HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH & PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
JOINT SUBMISSION TO THE 4th UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW OF THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
INTRODUCTION
1. Ethiopia’s human rights situation deteriorated sharply since its last UPR on May 14, 2019.1
Since then, government forces, militias, and armed groups have been committing widespread
abuses with impunity, resulting in grave violations of international human rights and
humanitarian law. Government efforts to address past and ongoing abuses, including atrocities
carried out during armed conflict since 2020, have lacked transparency and independent
oversight. Journalists, civil society organizations, and outspoken public figures have faced an
increasingly hostile and restrictive environment, with government authorities resorting to
arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention without charge.
VIOLATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF ARMED CONFLICT
2. In its last UPR review, Ethiopia accepted recommendations to manage inter-ethnic violence,
address violations by security forces, safeguard refugee rights, and uphold humanitarian
principles.2
Since then, multiple regions in the country have been gripped by violence and
armed conflict.
3. The two-year armed conflict in northern Ethiopia between the Ethiopian federal government
and allied forces, including Eritrean forces against Tigrayan fighters, resulted in widespread
and serious violations of international human rights, humanitarian, and refugee law, including
war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Please click the link Human-Rights-Watch-and-Physicians-for-Human-Rights-Ethiopia-UPR-submission-2024 to read full report.