Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) extrajudicially executed civilians in Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara regional state, and in some cases denied family members the right to bury their loved ones, Amnesty International said in a statement today.
Amnesty’s report documents how ENDF soldiers extrajudicially executed six civilians in Abune Hara and Lideta neighbourhoods of Kebele 14 area on 8 August 2023, in the capital of Amhara regional state.
Two months later, on 10 and 11 October, members of the ENDF extrajudicially executed another six men, including at least five civilians, in the city’s Seba Tamit neighborhood, it said.
The human rights impact of the conflict in Amhara region has been slow to emerge due to an internet shutdown, partial communications blackouts and an ongoing sweeping state of emergency that is impacting freedom of speech and media, and fear of reprisals, according to Amnesty’s briefing.
In the report, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa said: “The government of Ethiopia should urgently open effective independent investigations into human rights abuses in the context of the ongoing armed conflict in Bahir Dar and throughout the Amhara region. Where there is sufficient evidence, those suspected of committing the violations must be prosecuted in trials that fulfill international fair trial standards without recourse to the death penalty.”
Serious violations of international humanitarian law, as documented in this briefing, may amount to war crimes which are a crime under international law. Extrajudicial executions are also violations of the right to life protected under international human rights law, the statement noted.
“In Ethiopia, systemic impunity continues to embolden perpetrators of crimes in the absence of credible justice and accountability for serious abuses that constitute crimes under international law. It is time to put an end to this pervasive lack of justice accountability nationwide,” Chagutah said.
According to Amnesty, the Ethiopian government organizations of Ministry of Justice with copy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t respond yet about the extrajudicial executions though the humanitarian organ shared them its findings on 9 February 2024.
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