The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia condemns, in the strongest terms, any acts of violence and human rights violations towards innocent civilians. Since the beginning of the law enforcement operation, it has been clear that maximum care has been taken by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces to avoid mass civilian casualties and protect citizens.

The report in The Telegraph, ‘You should have finished off the survivors’: Ethiopian army implicated in brutal war crime video, by Zecharias Zelalem (19 February 2021), however, insinuates that forces loyal to the Government are behind the atrocious acts of violence depicted in the alleged video. This notion has been published without verification.

There is no denying that the contents of the video are disturbing to watch. However, on this occasion, this video is being used out of context.

The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia would like to reassure Ethiopians, the international community and development partners, that the Government of Ethiopia is committed to reform and ensuring the rule of law is restored in the Tigray Region. Any serious offences committed against the rights of citizens during the law enforcement operation will be thoroughly investigated and the government will spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice. As rightly mentioned in the article, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is also currently conducting its own investigation to this serious incident and will release results in due course.

— ENDS —

H.E. Teferi Melesse Desta
Ambassador
Embassy of Ethiopia, 17 Princes Gate, London SW7 1PZ

Press Office: press@ethioembassy.org.uk | 020 7838 3883