Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia Highlighted at Congressional Conference

Human rights issues and Ethiopia's continuing political crisis were the central focus of a recent conference held in a congressional building, where prominent speakers called for heightened awareness, accountability, and international intervention. Sylvia Stanard, a representative of United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights, emphasized the urgent need for global engagement on the situation in Ethiopia. Stanard, whose work is rooted in the principles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), discussed the core values enshrined in the declaration.

"Human rights are not optional — they are universal," said Stanard. "The right to life, liberty, security of person, and freedom of thought are being violated daily in Ethiopia. Religious freedom, in particular, is under severe attack, with churches and priests being targeted." Stanard highlighted the alarming lack of awareness surrounding the crisis in Ethiopia, noting the challenges in competing for global attention amidst other high-profile conflicts. She urged the Ethiopian diaspora and allies to take proactive steps in educating policymakers and media outlets about the gravity of the situation. Stanard directed attendees seeking more information about human rights education and the UDHR to www.humanrights.com.

Another speaker, Ato Yilkal Getnet, in his address titled "Ethnic Federalism and the Crisis in Ethiopia," argued that Ethiopia's current political instability stems from its constitutionally enshrined ethnic federalism. According to Getnet, this system prioritizes ethnic identity over a collective national identity, resulting in political fragmentation and social unrest. "The constitution's focus on ethnic identity rather than a shared national history has weakened Ethiopia's political and social cohesion," Getnet explained. "The Amhara people have suffered the most, with ongoing political repression and harmful narratives."

Abel Gashe, another leader in the Ethiopian American organizations working to bring awareness to this situation, detailed specific atrocities. "Our first objective is to create global awareness about the mass killings and massacres that are happening in Ethiopia," Gashe said. "Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are being killed in mass in Arsie and Wollega because of their religious affiliations. In the last two to three months more than fifty Orthodox Christians have been killed. Churches are being burned. The faithful are being massacred while worshipping. Just last week the Chief Executive Officer of the Wollega region, was killed and his body has not been retrieved to date. This is the epitome of the crimes being done to Orthodox Christians. What is happening in Ethiopia is religious genocide in which Christians are being killed in mass for being Orthodox. We also know that people are being killed for their identity as Amharas."

Gashe called upon the Ethiopian government to defend those being killed for their belief and identity, stating that the killing of Orthodox Christians and Amharas that levels up to a genocide should be stopped. Mr. Scott Morgan, head of the International Religious Freedom's Africa Working Group, noted that crises in other regions often overshadow events in Ethiopia. "It is not just the situations in Syria, Ukraine and Gaza that overshadow the events still allowed to fester in Northern Ethiopia," Morgan said. "There is a crisis in Africa that has the potential to suck out all the oxygen in the room. The situation in Nigeria currently has the focus of the Trump Administration with the Democratic Republic of the Congo not that far behind. One thing that any advocacy should focus on is that the situation in Northern Ethiopia remains no less serious than the other crisis spots in Africa." Mr. Mesfin Mekonen, the author of Washington Update, a bulletin about Ethiopia's struggles, organized and was the Master of Ceremonies of the Congressional briefing. The conference concluded with calls for the international community to pay closer attention to Ethiopia's human rights violations, advocate for meaningful dialogue, and support policies aimed at restoring stability and justice in the country in alignment with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.