OHCHR / ETHIOPIA HUMAN RIGHTS

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Tuesday of increasing concerns about the situation of civilians in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, given the continuing lack of overall humanitarian access and ongoing communications blackout in many areas seven weeks after the conflict began. UNTV CH

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:30
• Production Date: 22 December 2020
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - OHCHR
• Subject Topical: HUMAN RIGHTS
• Geographic Subject: ETHIOPIA
• MAMS Id: 2594945
• Parent Id: 2594945
• Alternate Title: unifeed201222b

Description

STORY: OHCHR / ETHIOPIA HUMAN IGHTS
TRT: 3:30
SOURCE: OHCHR / UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 22 DECEMBER 2020 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

1.Wide shot, briefing room
2.SOUNDBITE (English Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The UN Human Rights Office has received consistent information pointing to violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law by all parties to the conflict – including artillery strikes on populated areas, the de-liberate targeting of civilians, extrajudicial killings and widespread looting. We are not in a position to verify these reports on the ground, but they do point to failure by the parties to the conflict to protect civilians. This is all the more concerning given that fighting is said to be continuing, particularly in some areas of north, central and southern Tigray.”
3.Wide shot, briefing room podium
4.SOUNDBITE (English) Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“Among the accounts, witnesses described artillery strikes on the town of Humera on the border with Eritrea between 9 and 11 November. We inter-viewed several people from the town who alleged that shells launched from Eritrea had hit residential areas and the hospital. The Ethiopian army and re-gional Amhara forces and militia then reportedly took control of Humera, al-legedly killing civilians and looting the hospital, banks, businesses, super-markets and private houses.”
5.Wide shot, briefing room
6.SOUNDBITE (English) Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“Artillery strikes against the town of Adigrat in early November reportedly forced many families to flee to the mountains. They were then trapped by heavy fighting between 20 and 24 November, and many people were report-ed to have been killed.”
7.Wide shot, briefing room podium
8.SOUNDBITE (English) Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“One of the most shocking incidents reported to date was the alleged mass killing of several hundred people, mainly Amharans, in Mai Kadra, on 9 No-vember. The High Commissioner has previously stressed that if civilians were deliberately killed by a party or parties to the conflict, these killings would amount to war crimes and there need to be independent, impartial, thorough and transparent investigations to establish accountability and en-sure justice.”
9.Close up, Elizabeth Throssell
10.SOUNDBITE (English) Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We urge the au-thorities to build on the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission’s preliminary findings into what happened in Mai Kadra. It is essential that there are inves-tigations into allegations of human rights violations there against both Amha-rans and Tigrayans.”
11.Wide shot, journalist
12.SOUNDBITE (English) Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“While telephone lines are beginning to be restored, the communications blackout that began on 4 November and restrictions on access raise signifi-cant concerns that the human rights and humanitarian situation is even more dire than feared. These reported allegations are likely only Tto be the tip of the iceberg regarding the extent and seriousness of the violations committed by all parties to the conflict.”
13.Wide shot, journalist
14.SOUNDBITE (English) Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“ This underscores the need for independent human rights monitors to be given access to Tigray to adequately assess the human suffering resulting from the conflict, verify allegations and to help ensure accountability.”
15.Various shots, briefing room

Storyline

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Tuesday of increasing concerns about the situation of civilians in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, given the continuing lack of overall humanitarian access and ongoing communications blackout in many areas seven weeks after the conflict began.

The High Commissioner welcomed the Ethiopian Government's statement that there would be unimpeded humanitarian access, in line with the agreement with the UN signed on 29 November, but stressed that this needs to be to all areas of Tigray where civilians have been affected by the fighting.

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Liz Throssell said at the biweekly press briefing in Geneva that they had received consistent allegations concerning viola-tions of international humanitarian law and human rights law, including artillery strikes on populated areas, the deliberate targeting of civilians, extrajudicial killings and widespread looting.