Watch the review live:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/un-human-rights-committee
Over the last year, HRHF has worked to mobilise a coalition of Ethiopian diaspora organisations to take over the domestic human rights sector’s efforts to address the human rights situation in the country. Such work was made impossible for organisations working within Ethiopia with the introduction of the so-called Charitites and Societies proclamation, that took full effect from early 2010.
HRHF has since lost its domestic partners, but identified a number of diaspora organisations in both Europe and America with whom to continue the Human Rights House Network’s advocacy work on Ethiopia. With the support of the Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR Centre) and HRHF, four of them have submitted an NGO report on various aspects of Ethiopia’s implementation of the ICCPR. The four are African Rights Monitor, Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa, Oromia Support Group, and Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation. The NGO coalition behind the submission consists of a further four organisations; the Democratic Change in Ethiopia Support Group, the Ogaden Youth and Students Union, the Solidarity Committee for Ethiopian Political Prisoners (Canada), and the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s state report for the Human Rights Committee was submitted late 2009, in advance of the country’s Universal Periodic Review. The HR Committee report was then more than 15 years overdue. HRHF spoke at the committee’s adoption of the list of issues 12 July 2010, a necessary step in the preparations for the current review. Referring to the instant and devastating effects of the Charities and Societies proclamation, our message then was to stress why no domestic human rights organisations were present.
For the Human Rights Committee’s actual review of Ethiopia, taking place today and tomorrow, the NGO coalition comments on questions related to the right to life, the prohibition of torture, the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, and the rights of persons belonging to minorities.
The live webcasting system is a CCPR Centre project.
Related articles
- The UN Committee Against Torture alarmed by severe human rights violations in Ethiopia
- Room for improvement regarding torture, admits Ethiopia
Documentation
- Joint report, supported by CCPR Centre and HRHF
- State report and other NGO reports submitted to the HR Committee for its 101st session
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