US, 5 Other Countries Concerned over Ethiopian Gov't Detention of Citizens on Basis of Ethnicity

The governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States expressed their concern over the Ethiopian detention of Ethiopian citizens on the basis of their ethnicity and without charge, according to a statement by the 6 countries.

In a joint statement, the six countries said: "We, Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are profoundly concerned by recent reports of the Ethiopian government’s detention of large numbers of Ethiopian citizens on the basis of their ethnicity and without charge."

The six countries added: "The Ethiopian government’s announcement of a State of Emergency on November 2 is no justification for the mass detention of inpiduals from certain ethnic groups."

According to the statement, Reports by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Amnesty International describe widespread arrests of ethnic Tigrayans, including Orthodox priests, older people, and mothers with children. Inpiduals are being arrested and detained without charges or a court hearing and are reportedly being held in inhumane conditions.

It stated: "Many of these acts likely constitute violations of international law and must cease immediately. We urge unhindered and timely access by international monitors."

"We reiterate our grave concern at the human rights abuses and violations, such as those involving conflict related sexual violence, identified in the joint investigation report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the EHRC, and at ongoing reports of atrocities being committed by all parties to the conflicts."

"All parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including those regarding the protection of civilians and humanitarian and medical personnel," the six countries noted.

They said: "It is clear that there is no military solution to this conflict, and we denounce any and all violence against civilians, past, present and future. All armed actors should cease fighting and the Eritrean Defense Forces should withdraw from Ethiopia."

They concluded: "We reiterate our call for all parties to seize the opportunity to negotiate a sustainable ceasefire without preconditions. Fundamentally, Ethiopians must build an inclusive political process and national consensus through political and legal means, and all those responsible for violations and abuses of human rights must be held accountable."