Ogaden: No rights,  No democracy

Since its foundation on 13 June 1995, the Ogaden Human Rights Committee (OHRC), has conducted extensive and painstaking research to document human rights violations in the Ogaden by the current EPRDF government in Ethiopia. As a result of its research, the Ogaden Human Rights Committee has issued several reports and statements on the human rights situation in the Ogaden.

This report documents human rights violations in the Ogaden, including illegal imprisonment without charges or trial, enforced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial executions, abduction, forced labour, hostage-taking, abusive dismissals, ethnic discrimination and religious persecution carried out by the Ethiopian government. The OHRC has documented so far: 506 extrajuicial killings; 198 disappearance cases; 460 rape and child molestation cases; 4655 cases of unlawful private property confiscation; and demolition of 1656 houses owned by innocent civilians.

Victims of human rights abuses and their relatives have been warned not to speak of their experiences to anyone, especially to ICRC staff and foreign embassies, or else they would be severely punished. So, the victims and their relatives are too afraid to tell their ordeal.

However, many victims and their families gave their testimonies on condition that their real names should not be used. Their graphic accounts of misery, fear and brutalities are included in this report.

In addition to human rights abuses, the report underlines - in a few sentences  - the systematic degradation of the natural environment in the Ogaden under the current government in Ethiopia as well as enormous carnage caused by landmines laid indiscriminately by the EPRDF government forces. The OHRC welcomes wholeheartedly, the international efforts to reach a global treaty banning the use, production and export of landmines, and calls upon the international community to aid landmine victims in the Ogaden, and send mine clearance teams to conduct comprehensive countrywide demining programme.

The report quotes many articles from the new Ethiopian Constitution in order to reveal the perfidious inhuman nature of the Ethiopian government, which Pays lip service to human rights concerns, but disregards International Human Rights Treaties, as well as its laws and Constitution. The Ethiopian government has done nothing to stop or prevent human rights violations in the Ogaden. On the contrary, it encourages, decorates and promotes violators to higher ranks.

The international community should take note that the human rights violations presented in detail in this report and the previous reports are flagrant violations of rights and freedoms guaranteed by International Human Rights Treaties, acceded to or ratified by Ethiopia.

The report concludes with appeals and recommendations to the international community as well as individuals for urgent action to end and prevent human rights violations in the Ogaden, plus classified lists of victims of human rights abuses.

OGADEN NO RIGHTS, NO DEMOCRACY