{"id":189389,"date":"2021-05-19T12:52:50","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T10:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/genocide-in-ethiopia-why-answering-the-question-will-be-a-challenge\/"},"modified":"2021-05-19T12:52:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T10:52:50","slug":"genocide-in-ethiopia-why-answering-the-question-will-be-a-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/genocide-in-ethiopia-why-answering-the-question-will-be-a-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Genocide in Ethiopia? Why answering the question will be a challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/genocide-in-ethiopia-why-answering-the-question-will-be-a-challenge.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p>The head of Ethiopia\u2019s Orthodox Church, Abune Mathias, recently condemned the ongoing armed conflict in Ethiopia\u2019s Tigray region and the suffering it\u2019s causing the civilian population. In a video message he was seen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/ethiopian-orthodox-church-head-says-genocide-is-taking-place-tigray-2021-05-09\/\">saying<\/a> \u201cgenocide is being committed now\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Abune Mathias may be the highest-profile figure to label the alleged criminal acts against Tigrayans as genocide, but he\u2019s not the first. In January, the leader of the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front and former president of Tigray \u2013 Debretsion Gebremichael \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-africa-55877939\">accused<\/a> the Ethiopian and Eritrean forces of waging a \u201cdevastating and genocidal war\u201d in Tigray. Tigrayans around the world have echoed the same message on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%23TigrayGenocide&amp;src=hashtag_click\">social media<\/a> and at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QBZ5w3gcWLY\">protest rallies<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>In addition to this, there have been <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2021\/05\/12\/africa\/tigray-axum-aid-blockade-cmd-intl\/index.html\">numerous<\/a> reports by media agencies and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2021\/03\/05\/ethiopia-eritrean-forces-massacre-tigray-civilians\">rights groups<\/a> that corroborate the targeting of civilians.<\/p>\n<p>But what exactly constitutes a genocide?<\/p>\n<p>According to the United Nations, genocide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/genocide.shtml\">is when<\/a> certain acts are committed with the intention of destroying, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. These acts are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Killing members of the group;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about a group\u2019s physical destruction in whole or in part;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The major difference between other grave international crimes \u2013 such as crimes against humanity and war crimes \u2013 and genocide is that genocidaires have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/international-review-of-the-red-cross\/article\/what-does-intent-to-destroy-in-genocide-mean\/636C654F125D59B1CCE36994485A20D7\">two intentions<\/a>: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/international-review-of-the-red-cross\/article\/what-does-intent-to-destroy-in-genocide-mean\/636C654F125D59B1CCE36994485A20D7\">intent to<\/a> commit crimes against a group and the intent to destroy the group in whole or in part.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m an international law expert and have extensively studied cases of past <a href=\"https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1156697\">genocide in Ethiopia<\/a>. Establishing whether a genocide is happening in the country requires an independent and objective investigation. This should, preferably, be carried out by a United Nations (UN) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/HRBodies\/HRC\/Pages\/COIs.aspx\">mandated<\/a> commission of inquiry. Such investigations form the basis of whether the case should be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the UN Security Council. <\/p>\n<p>In Ethiopia, this investigation needs to cover <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2020\/11\/ethiopia-investigation-reveals-evidence-that-scores-of-civilians-were-killed-in-massacre-in-tigray-state\/\">all major incidents<\/a> against the country\u2019s Tigrayan population since the start of the conflict. <\/p>\n<p>The challenge is that various actors are involved in the war in Tigray. These include Ethiopia\u2019s national army, the Amhara region\u2019s militia and para-military forces and Eritrea. Not all have the same objective. Any credible investigation needs to separately examine the role played by each to determine whether they harboured a genocidal intent. <\/p>\n<p>No government will announce its genocidal intentions to the world and only a credible investigation can get to the bottom of the allegations.<\/p>\n<h2>Genocide trials<\/h2>\n<p>Raphael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3137437\">coined<\/a> the word \u201cgenocide\u201d<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/genocide.shtml\">in 1944<\/a> partly in response to the systematic murder of Jewish people by the Nazis. It was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/genocide.shtml\">also a response<\/a> to previous actions that targeted groups, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Armenian-Genocide\">Armenians in Turkey<\/a> and the Herero by the Germans in <a href=\"https:\/\/combatgenocide.org\/?page_id=153\">Namibia<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Genocide was codified into international law in 1948 via the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/genocide-convention.shtml\">UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide<\/a>. This treaty is ratified by <a href=\"https:\/\/treaties.un.org\/Pages\/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&amp;mtdsg_no=IV-1&amp;chapter=4\">152 countries<\/a>. In Ethiopia, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wipo.int\/edocs\/lexdocs\/laws\/en\/et\/et011en.pdf\">Ethiopian Criminal Code<\/a> criminalises genocide, though it goes beyond the Genocide Convention by adding political groups to the protected groups.