HRW Recommendations Expected to Place Racist State ‘Ethiopia’ in International Quarantine

By: Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
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[ Posted On: 2008-06-28 ]

In two articles, I re-published the editorial article (Criminal 'Ethiopia', Charged With Crimes Against the Mankind, Cannot Be Left to Exist / http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/64846) published in the Human Rights Watch website in parallel with the HRW Report on Ogaden (under title 'Ethiopia: 'Army Commits Executions, Torture, and Rape in Ogaden' and subtitle 'Donors Should Act to Stop Crimes Against Humanity') and the Report Summary (Human Rights Watch Report on Ogaden demands UN Intervention in 'Ethiopia' / http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/64958).

In fifteen subsequent articles, under the titles 'HRW Report on Ogaden, Contents, Methodology, and Terminology' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65437), 'HRW Report on Ogaden, Part 1: the Background, and the Early US Reaction' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65593), 'HRW Report on Ogaden Reveals the Evilness of the 'Ethiopian' Tyranny' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65785), 'HRW Report on Ogaden reconfirms the Abyssinian State's Criminal and Barbaric Nature' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65831), ''Ethiopia': Killings, Forced Evacuation, and Destruction of Villages - HRW Report on Ogaden' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65950), 'Racist 'Ethiopia': the World's Most Execrable Shame Denounced by the HRW Report on Ogaden' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66078), 'Premeditated Rape of Muslim Women (HRW Report on Ogaden) - 'Ethiopia': No 1 Enemy of Islam' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66188), 'Intentional Torture of Ogadenis (HRW Report) – Islamic Reprisals Against 'Ethiopia' Certain' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66252), 'Deliberate Humiliations of Ogadenis (HRW Report) – Islam Cannot Accept that 'Ethiopia' Exists' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66374), 'HRW Report on Ogaden - The Existence of 'Ethiopia' is a Crime Against the Mankind' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66380), 'HRW Report on Ogaden - Revelation of the 'Ethiopian' Anti-African Hysteria, Racism and Odium' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66385), 'Amhara and Tigray Abyssinian ('Ethiopian') Racism Exposed Worldwide - HRW Report on Ogaden' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66501), 'ONLF and the Abominable Face of 'Ethiopia' unveiled by the HRW Report on Ogaden' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66508), ''Ethiopian' Iniquity Unveiled by the HRW Report on Ogaden: Grave Threat Against the Mankind' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66519), and 'Break Down Colonial Relic 'Ethiopia' – Liberate Ogaden – Arrest Criminal Gangster Meles Zenawi' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/66551), I re-published the preliminary sections, the Report's Part 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, while also referring to the arrogant and unacceptable early US reaction.

On the other hand, in an independent article, under the title 'Comments on the HRW Report on Ogaden, Ancient History of Somalia, Abyssinia, Sudan and Yemen' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65828), I criticized several points pertaining to the historical background of the Report's topic. With the present article, I complete the republication of the Report, which terminates with the Recommendations and the Acknowledgements.

Recommendations
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2008/ethiopia0608/20.htm#_Toc200167171

To the federal government of Ethiopia

* Issue clear public orders to military commanders, regional police, and other members of the security services to cease extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, and the unlawful forced relocation of civilians. Serious violations of Ethiopian and international human rights and humanitarian law should be investigated and prosecuted as appropriate. Senior officials implicated, including as a matter of command responsibility, should be prosecuted regardless of rank.

* Ensure fundamental due process guarantees to persons in detention, including the right to be charged with an offense before judicial authorities, to have access to legal counsel, family members, and medical care, and to receive a trial before an independent court meeting international fair trial standards; allow access to persons in detention by independent humanitarian organizations; and adopt measures to improve the criminal justice system, such as by creating sufficient federal and regional courts and providing appropriate training in human rights to judicial staff and police.

* Immediately end restrictions on commercial trade and livestock movement imposed on relevant zones of Somali Region (Fiiq, Korahe, Gode, Wardheer, and Dhagahbur), including the restrictions on cross-border trade with the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland. Ending these restrictions would immediately improve civilian access to food and other essential commodities, in addition to reducing the short and long-term damage to livelihoods caused by the blockade.

* Ensure independent humanitarian organizations have full and unimpeded access to civilians in need of humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected areas of Somali Region; permit independent nutritional assessments to evaluate needs of drought and conflict-affected areas; and support an independent evaluation of the humanitarian response, particularly the distribution of food aid.

* Establish an independent commission of inquiry to investigate crimes in violation of international law committed in Somali Region and seek international assistance to investigate the crimes.

* Invite the media, national and international human rights groups, and UN human rights entities (including the UN Special Rapporteurs or Special Representatives on Internally Displaced Persons, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, and Extra-Judicial and Summary Executions; the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances; and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) to investigate and report on allegations of abuses by all parties to the conflict and the general human rights situation in Somali Region.

