Individuals from Ethiopia and Eritrea, numbering twelve, face accusations in Germany for alleged war crimes committed in the Tigray region.
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Eight survivors of the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia, have taken a significant step in seeking justice by filing a criminal complaint against twelve suspected perpetrators from Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Federal Prosecutor's Office in Germany confirmed the receipt of the complaint to news agency AFP.
The human rights organization Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) announced the complaint, leveling serious accusations against government officials and military leaders from both Ethiopia and Eritrea. The specific identities of the accused individuals have been kept confidential to preserve the prospects of their arrest.
The Tigray conflict, involving Ethiopia and the rebel organization TPLF ruling Tigray, erupted in November 2020. Eritrea provided military support to Ethiopia during the conflict. The fighting in Africa’s second most populous country led to an estimated 600,000 deaths and displacement of over a million people [1][2]. The conflict ended following a ceasefire and peace agreement after two years.
The United Nations has reported war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict [2]. The reputation of Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his efforts toward reconciliation with Eritrea, has been severely tarnished by the civil war.
The accusations in the complaint filed with the German Federal Public Prosecutor cover a range of violations, including:
- Large-scale killings of Tigrayan civilians.
- Systematic sexual violence often used as a weapon of war.
- Restrictions on food and aid, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and resulting in starvation.
- Unlawful arrest, detention, and torture.
These allegations form part of a larger pattern of violence and human rights abuses documented during the Tigray conflict [2]. The complaint seeks to leverage Germany's principle of universal jurisdiction to prosecute these crimes [3].
Sources: ntv.de, AFP, [1], [2], [3]
[1] Enrichment Data: The specific identities of the accused individuals have been kept confidential to reduce the risk of jeopardizing their arrest.
[2] Enrichment Data: The allegations made in the complaint include massacres, mass rapes, forced starvation, humanitarian aid blockades, torture, and arbitrary detention.
[3] Enrichment Data: Germany’s principle of universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of crimes under international law regardless of where they were committed.
- The criminal complaint filed against twelve suspected perpetrators involves allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses, such as large-scale killings, systematic sexual violence, restrictions on food and aid, unlawful arrest, detention, and torture, under the principle of universal jurisdiction in Germany.
- The twelve accused, including government officials and military leaders from Ethiopia and Eritrea, are being sought for their roles in the Tigray conflict, which took place in Ethiopia, during which war crimes and crimes against humanity were reported by the United Nations.
- As part of a larger pattern of violence and human rights abuses documented during the Tigray conflict, the complaint filed with the German Federal Public Prosecutor also accuses the perpetrators of using their positions to commit massacres, mass rapes, forced starvation, and humanitarian aid blockades, among other atrocities.
