A Justice and Accountability Group comprising the Union of Tigrayans in Europe, Tigrai Global Advocacy Group (TGAG), Tigrayan Advocacy and Development Association (TADA), and Human Right First released a joint statement today headlined “The Inaction and Indifference of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration (TIRA) and the Tigray Genocide Commission (TGC) in Seeking Justice and Accountability.” The statement criticized the Interim Government of Tigray and its branch, the Genocide Commission-which is entrusted to investigate the massacres and comprehensive devastation in Tigray, for becoming complicit with the perpetrators of the genocide through their silence.
“It is to be recalled that the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) was legitimately established (resolution S-33/1) on 17 December 2021 to investigate the atrocity of crimes committed by all parties and combatants in Northern Ethiopia. Unfortunately, the ICHREE has been denied access to Tigray by the Federal Government of Ethiopia (GoE) since its creation and has yet to engage directly with victims. Despite the extension of its mandate (resolution A/HRC/RES/S1/27) for a year until December 2023, the GoE has been unwavering in its effort to terminate the commission’s mandate. It has become clear both the Tigray Interim Regional Administration (TIRA), and the Tigray Genocide Commission (TGC) have been surprisingly quiet in demanding for ICHREE to access Tigray to execute the investigation of atrocity crimes.”
“Therefore, we urge the TIRA to be assertive on the need for exhaustive investigations of the atrocity crimes committed and express its support for the extension of ICHREE’s mandate. TIRA and TGC should understand that discounting ICHREE’s efforts to investigate the atrocity crimes committed in Tigray and championing the idea of domestic justice camouflaged under “transitional Justice” is treasonous”- excerpts of the joint statement reads. Full text attached.