Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States issued a joint statement via US State Department on 6 December 2021 expressing concern on recent reports of “the Ethiopian government’s detention of large numbers of Ethiopian citizens on the basis of their ethnicity and without charge.” 

The statement noted that government’s announcement of a State of Emergency on November 2 couldn’t justify the mass detention of individuals from certain ethnic groups.

Reports by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Amnesty International describe widespread arrests of ethnic Tigrayans, including Orthodox priests, older people, and mothers with children, the statement mentioned.

 Individuals are being arrested and detained without charges or a court hearing and are reportedly being held in inhumane conditions, it added. 

Many of these acts likely constitute violations of international law and must cease immediately. “We urge unhindered and timely access by international monitors,” the countries said in the statement.

“We reiterate our grave concern at the human rights abuses and violations, such as those involving conflict related sexual violence, identified in the joint investigation report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the EHRC, and at ongoing reports of atrocities being committed by all parties to the conflicts.”

 All parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including those regarding the protection of civilians and humanitarian and medical personnel, it was stated.

The statement underlined on ineffectiveness of military solution to the conflict and denounced all violence against civilians. 

It also called on all armed actors to cease fighting and the Eritrean Defense Forces to withdraw from Ethiopia. “We reiterate our call for all parties to seize the opportunity to negotiate a sustainable ceasefire without preconditions.” 

Fundamentally, Ethiopians must build an inclusive political process and national consensus through political and legal means, and all those responsible for violations and abuses of human rights must be held accountable, according to the statement.