Deputy PM Confers with Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen has held discussions with the visiting Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia today.
The “exploratory discussions” is a follow-up to the discussion held in Geneva in May, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
“The Experts are in Addis Ababa to discuss with the Government Officials and other stakeholders to try to find mutually acceptable modalities for possible engagement with the Government in discharge of their mandate,” the Ministry added.
Chaired by Kaari Betty Murungi of Kenya, the commission also involves Steven Ratner from the United States and Radhika Coomaraswamy from Sri Lanka.
This is their first visit to Ethiopia since the establishment of the commission by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council on 17 December 2021.
The council says the Commission will “conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into allegations of violations and abuses” of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law in Ethiopia committed since 3 November 2020 by all parties to the conflict.
The Commission, after interacting with a wide range of interlocutors, will issue a communique about their visit on July 30, 2022, according to the Council.
