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60th Special Report: People must live under conditions where they are free from fear and poverty

Posted on 2nd March 2003 by HRCO
Categories: Commentaries, Featured, Special Report
Posted on: Mar 2, 2003
Region: Addis Ababa

“Ethiopia is among the poorest countries of the world that receive alms in the form of support from developed nations. Political instability in the country, an economy that is going down the drain with each passing day, drought that has widely devastated most of its regions, ethnic conflicts and civil wars that repeatedly spring up in the various regions, the border dispute with Eritrea that culminated in a destructive 2-years war, problems of implementing government policies that have not been properly studied and other numerous reasons have all converged and plunged it (the country) into the morass of extremely serious problems.

The potential mental and physical capacities of the youth of the country that would have otherwise been deployed in various constructive activities continue to be simply wasted. Since there are hardly any employment opportunities, the jobless youths have only one alternative: to wait for manna from heaven or for handouts sent by the industrialized countries. One could just walk through the main streets of Addis Ababa and have a look left and right. It is common to see a large number of youths lying hopelessly in the avenues (squares) and under trees. It is common to see school-age children, aged men, and women carrying small children on their backs, begging at traffic lights and at bus and taxi stops.”

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59th Special Report: Conflict between Dizzi and Surma Nationalities:

Posted on 15th February 2003 by HRCO
Categories: Special Report
Posted on: Feb 15, 2003
Region: Southern Nations

“Members of the Surma and Dizzi tribes have, for ages, lived together in an atmosphere of peace and harmony in Bench Maji zone, Jeba and Surba weredas. Members of these tribes are living testimonies that they have, over the ages, lived together with a deep sense of mutual respect and concern. However, things started to change for the worse since the EPRDF put the country under its control. The ethnic policy pursued by the EPRDF government badly undermined the culture and tradition of mutual respect and concern that held the two tribes together for years on end.

In consequence, one tribe rose against the other. Feelings of inferiority and superiority made their presence felt between the two tribes. Their relations continue to be more strained with each passing day. These unwelcome developments culminated in the flare up of conflicts between the two tribes. Many people were killed; many others sustained physical injuries; still many others have been displaced from their homes, and a lot of properties have been destroyed in a recent conflict that sprang up between members of the two tribes.

EHRCO has investigated the conflict that had flared up between the two tribes and the causes of the conflict. The investigation was based on information it gathered from members of the two tribes and other inhabitants of the area.”

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58th Special Report: Another Round of Human Rights Violations committed against the clergy and Laity of Lideta Church

Posted on 9th January 2003 by HRCO
Categories: Special Report
Posted on: Jan 9, 2003
Region: Addis Ababa

“It is to be recalled that the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) had issued its 57th Report on December 3/2002 as regards the beatings and detentions committed by government armed men on the clergymen and a large number of the laity of Lideta Church on November 18/2002. In the just mentioned report, EHRCO had urged the government and the Ethiopian Patriarchate to exert great and unreserved efforts to peacefully and without any bloodshed resolve the misunderstanding that had cropped up between the administrators of Lideta Church and Addis Ababa Diocese. EHRCO had also asked the government to bring before the court the government armed men who had launched the attacks referred to above.

Following the conflict that took place on November 18/02, the Federal government and the Addis Ababa Administration have made efforts to find solutions to the problem by repeatedly bringing the two parties together and resolving issues through dialogue. It was, however, impossible to reconcile the differences between the views maintained by each of the two parties. In consequence, the contradictions between the two parties have continued to assume very serious dimensions. Since the conflict flared up, the gates of the church have been closed. Prayers and the church’s other daily activities have been discontinued.”

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57th Special Report: Illegal Acts committed against the clergy and laity of Lideta Church

Posted on 3rd December 2002 by HRCO
Categories: Featured, Press Releases, Special Report
Posted on: Dec 3, 2002
Region: Addis Ababa

“Members of the Federal Special Police Force have on November 18/2002, severely beaten up and highly inconvenienced the clergy and monks who were rendering spiritual services as well as the laity and Sunday School students who had congregated in the sacred pre-cincts of Mahdere Sibhat Holy Lideta Mariam and Debre Medhanit Medhanealem Church. Many people have been clobbered and received light and serious physical injuries as a result of the forceful action that was taken by members of the Federal special police force.

On that very date, many people were rounded up in the church’s premises, crammed in trucks and whisked off to Wereda 22 Police Station. According to EHRCO’s findings, the cause of the conflict is based on the feud that had flared up between the officials of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on the one hand and the church’s clergy, the laity and Sunday school students on the other. The misunderstanding that had surfaced between them could not be resolved in the course of time. Nor could it be resolved through the traditional church method of resolving conflicts. So the case was brought before the court where the two parties mentioned above have been arguing their cases.

Finally, the court gave a decision on the case to the effect that the former head of the church and members of the Diocese council should hand over the church’s property to the new church head who has been appointed by the Addis Ababa Head Office of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Members of Wereda 22 police, representatives of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, the former head of the church, the newly appointed head of the church, members of the Diocese Council had gathered on November 18/2002 to execute the court’s decision. On that day, the laity had congregated beginning from 6:00 a.m. and were saying prayers.”

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56th Special Report: Ethiopian Human Rights Council Action of Violence must Stop!

Posted on 23rd September 2002 by HRCO
Categories: Press Releases, Special Report
Posted on: Sep 23, 2002
Region: Addis Ababa

“An explosion that took place in Tigrai Hotel, located in Addis Ababa, Wereda 2, Kebele 12 on September 11/02 at about 9:00 p.m. has caused great damage to human life and property. Quoting the Addis Ababa Administration Police Commission, government media services have reported that three people were killed and another thirty eight were injured in the explosion.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) has been strongly condemning and still continues to strongly condemn all acts of violence. As is to be recalled, explosions had taken place in the past at this very Tigrai Hotel, Blue Nile Restaurant, Tana Supermarket, Ghion Hotel and Dire Dawa Ras Hotel. At that time, EHRCO had issued its 13th Special Report dated Miazia 24/1989 EC. in which it expressed its deep sadness over the fact that those who planted the explosives in the above-mentioned spots had made public places targets of their attacks.”

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55th Special Report: Destruction caused in conflict between Agnuak and Nu-er Tribes

Posted on 6th September 2002 by HRCO
Categories: Special Report
Posted on: Sep 6, 2002
Region: Gambela

“The Vice President of the region who belonged to the Nu-er tribe died more than a year ago. Ever since, an individual who represents the Nu-er has not been replaced. The position of Regional Vice-President has remained vacant for more than one year now. The Nu-er tribe have felt that the Agnuak tribe have deliberately denied them the position of the vice-president. This has created bitter feelings among the Nu-er tribes against the Agnuak. While the Nu-er continued to seethe with such bitter feelings, a quarrel arose on July 7/2002 at 10:30 a.m. between an Agnuak and a Nu-er in Zone One, Itang town. The quarrel developed into a conflict which has caused great destruction to human life and property to both members of the Agnuak and Nu-er tribes. Besides, it has also been a cause for the displacement of many inhabitants. EHRCO has confirmed the damages caused which are described in general under the schedules below.

The number of people who had drowned in Baro River while trying to escape from the conflict and the number of those whose whereabouts are yet unknown and about whom EHRCO has been tipped-off has not been incorporated in this report. Tip-offs received by EHRCO indicate that the extent of damage caused in the conflict is much higher than what has been enumerated.”

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