HRLHA’s Statement
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For Immidiate Release
Februry 15, 2018
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) appreciates the step taken by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) Chairman, the Ethiopian Prime Minister and the Commander in Chief, HailemariamDessalegn in stepping down from his position as Prime Minister.
The HRLHA believes that today Ethiopia is at a crossroads; all nations and nationalities are demanding freedom and justice that have been denied for the past two decades.
The Oromo Nation protests ignited in 2014 and were added to by the Amhara nation. Over the past four years,under the slogans Freedom, justice and equality, the protests were ignored by the government.The demonstrations nevertheless continued, demanding changes in the country. Recently the economic boycott called by Oromo youth “Qeerroo Bilisummaa Oromoo” happened in the past three days (February 12-14) in Oromia in which all peoples in Oromia participated successfully. This rocked the government and forced PM HailemariamDessalegn to step down today.
PM HailemariamDessalegn stated in his resignation speech that the reason for his resignation was “to bring sustainable peace and long last Democracy” into the country
The HRLHA calls on the TPLF/ EPRDF government to calm the volatile situation in the country,and see that reformist change could not be the solution. The HRLHA encourages the Ethiopian
Government to open political dialogue with all political organizations to resolve the political
uncertainty in the country which has victimized thousands of citizens in the past two and a half decades
The HRLHA’s Recommendations for the TPLF/EPRDF:
• Free all political prisoners unconditionally
• Scrap the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation of Ethiopia adopted in 2009
• Invite all political organizations engaged in peacefully operating in the country for political dialogue to come together
• Forman all-inclusive transition period government
The HRLHA’s call on the International Community:
As a human rights organization, the HRLHA was closely monitoring and reporting- on a daily basis-the human rights infringements in Ethiopia for the past ten years. From time to time, when the situation in the country worsened, we called onEthiopian government alliances and funding western governments, governmental agencies such as the UN, the EU and the AU and donor organizations to pressure the Ethiopian government to change its behaviour.
However, it has not seen when the Ethiopian regime learned from its mistakes and respected human rights of its citizen. The HRLHA once again asks the World Community at this very critical moment to do everything they could to save Ethiopia from more bloodshed that will very likely lead to civil war and disintegration.
Therefore, the HRLHA has an obligation once more to call on Ethiopian government alliances and funding western governments, governmental agencies such as the UN, the EU and the AU and donor organizations to take decisive action- including intervening in order to bring the situation under control.
