Help Stop Ethiopia's Attempts To Cancel Ind. Investigation In Tigray

I am writing to express my deepest concern regarding the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region and the transitional justice policy implemented by the Ethiopian government to ensure accountability. It is unacceptable that Ethiopia is attempting to cancel the mandate of the International Commission on Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) to investigate the alleged war crimes of Ethiopian and allied forces, leaving the transitional justice policy as the only investigation. While Ethiopia's transitional justice policy may seem to be a step in the right direction, note that the country is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Tigray. Given these allegations, it is difficult to believe Ethiopia can conduct a fair and impartial investigation into its alleged crimes. This lack of impartiality is compounded by Ethiopia's inability to uphold the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA), which includes unfettered aid access to Tigray. Despite the agreement being signed four months ago, Ethiopia continues its siege on the region, failing to provide the necessary aid to Tigray, exacerbating the regional humanitarian crisis. The lack of access has resulted in significant health facilities in the Eastern, Northwestern, and Southern zones still being inaccessible to aid. This has led to increased preventable deaths and the spread of disease.  Furthermore, Ethiopia's inability to uphold the COHA has left many Tigrayans in need of access to essential services and support. The economic hardship and instability created by Ethiopia's unwillingness to transport cash have further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region for citizens and humanitarian organizations. Given these dire circumstances in Tigray, an independent investigation is urgently needed to shed light on the situation in Tigray. The transitional justice process that Ethiopia is trying to implement is insufficient to address the magnitude of the crisis. Therefore, it is imperative that the ICHREE mandate is upheld to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Ethiopian and allied forces in Tigray.  I urge you to call upon the Biden administration and U.S. Representative to the UN Human Rights Council, Michele Taylor, to respond swiftly to the alarming developments unfolding in Ethiopia's Tigray region. We must prevent Ethiopia from terminating the ICHREE mandate, as it is critical to investigating the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Tigray.