Under their own gaze, Ethiopia has committed human rights violation of the highest order, against Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin. But the diplomatic community and the humanitarian organisations in Ethiopia have maintained their silence. One is curious to think that: why are these bodies very much quick to condemn other countries that have committed relatively trivial human rights violations than Ethiopia. What amount of suffering should Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin go through so that the international community would see the Ethiopian government for what it is? It has being proven time and again, beyond any reasonable doubt that, arbitrary arrest, torture, detention without court order, kidnapping, disappearances, extra-judicial killings are the common feature of the Ethiopian government.

The Amnesty international is one, amongst the many organisations, that has exposed the Ethiopian government's human rights violations against Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin. Amnesty international has given a list of unspeakable violations the Ethiopian government is committing against humanity.

DEPORTEES

• Most of the Eritreans ordered to be expelled were born, or long resident, in Ethiopia, held Ethiopian passports and had lived or worked in Ethiopia all, or most of, their lives.

• Ethiopians of Eritrean origin have been subjected to forced mass deportation.

• Deportees have had to abandon their homes, possessions, businesses and other property with no guarantee of ever recovering them. Individuals who have protested have been threatened or beaten. The deportees were arbitrarily stripped of their Ethiopian citizenship without any warning, legal process or right of appeal.

DETENTION

• All of the people expelled were arrested, usually at night, and kept in detention for periods ranging from one or two days to several months. Most people were arrested in the middle of the night to conceal the security operation under way.

• Women, some of them pregnant, children, the elderly -- even hospital patients recovering from surgery - have been arrested and detained in the middle of the night and put on buses to be expelled

• Large numbers of civilians, not captured in the fighting or under arms, have also been arrested and detained in connection with the conflict, particularly in Ethiopia.

• The expulsion of people of Eritrean origin was often carried out in an inhumane manner that amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

• In some cases mothers were taken away without being allowed to arrange for the care of their children and families and families were deliberately and systematically split up and expelled in different batches, months apart. This created special hardship for family support and relationships, and considerable anxieties about when parents and children and their elderly dependants might be reunited.

• During the ordeal of the long journey lasting several days, toilet stops were few, food and water were minimal, and despite the suffocating heat windows were kept shut. At night they slept in the bus and were not allowed to take belongings or even medication from their luggage on the roof. Several elderly people suffering from diabetes arrived in Eritrea extremely ill and needing emergency hospital treatment. Many of the expelled arrived at the Eritrean reception centres traumatised and exhausted.

• People of all ages, from babies to pensioners, are imprisoned in harsh conditions for several days before being forced to board buses under armed guard with only one piece of luggage each -- if that -- and being dumped at the border. They arrive hungry and exhausted, and often ill, after the three-day journey.

• Hundreds of Eritreans have also been dumped at Moyale on the Kenyan border and at the border with Djibouti. Eritrean men, women, children and their elderly dependants have been expelled, and also some people of part-Eritrean origin too. Eritreans abroad have had their Ethiopian citizenship cancelled by Ethiopian embassy officials.

• The expulsions continued throughout the year in 1998 and in1999, (the latest, only yesterday Nov 10 1999) rising to a peak rate of more than 1,500 people per week.

REASONS FOR EXPULSION

• The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, said the deportees were "foreigners," adding that ". . . any foreign national, whether Eritrean or Japanese etc. . . . lives in Ethiopia because of the goodwill of the Ethiopian government. If we say 'Go, because we don't like the colour of your eyes,' they have to leave."

• The government of Ethiopia has claimed that the expulsions have been carried out in conformity with international human rights law, and that in a state of war, it is fully entitled to take measures to ensure the protection of national security. But, what does the international human rights law say?

THE HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

• Ethiopia is state party to International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Geneva Conventions.

• The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has stated in several decisions that the deportation or expulsion of individuals without affording them the right to appeal to the national courts against such deportation or expulsion is a violation of Article 7.1(a) of the African Charter.

• The ICCPR also prohibits states from arbitrarily depriving citizens of the right to enter their own country.

• The deliberate break-up of families and creation of suffering for children put Ethiopia in violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,

• Amnesty International concluded that a huge number of Eritreans expelled from Ethiopia had their Ethiopian citizenship arbitrarily removed and were illegally and forcibly deported and sent into exile. The removal of Ethiopian citizenship and expulsion of people of Eritrean origin is a clear breach of international law. Whereas, Amnesty International has not found that Eritrea has deported or expelled any Ethiopians, in any legal or administrative sense.

RESPONSE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

• The United Nations High Commissioner for Human rights called upon the Government of Ethiopia to respect the rights of non-discrimination and freedom of movement and to meet its obligations under the international Covenants and other human rights treaties it has ratified.

• The United States of America only urged the Government of Ethiopia to respect international human rights norms and standards and follow appropriate due process in handling its security concerns.

• Amnesty International called on the Ethiopian government to announce publicly a halt to the arbitrary expulsion of people of Eritrean origin.

• The ACP-EU called on the EU Council to take all necessary measures to prevail on Ethiopia to prevent the continued violations of the human rights of ethnic Eritreans in Ethiopia.

• On Oct 21 1999, the Ethiopian regime deported 1,700 Eritreans through a risky war zone while the ICRC was working on a scheme for airlifting them. This prompted the ICRC to publicly condemn the act as "unacceptable and a violation of the Geneva Conventions."

CONCLUSION The government of Ethiopia has committed gross human rights violations against Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin. This has been witness by every government, diplomats, and human rights organisations that exist in this world. Despite the call by the international community for Ethiopia to halt its atrocities against humanity, eighteen months past, the suffering still continues. As a result, the question begs to be asked: the Diplomatic Community and NGOs in Ethiopia, How Just full are they In Upholding Justice? It is very much overdue, for the international community -- particularly government representatives stationed in Ethiopia -- to break their silence and make a joint stand against the deportations and other human rights violations. They must go beyond soft words.

It is time to make a stand, to compel Ethiopia to respect Human Rights and resolve its conflict with Eritrea Peacefully.

God Bless