15th February 2024

His Excellency, Volker Türk

High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Commission

Palais Wilson | 52 rue des Pâquis | CH-1201 Geneva | Switzerland

His Excellency, Judge Nawaf Salam

President, the International Court of Justice

Peace Palace | Carnegieplein 2 | 2517 KJ The Hague | The Netherlands

RE: Urgent Appeal - Brutal Massacre of Civilians in the Town of Merawi, Amhara, Ethiopia

Your Excellencies,

We, the undersigned civil society organizations of Ethiopians in the diaspora, pen this letter to express our profound sadness and shock concerning the tragic events that unfolded in the town of Merawi, Amhara Region, Ethiopia, on January 29, 2024. Perpetrated by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), this incident resulted in the brutal massacre of scores of innocent civilians, spanning all age groups.

Reputable sources, including the Associated Press, BBC, and the Jerusalem Post, have reported on the door-to-door and street executions by ENDF security forces following heavy fighting between government forces and local militia insurgents. Eyewitnesses estimate the number of casualties between 150 and 200 individuals.

We commend the U.S. E.U. UK and Canadian governments’ call for an investigation into the reported massacre. We echo their deep concern and join them in demanding unrestricted access for independent human rights monitors to thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure an impartial inquiry that holds perpetrators accountable. 

We also call upon the international community to denounce the massacre, as well as the seven-month-long state of emergency and the persistent government-sponsored massacres across the Amhara region over the past two years. These actions have resulted in the tragic loss of thousands of innocent lives.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) stated that the commission has initiated an investigation into the massacre. However, the commission says that a lack of a response from the government and involved parties is creating difficulties in completing the investigation. Human Rights Watch had called for the international community and the United Nations to “maintain pressure” on the Ethiopian government to “ensure justice to the victims.”

The ongoing crisis and targeted violence against civilians demands immediate attention to end the suffering of countless victims. Reports and testimonies from survivors depict a horrific scene of widespread massacre, rape, torture, and the destruction of villages. Women and children have especially been victimized, facing sexual violence and exploitation on an unimaginable scale. Thousands of civilians have been incarcerated in concentration camps, and millions more have been displaced from their homes.

In light of these atrocities, we call upon the United Nations Human Rights Commission and The International Court of Justice to take meaningful actions, including but not limited to:

1. Urging for an independent investigation into the human rights violations and atrocities committed in the town of Merawi and other parts of the Amhara region, with the aim of holding the perpetrators accountable for their actions.

2. Implementing targeted sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for perpetrating violence and human rights abuses in the Amhara region.

3. Providing humanitarian aid and support to affected communities, including medical assistance, counseling, shelter, and food supplies.

4. Using all diplomatic, development, and legal tools to compel the government of Ethiopia to immediately end the seven-month-long state of emergency, which has given security forces unchecked powers over Amhara civilians, and to withdraw military presence from the Amhara regional state without delay.

Your positive actions in this matter can ensure that the lives lost in Merawi and other parts of the Amhara region will not be forgotten and that violators of human rights will be held accountable for their crimes. 

Sincerely,

Signatory Organizations

American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC)

Ethio-Canadian Network for Advocacy and Support (ECNAS)

Ethiopian American Development Council (EADC)

Ethiopian American Civic Council (EACC)

Ethiopian Public Diplomacy Network (EPDN)

Global Ethiopian Scholars Initiative (GESI)

New York Tristate Hope for Ethiopia (H4E) 

CC:

• H.E. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary General, 

• H.E. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission,

• H.E. Azali Assoumani, Chairperson of the African Union,

• H.E. Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State

• H.E. Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada