Investigate. Document. Report. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission must act without fear or favour.

Re: Urgent call for EHRC investigations into violations in the Amhara region

Dear Commissioner,

We write to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission as a body mandated to uphold fundamental rights and to investigate allegations of abuse — regardless of which forces are responsible. We do so with respect for your institution’s role, and with the urgent hope that you will exercise that role without fear or favour.

Since the outbreak of the military campaign against the Amhara regional state in August 2023, credible reports from international human rights organisations, diaspora communities, and independent journalists document a pattern of serious violations: mass killings of civilians, arbitrary detention on an enormous scale, internet and communications blackouts, and the repeated use of armed drones against civilian populations.

These are not allegations from a single partisan source. They are documented by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the United States Department of State, among others.

We call on the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to:

1. Conduct independent, on-the-ground investigations in the Amhara region, including in areas where communications have been restricted;
2. Investigate the use of drones and other weapons against civilians, including incidents in populated areas documented by international organisations;
3. Report publicly and without interference on findings, including where Ethiopian National Defence Forces or affiliated militias are implicated;
4. Engage formally with international human rights bodies, including the UN Special Rapporteurs and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to enable independent corroboration of findings;
5. Provide protection to witnesses and survivors who come forward.

The credibility of the EHRC depends on its willingness to investigate all parties, in all regions, without political constraint. The Amhara region demands your attention now.

We remain available for dialogue and stand ready to share documentation compiled by our member organisations.

Yours sincerely,

Federation of Amhara Associations in Europe