UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called upon Ethiopia Wednesday to allow international visitors into the region where 90 protesters were shot and killed by security forces this past weekend. Saying the excessive use of force in the Oromiya and Amhara regions needs to be investigated, the high commissioner expressed concern [Reuters report] that there has been little, if any, “genuine attempt at investigation and accountability.” A necessary consequence to investigating the recent violence, Zeid asked “the government to allow access for international observers into the Amhara and Oromiya regions so that we can establish what has happened” and further encourage security forces to abstain from using excessive force. Zeid also called for the release of all protesters. This most recent attack on peaceful, anti-government protesters comes less than two months after Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] reported that more than 400 citizens have been killed [JURIST report] by Ethiopian security forces since November.

In January several Ethiopian rights groups called on the international community to address the killing [JURIST report] of protesters. In December HRW reported that activists had witnessed security forces firing into throngs of protesters [HRW report]. That report came a day after Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn [BBC profile] warned [IBT report] of “merciless legitimate action against any force bent on destabilising the area.” Ethiopian officials have been claiming that the demonstrations are a front for those involved in the protests to insight violence and threaten the stability of the nation. Ethiopia has used its broad anti-terrorism laws to detain political opposition before. In October five Ethiopian bloggers were acquitted of terrorism charges [Zone9, in Amharic] relating to publications on their website. The publications, critical of the government, landed nine bloggers in jail [JURIST report], and one charged in absentia, in April 2014 for violation of the laws. That same month UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights Ben Emmerson [official profile] expressed concern [press release] over the rising use of counter-terrorism measures [JURIST report] around the world. Many nations have used counter-terrorism as an excuse to restrict public assembly and stop the activities of public interest groups, Emmerson said.