Interactive Dialogue on the Oral Update of the High Commissioner on the Situation of Human Rights in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia
Statement As Delivered by Ambassador Michèle Taylor
Delegation of the United States of America
Human Rights Council – 49th Session
March 8, 2022
Thank you to the High Commissioner.
The United States is gravely concerned by the situation in Tigray, where almost one million people face human-made famine conditions and gender-based violence, extrajudicial killings, forced displacement, arbitrary detention, and ethnically motivated violence throughout northern Ethiopia.
We are further concerned by reports of violence against camps for refugees and internally displaced persons.
We strongly condemn reported unlawful attacks on hospitals and medical infrastructure, killings of humanitarian aid workers, suppression of aid operations, and obstruction of humanitarian supplies.
We welcome the lifting of the state of emergency and call on the government to release all those who remain detained without charge and afford all applicable procedural safeguards to those who are charged.
We also call on the federal government, regional authorities, and all other actors to cease hostilities including aerial bombing in the region immediately, facilitate humanitarian access, cooperate fully with human rights investigations, and collaborate in conducting transparent and inclusive justice processes.
Question: Will the government of Ethiopia uphold its commitments to facilitate unhindered access for humanitarian organizations and for those conducting human rights investigations?
Thank you.