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Please click here to download EHRC preliminary finding
Addis Ababa, November 24, 2020 – The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (ECHR) has discovered that an informal group of youth from Tigray known as ‘Samri’ has committed a heinous massacre of civilians, with the help and instigation of members of what was then the local administration and the security establishment in Maikadra. , in the West Zone of the Tigray Region, on November 9, 2020.
The EHRC visited Maikadra, Abrhajira, Sanja, Dansha, Humera, and Gonder between November 14 and 19, 2020, as part of its investigation into human rights violations, the preliminary findings of which were released today.
Preliminary findings establish that what happened in Maikadra on November 9th, 2020, including murders, bodily and mental injuries, as well as destruction that lasted overnight, the general conduct and the results thereof, clearly indicate the commission of serious human rights violations that may constitute crimes against them humanity and war crimes. . The full scope of the evidence and the elements of the offense will be discussed in more detail in the full report.
The preliminary report concludes that before withdrawing from the advance of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), the local militia and the police security apparatus joined forces with members of the Samri group to carry out door-to-door raids and kill hundreds. of people who identified as ethnic of “Amharas and Wolkait origin”, beating them with sticks, stabbing them with knives, machetes and axes and strangling them with ropes. They also seriously injured many people and looted or destroyed property. Based on the testimonies gathered so far, the EHRC estimates that at least 600 civilians have died. The death toll could be even higher, as there are reports of people whose whereabouts are unknown at the time of the EHRC visit and of bodies hidden in fields outside Maikadra.
Amid the heartbreaking acts of the informal Tigray youth group, Samri, survivors also tell many stories of human actions where other residents also of Tigrayan ethnic origin, who saved many lives by hiding targets in their homes, churches and farm fields.
EHRC Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele said: “The unimaginably heinous crime committed against civilians for no other reason than ethnic origin is heartbreaking. However, we are comforted by the stories of Ethiopians who looked beyond ethnicity to come to the aid of their compatriots in times of need. These stories keep alive the hope of a return to peaceful coexistence ”.
“It is now an urgent priority that victims receive reparation and rehabilitation, and that perpetrators directly or indirectly involved at all levels are held accountable to the law.” EHRC Shipping
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