Several international human rights organizations opposed the election of Ethiopia to the UN Human Rights Council through an open letter released on Tuesday. These organizations include CIVICUS, the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, the Organization of Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa, and Victim Advocates International, among others. Elections to the UN Human Rights Council took place on Wednesday.

These organizations are against the election of Ethiopia because they claim that it does not meet the standards required of a member of the UN Human Rights Council, stipulated in Resolution 60/251 of the General Assembly. The resolution stipulates that “members elected to the Council shall uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.” It further states that while electing, states shall consider the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments. According to the organizations signing the letter, Ethiopia has recently not demonstrated the protection and promotion of human rights.

The UN Human Rights Council, through resolution S-33/1, established a commission, the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) to investigate the allegations of abuses of human rights and humanitarian law due to internal wars in Ethiopia and provide recommendations for transitional justice in the country. A 2023 report by ICHREE revealed that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces had carried out attacks on civilians in schools and a hospital as well as sexual violence against women. The Tigrayan forces also conducted killings in the Amharic regions and destroyed civilian property by looting of food, furniture, livestock and construction equipment.

An Update on the Human Rights Situation in Ethiopia released in June by the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights also stated that in 2023, there was a total of 594 incidents of human rights violations in Ethiopia including killings, inhumane treatment, arbitrary arrests as well as enforced disappearance or abduction. Amnesty International also observed that the Ethiopian government tried to halt the operations of ICHREE in 2023 by stating that the work of ICHREE could undermine the African Union’s process of restoring peace in Ethiopia.

The Wednesday letter’s signatories encouraged states to leave the ballot blank for Ethiopia. Notwithstanding, states on Wednesday elected Ethiopia to be part of the Human Rights Council, along with other states such as Kenya, Benin, Bolivia, North Macedonia and Cyprus, among others.