Thread by @MuluBK

Why I #RejectTheJointInvestigation
THREAD

The joint investigation into human rights abuses in #Tigray that @UNHumanRights & @EthioHRC conducted is fraught with serious limitations; does not satisfy the minimum standards, and as such should be rejected.
Here is why: 1 /24

1. The involvement of a national body to investigate a situation, which is marked by gross violations of human rights & humanitarian norms; and committed in a politically polarized society as current #Ethiopia is unprecedented, including in @UNHumanRights 's experience 2/24

2. There was no good reason to involve the @EthioHRC in this endeavor. In fact, it was the sheer insistence of the #Ethiopian regime that forced the @UNHumanRights to accept the arrangement as a last resort. No other explanation is provided on z matter. This is suspicious. 3/24

3. The investigation was conducted under secretive circumstances. The 'ToR' that both organs said have developed is not availed to the public for scrutiny. This violates such cardinal principles in human rights investigations as transparency and visibility. 4/24

4. A study into the @EthioHRC shows that it is not fit to fairly investigate HR violations. For instance, @amnesty found that the Commission "operated outside established human rights frameworks & standards" & that it serves the powers of the day. 5/24

amnesty.org/en/latest/pres…

5. Legally, the @EthioHRC is accountable to the #Ethiopian parliament, an organ that has declared the #TPLF, itself a subject of the investigation, as a terrorist organization. When coupled with the absence of rule of law in #Ethiopia, it puts its impartiality in question. 6/24

6. The works of the Commission during the war strengthen the suspicion regarding its impartiality.
Ex: Forced expulsion of #Tigrayans from #Dansha is painted as a willful repatriation;

The findings on #AxumMassacre came after 4 months, .. 7/24
drive.google.com/file/d/1X9iK4j…

whereas in #MaiKadraMassare, where the Commission blamed #Tigrayan forces, it was done within two weeks. This's revealing. Also, it failed to even issue statements on a number of massacres in #Tigray, in contrast to the swift condemnation on allegations in #Afar & #Amhara , 8/24

where the suspect is #Tigrayan forces. This was the case in relation to #Galicomma #Agamsa & #Chenna. It is commendable that it quickly expressed condemnations & sent teams to investigate. However, this was not the case in #Tigray. Note that there was war in all areas.
9/ 24

7. The Commissioner @DanielBekele has also apparent exhibited partiality in favour of the regime in this war.
Ex: He downplayed the magnitude of the well documented violations committed in #Tigray, as 'not sever' and 'comforting', which.. 10/24

..the regime effectively used.
He also bought the regime's narration, without evidence, that #Tigrayans who fled to #Sudan from west #Tigray are suspects, and thus couldn't be trusted. This is despite many credible media reporting otherwise. 11/24

Besides, he, without proof, echoed regime lies that those refugees were being repatriated to #Ethiopia.
@DanielBekele also sees the #AbiyAhmed leadership as reformist and pleaded that z #IC should support it. Such an assessment clouds his work. 12/24

8. Most importantly, the joint investigation covered only a fraction of not only the well reported atrocities in #Tigray, but also of what it set out to examine as @mbachelet admitted during the interactive dialogue in September, 2021. 13/24

ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/…

Not only are such widely reported massacre sites as #Axum #DebreAbay #MahbereDeigo #EdagaBerhe #Togogabombing and many others left out, but #Bahirdar & #Gonder are included, apparently to create equivalency. A conclusion drawn about violations in #Tigray ... 14/24

... based on thin anecdotes, leaving out major sites of violations is bound to be flawed.

Critical in this regard is the fact that the investigation was cut short after #Tigrayan forces took over much of #Tigray, b/s the regime barred the investigation to continue. 15/24

This is despite the fact that #Tigray at the relevant time was the safest it has been since the beginning of the war, according to @OCHA_Ethiopia. This strengthens the conclusion that the process has been seriously compromised. 16/24
reliefweb.int/sites/reliefwe…

9. When conducting the investigation, a firsthand witness who was hired by the #UN team and was quickly fired, allegedly due to @EthioHRC pressure, stated that @EthioHRC team members 'insulted, discouraged, and interrogated witnesses.' 17/24

martinplaut.com/2021/08/17/two…

10. The expulsion of Mr. Sonny Onyegbuna, a investigator with @UNHumanRights without reason in the middle of the investigation process further shows the unwarranted interference that the Ethiopian government exhibited in the process. 18/24

reuters.com/world/africa/e…

11. During the interactive dialogue, the regime representative was given an ample time to present his government's account. No such opportunity was presented to victims or the #Tigrayan forces that are also being investigated. This has the potential to skew the finding.
19/24

12. Similarly, there is credible information that the draft report has been sent to the #Ethiopian regime for comments. It was not sent to #Tigray
In fact, authorities in #Tigray say that they have never been engaged, despite their persistent objection to the process. 20/24

Without building trust among actors, the investigation cannot garner the visibility it deserves. This further affects its credibility and fairness. It is noted that appearance of impartiality is as important a factor in HR investigations as actual impartiality. 21/24

At last, the need for an impartial investigation into all allegation of rights abuses in this tragic war cannot be overstated. However, it shall be done in a way that it can deliver justice to victims, hold perpetrators to account, and reveal the truth in its entirety. 22/24

This cannot be achieved under the current circumstances. In fact, I suspect that the report is likely to promote impunity, deny victims the justice they deliver, and equally importantly sustain the existing hostility. For these reasons, I #RejectTheJointInvestigation 23/24

To effectively address the limitations, and avert the far-reaching negative consequences of the defective investigation, it should be rejected, and a truly independent inquiry under the sole auspices of the #UN established, instead.

END

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