* Cease harassing and threatening victims and witnesses of human rights abuses in Somali Region and cooperate with efforts to improve protection of civilians, including by the United Nations.

* Provide appropriate human rights training to all members of the Ethiopian armed forces, including the federal, regional, and local police operating in Somali Region, and seek international support for such training programs.

To the regional government of Somali Regional State

* Ensure that all detainees in facilities administered by regional security authorities are provided due process guarantees, including the right to be charged, to have access to legal counsel and relatives, and to be tried by a court meeting international fair trial standards; permit independent humanitarian organizations access to all detainees.

* Ensure independent humanitarian organizations have full and unimpeded access to civilians in need of humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected areas of Somali Region; permit independent nutritional assessments to evaluate needs of drought and conflict-affected areas; and support an independent evaluation of the humanitarian response, particularly the distribution of food aid.

* Seek international assistance for projects to assist rape victims, who have special needs. Such assistance should include outreach, medical services, and trauma counseling and testing, and access to anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy and treatment.

* End discriminatory measures such as suspending state funding to conflict-affected weredas in Somali Region or demanding that families and clans pay compensation for deaths inflicted by the ONLF.

To the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)

* Issue orders to all commanders to end targeted and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including government officials.

* Cease the use of all anti-personnel mines and the indiscriminate use of anti-vehicle mines that may affect civilian, commercial, or humanitarian convoys.

* Cooperate with any independent efforts to investigate and report on abuses by all parties to the conflict and the general human rights situation in Somali Region.

* Publicly commit to respect international humanitarian law, particularly Article 3 common to the Geneva Conventions and Protocol II.

To foreign governments with influence, including the US, UK, China, and European Union

* Publicly call upon the Ethiopian government to conduct a thorough, transparent, and independent investigation into abuses in Somali Region. Closely monitor the progress of government investigations and take prompt and appropriate action in response to their findings.

* Privately and publicly urge the Ethiopian government to implement immediately the above recommendations, and insist that implementation of these steps will be used to assess Ethiopian willingness to improve the human rights situation in Somali Region.

* Call upon the Ethiopian government to permit full, unimpeded access to Somali region by independent humanitarian agencies, national and international human rights groups, the media, and diplomatic representatives.

* Urge the Ethiopian government to support independent nutritional assessments to evaluate the needs of drought and conflict-affected areas and independent monitoring of food distribution, and insist on an independent evaluation of the humanitarian response, particularly the distribution of food aid, that includes an external audit.

* Monitor development funding to ensure that it is not used for Ethiopian security operations, including by regional, wereda and kebele level administrations.

* Make military assistance to Ethiopia contingent on the government's adherence to international human rights and humanitarian law and exclude any assistance to units implicated in abuses. All suppliers should actively monitor the use of any weapons and non-lethal items to ensure they are not being utilized to commit or facilitate abuses.

* If providing military assistance, pressure the government to abide by its commitments under international law. Donor states should publicly condemn specific violations, particularly the forced displacement of villages, extrajudicial executions, and torture committed by the armed forces, and urge the government to address them.

* Demand that civilian and military officials implicated in human rights violations be held accountable, including as a matter of command responsibility.

To the United Nations Security Council

* Publicly urge that the Ethiopian government conduct a thorough, transparent, and independent investigation into abuses by all parties to the conflict in Somali Region. Closely monitor the progress of government investigations and take prompt and appropriate action in response to their findings.

* Privately and publicly urge the Ethiopian government to implement immediately the above recommendations, and insist that implementation of these steps will be used to assess Ethiopian willingness to improve the human rights situation in Somali Region.

* Call for the government to permit full, unimpeded access to the region to independent humanitarian agencies, national and international human rights groups, the media, and diplomatic representatives.

To the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations

* Ensure that any military forces and police provided by the Ethiopian government for UN peacekeeping operations are vetted to ensure that they have not been involved in abuses committed in Somali Region or other regions of the country.

To oil companies operating in Ethiopia

*Ensure respect for human rights and compliance with international business norms in your operations in Ethiopia, such as the norms reflected in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative, and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Acknowledgements
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2008/ethiopia0608/21.htm#_Toc200167179

This report was researched and written by Human Rights Watch staff in the Africa division and Emergencies program. It was edited by James Ross, Legal and Policy director, and Andrew Mawson, deputy director of the Program office of Human Rights Watch.

Production assistance was provided by McKenzie Price, associate in the Africa division. Anna Lopriore coordinated photo preparation and Andrea Holley prepared the report for publication. Yaron David designed the maps. The satellite images were obtained and analyzed by the Human Rights Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Human Rights Watch would like to thank Lars Bromley and the Human Rights Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their invaluable collaboration on the satellite imagery. Above all, we extend our deep gratitude to all the organizations and individuals interviewed for this report and to various people who reviewed drafts and shared their insights into the region's troubled history. Sadly, these contributors cannot be named due to security concerns.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis - is Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, Islamologist, Historian and Political Scientist. Dr. Megalommatis, 51, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages.

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