SW News: Ethiopia’s request to bring an end to the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE), which probes rights violations in the conflict that took place in Tigray province, was opposed by 60 civil and human rights organizations. The outfits urged the UN on Tuesday, Feb. 2 not to accept the request of Ethiopia.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleged that Addis Ababa did not repose faith in official institutions and so the ICHREE should be allowed to continue as the nation is still grappling with the conflict. The outfit said that Ethiopia’s bid to bring to an end the mandate of ICHREE shows that the state can pull strings politically and scuttle the decision of the Human Rights Council. It will also create a wrong precedent with regard to international scrutiny.

This came after Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen announced that the nation would submit a resolution that seeks the disbanding of ICHREE, which was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021. From its inception, Addis Ababa has been antagonistic towards the commission and it also went ahead with resolutions at the UN General Assembly to prevent funds from reaching the outfit.

The commission was created with the sole intention of probing the rights violations and ensuring justice for the victims. In October last year, the UN Human Rights Council extended the mandate of the commission by one more year. This month it is expected to submit its report before the United Nations.
Supporting the ICHREE demand, the Addis Standard daily has also come out with an editorial urging the global community to reject Ethiopia’s demand to disband the commission.

The daily said that only the commission can ensure total justice for all the victims of the conflict in Tigray which spread to Amhara and Afar.