Mass detention of Tigrayans ongoing in Ethiopia – UN

Demonstrators have been marching around the world to highlight the plight of Tigrayans.

A report by the United Nations human rights agency says at least 1,000 people, mostly ethnic Tigrayans, have been arrested since the government declared a state of emergency on 2 November.

Under the six-month emergency, the authorities have sweeping powers to arrest people, detain suspects without trial, and conduct house searches without warrants.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said “at least 1,000 individuals are believed to have been detained over the past week or so – with some reports putting the figure much higher”.

The statement said detention conditions are generally poor and many detainees are held in overcrowded police stations.
Ten local UN staff members who were arrested on 9 November remain in detention.

“Most of those detained are reported to be people of Tigrayan origin, arrested often on suspicion of being affiliated to or supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF),” the UN said.

In the past, police said the arrests were not ethnically motivated but targeted supporters of the TPLF, which has been fighting the federal government for the past year and is now advancing towards the capital. (BBC)