Artist Addisalem Getaneh

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"The allegation against ISEMCO aggravates the violation of rights and denies justice to the victims" rights activists

#Ethiopia Rights activists said that the recent report issued by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (ESMECO) is not based on accurate information and lacks balance.

It will be remembered that the commission announced a few days ago that it was concerned about the escalation of rape and extrajudicial killings in the ongoing conflict between the national defense and militants in the Amhara region.

However, regarding the report of the commission, the Minister of Government Communication Service (Dr.) on October 22, 2016. In his statement, he said that the Commission's report is not constructive and positive when the commission's report is fully fulfilling its responsibilities.

The minister added that the government is making great efforts to build independent and independent institutions in Ethiopia and one example of this is the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. He said that being independent and independent should not only be from executive bodies but also from foreigners and other internal infiltrators.

Officials of the commission, who were asked by the reporter to comment on the government's statement, refused to respond on the matter. However, he spoke to the heads of institutions that have been working on the protection of human rights in Ethiopia for many years.

Yared Haile Maryam, Director General of the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center said that this is a big mistake made by the government. He said that it is not appropriate to describe a large commission in this way, which is a government institution established by a decree and is accountable to the Parliament.

"I don't think the statement was well thought out by the government," said Mr. Jared.

He said that creating a character instead of the substance of the statement issued by the government declaration commission and the way in which the institution is not working with correct information and is presented as if it is hijacked by internal and external forces is a very wrong step. He added, "I think the commission will make a statement on this matter."

He explained that if the government does not change the image of this institution by giving a statement to the people in the bureaucracy, then wherever the investigators of the commission go to work, the name given to them as an infiltrator will harm the work and image of the institution. In another way, Mr. Jared said that the commission is doing its job well and the statements it makes based on facts are an indication that it is doing its job hard. On the contrary, they pointed out that the government's lack of attention to human rights issues is a sign that it does not want to accept the recommendations given on human rights issues.

When there was a report that a child was killed by a drone, the government bodies were shocked to say that the government committed an international crime by its own institution and called it a shocking and incorrect statement to refute this.

According to Ato Yared, when the previous administration issued a statement in the same institutions saying that a certain number of people had been killed, they did not argue with the facts and the numbers and instead worked to discredit the organization.

He said, "As it is not appropriate to denigrate and denigrate your own organization in the language you are using Amnesty, the government should apologize for the report issued by the commission, which is mixed with such shameful statements and errors." He said that discrediting the statement of the commission means denying recognition of wrongdoing to the wronged people, giving cover to those who committed wrongdoing and making them not responsible, so the government should take corrective measures.

According to Dan Yirga, Director General of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (ESMEGU), the government wanted to convey in its statement that none of the mentioned human rights violations have been committed, or that it is hiding the violations that have been committed or denying them recognition.

He said that although the commission is a national human rights institution established by a decree, the statement challenges this and de-recognizes it. Therefore, he said, it is a matter of concern that this statement was issued as an inappropriate official criticism and threat. Dan, who stated that such statements are common in the past, pointed out that it is worrisome to issue a statement on an institution established by decree at this stage.

He said that this action is wrong as a rights activist, especially from the perspective of the rule of law, from the perspective of humanity, from the perspective of the democratic system, and we will issue a report on the situation. They also said that they would like to talk to the relevant government bodies by letter, in person or by phone.

Ato Dan mentioned that this intimidation and denial of recognition will lead to the deterioration of the country's human rights situation and said that it is a very shameful sign. He said that the civic environment is facing challenges, human rights defenders and journalists are being arrested, offices of human rights organizations including Esmegun are being destroyed, arresting investigators and intimidation are exacerbating the situation.

He said, "Taking us out of the game at this time when the work is not being done properly is a precipice to the work of upholding human rights, so it should be properly thought out, and the statement is not appropriate for the country."

According to Masoud Gebeyehu, the joint director of Ethiopian Human Rights Organization and a lawyer, he told the reporter that the statement of the government's communication was actually a question of whether it was the position of the government or individuals.

It is not appropriate to issue a statement saying that the commission was established by decree and is accountable to the parliament and that it is an independent institution that advises on the government's human rights activities, monitors and evaluates and prepares general human rights performance reports and submits them to the parliament.

He added that since the establishment of this commission, in the past, in Oromia, Benshangul, Gambella, and Tigray, the commission and other rights activists issued statements that were not supported by evidence and were issued to promote other interests that did not take into account the context.

He said that the criticism is not correct when the commission should be recognized for doing the least amount of work that is expected in the difficult context to achieve the purpose of its establishment. Therefore, while it is expected of the executive to give recognition to this and listen to and implement the recommendations, issuing such a statement that belittles the work and effort of the commission will affect the overall work, he said.

He said that if the commission issues any statement, the government says no, no, it did not happen, while there is an opportunity to sit down and discuss with the evidence, issuing this statement is denying the recognition of the alleged violation of rights.

He said that the citizens who died, were injured, were displaced, and whose property was destroyed wanted justice.

He explained that although there is a natural tension between the government, humanitarian and democratic institutions, the powers given to them by law do not eliminate this tension, and if problems are not solved by close cooperation, they cannot be solved by explanation. "When the government brings such a case against the institution that it established to criticize me, correct me, and test me, if it does not allow these people to do this, then the commission is not needed," he said, because the government's statement contradicts the purpose of its establishment.