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the establishment of the ICC, the international community relied on ad hoc tribunals, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/world-war-ii\/nuremberg-trials\">Nuremberg<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/history.state.gov\/milestones\/1945-1952\/nuremberg\">Tokyo Tribunals<\/a>, and more recently the UN tribunals for former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icty.org\/\">Yugoslavia<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/unictr.irmct.org\/\">Rwanda<\/a>. Only 123 countries are party to the ICC, and Ethiopia is not one of <a href=\"https:\/\/treaties.un.org\/Pages\/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&amp;mtdsg_no=XVIII-10&amp;chapter=18&amp;clang=_en\">those<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Typically, even for members of the ICC, local courts have the primary responsibility to prosecute genocide. But whether local courts are willing and able to do the task is a different matter.<\/p>\n<p>Ethiopia has a history of prosecuting genocide crimes. In 2007, after a 12-year trial, Ethiopia\u2019s former leader Mengistu Haile Mariam was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-ethiopia-mengistu-genocide-idUSL1286585920061212\">found guilty of genocide in absentia<\/a>. The investigation and prosecution was carried out by Ethiopia\u2019s office for the special prosecutor. Regular courts handled the trials. Senior members of Mengistu\u2019s military regime were convicted <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jicj\/article-abstract\/5\/2\/513\/869782?redirectedFrom=PDF\">for carrying out<\/a> the criminal acts with a view to destroying political opponents. <\/p>\n<p>But prosecuting an overthrown regime is not the same thing as prosecuting an incumbent.<\/p>\n<h2>Crimes in Tigray<\/h2>\n<p>At the national level, Ethiopia\u2019s Federal Attorney-General is responsible for investigating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawethiopia.com\/images\/federal_proclamation\/proclamations_by_number\/943.pdf\">atrocities<\/a>. And this office has already begun to look into allegations of crimes committed in Tigray. <\/p>\n<p>One of these was conducted in the historic town of Axum. There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2021\/03\/05\/ethiopia-eritrean-forces-massacre-tigray-civilians\">reports that<\/a>, in November 2020, Ethiopian and Eritrean forces indiscriminately attacked the town, killing and wounding civilians. This continued after they had control of the town. There are allegations that several hundred residents were executed by Eritrean forces. <\/p>\n<p>Ethiopia\u2019s attorney general\u2019s office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2021\/05\/12\/ethiopias-axum-findings-ignore-massacre-civilians\">released its findings<\/a>. It <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ethiopianembassy.net\/ethiopian-news\/press-release-concerning-criminal-investigation-on-crimes-committed-in-axum-city-attorney-general\/\">stated<\/a> that most of those killed were fighters who died in clashes with Eritrean troops, and not civilians.<\/p>\n<p>I believe it\u2019s unlikely that this was an independent or comprehensive investigation. It probably won\u2019t lead to the prosecution of suspects implicated in the crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, it\u2019s unlikely that the Ethiopian authorities can conduct credible investigation into events in Tigray. Only a UN mandated commission of inquiry can make a finding of whether the matter should be referred to the ICC for further investigation and prosecution of suspects. <\/p>\n<p>Because Ethiopia isn\u2019t party to the ICC, the case would need to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icc-cpi.int\/resource-library\/documents\/rs-eng.pdf\">referred<\/a> by the United Nations Security Council. But China and Russia are two permanent members of the Security Council that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2021\/04\/15\/un-security-council-needs-act-ethiopias-tigray-region\">typically oppose<\/a> external investigations into what they regard as \u201cinternal affairs\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>Another option is that, as a non-ICC member, Ethiopia could refer itself. But, as Lemkin <a href=\"http:\/\/pscourses.ucsd.edu\/poli120n\/Lemkin1946.pdf\">once stated<\/a>, genocide by its very nature \u201cis committed by the state or by powerful groups with the backing of the state. A state would never prosecute a crime instigated or backed by itself.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>I believe it\u2019s unlikely that the Ethiopian government would refer itself or carry out a credible investigation.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/africa\/\">Source: The Conversation<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The head of Ethiopia\u2019s Orthodox Church, Abune Mathias, recently condemned the ongoing armed conflict in Ethiopia\u2019s Tigray region and the suffering it\u2019s causing the civilian population. In a video message he was seen saying \u201cgenocide is being committed now\u201d. Abune Mathias may be the highest-profile figure to label the alleged criminal acts against Tigrayans as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":189390,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4584],"tags":[3257],"class_list":{"0":"post-189389","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-africa-news-2","8":"tag-mypr","9":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/genocide-in-ethiopia-why-answering-the-question-will-be-a-challenge.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}