Human rights issues and Ethiopia's continuing political crisis were the central focus of a recent conference, 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), which all UN countries are obligated to uphold, discussed the core values enshrined in the declaration. The UDHR, adopted in 1948, recognizes that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or political belief.
Stanard stated that human rights are not optional but universal, noting that 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. She highlighted the alarming lack of awareness surrounding the crisis in Ethiopia, noting the challenges in competing for global attention amidst other high-profile conflicts such as those involving Israel and Gaza or Russia and Ukraine. 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. He explained that the constitution's focus on ethnic identity rather than a shared national history has weakened Ethiopia's political and social cohesion, with the Amhara people suffering the most from ongoing political repression and harmful narratives.
Abel Gashe, another leader in the Ethiopian American organizations working to bring awareness to this situation, stated that their first objective is to create global awareness about the mass killings and massacres happening in Ethiopia. He described Ethiopian Orthodox Christians being killed in mass in Arsie and Wollega because of their religious affiliations, with more than fifty Orthodox Christians killed in the last two to three months, churches being burned, and the faithful massacred while worshipping. Gashe emphasized that what is happening in Ethiopia is religious genocide in which Christians are being killed in mass for being Orthodox, and people are also being killed for their identity as Amharas. He called upon the Ethiopian government to defend those being killed and massacred 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 it is not just the situations in Syria, Ukraine and Gaza that overshadow the events still allowed to fester in Northern Ethiopia. He warned of a crisis in Africa that has the potential to suck out all the oxygen in the room, with the situation in Nigeria currently having the focus of the Trump Administration with the Democratic Republic of the Congo not that far behind. Morgan emphasized that any advocacy should focus on the situation in Northern Ethiopia remaining no less serious than 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.
