administration imposed a one-month state of emergency, used security forces to violently disperse protesters, and arrested dozens of people who participated in peaceful protests. Successive governments have broken promises to suspend abusive use of the anti-terrorism law PTA and replace it with rights-respecting legislation. 

Today, Kenneth Roth steps down as the executive director at HRW. During his tenure, Ken expanded HRW’s size and scope of work, building the organization to its current reputation and stature as a human rights monitor in over 100 countries. HRW staff remain forever grateful for Ken’s intellectual rigor, exceptional foresight, and bold, visionary leadership!  

Dear Readers: We’re very pleased to announce the relaunch of the Daily Brief. We will continue, as we have for nearly a decade, to highlight the day’s top human rights news. But starting tomorrow, September 1, the Daily Brief will get a refresh, devoting more space to two or three stories every day, and providing more depth and context. It will also have the same author each day - Andrew Stroehlein, who will be seeking greater input from readers so we explore the stories you are most interested in. We want the Daily Brief to be a conversation with you, so think of Andrew as your guide. He looks forward to hearing from you and will do his best to answer your human rights questions or find someone else who can.