This report documents and examines the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) role in the war in Tigray. Through its investigation of public sources (e.g., videos, reports, etc.), this document showcases that the EHRC lacks the impartiality and independence needed to lead and conduct an investigation into the alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide being perpetrated in Tigray. Moreover, preliminary indicators witness that the ongoing joint investigation is hijacked and flawed in its selection of crime sites. OHCHR has been forced to fire its Tigrayan employees at the request of EHRC.
The report presents ample evidence that the EHRC has been engaged in pro- government efforts; and it has been employing tactics that have contributed to the unrestrained ethnic polarization in Ethiopia. These issues have manifested in EHRC’s reporting, as it has repeatedly released biased information on human rights violations in Ethiopia while also tactfully downplaying the grave humanitarian crises and war crimes perpetrated in Tigray. Additionally, reports from the EHRC have proved to be inconsistent and partisan. More specifically, the EHRC has selectively highlighted cases that are believed to serve the government’s narrative while also modulating the atrocities and consequences of the war in Tigray until they were reported by other human rights agencies.
The EHRC is not only effectively serving the interest of the Federal Government of Ethiopia but also that of the Amhara regional government, which is one of the main actors involved in instigating and perpetuating the war in Tigray. In its reports about Western Tigray, the EHRC has failed to confirm that Tigrayans have been ethnically cleansed from the area, despite mounting evidence, including that presented by the US Department of State. By quoting government officials, it rather attempted to cover up forced displacements and concentration camps suggesting that Tigrayans consented to being transported to “chosen destinations”. Sadly, the EHRC is working in support of the Ethiopian Federal and Amhara regional governments that vehemently reject the ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans that has been taking place in Western and Southern Tigray.