Graphic video shows Ethiopian troops taking prisoners in Tigray – CNN

Graphic video shows Ethiopian troops taking prisoners in Tigray – CNN

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A horrific video allegedly filmed by an Ethiopian Army whistleblower shows what appears to be Ethiopian troops executing about 34 unarmed men in the Tigray region in January, Tigrai Media House, of the United States, reported.
“Why don’t you come close and film the execution of this?” a soldier can be heard telling the whistleblower during the video. According to the International Criminal Court, extrajudicial execution of unarmed individuals is considered a war crime.
Later, the video shows prisoners walking in line while a soldier instructs others to shoot them in the head, before the still images show soldiers kicking several corpses off a small cliff. Soldiers can be heard urging others to minimize the use of ammunition, while confirming that no prisoners have been left alive. All 34 prisoners seen in the video were considered dead.
An analysis of the video published by CNN in collaboration with Amnesty International appeared to corroborate the video, finding that it actually featured soldiers in Ethiopian Army uniforms, with the surrounding landscape appearing to align with an area of ​​downtown Tigray that recently reported a massacre.

In addition, the analysis revealed that the soldiers in the video spoke the Ethiopian Amharic language, which is not typical of the local region, although it is widely spoken only in Ethiopia.

According to CNN, it is estimated that the video was recorded around January 15, 2021, although the news agency has not confirmed the exact date.

A man from the mountain town of Mahibere Dego, in central Tigray, told CNN that he believes he identified his younger brother in the video, recognizing the clothes he wore the last time they met, on the same day of the massacre.

“Since we have not seen his body with our own eyes and have buried our brother ourselves, it is difficult for us to believe that he is dead. It seems that he is still alive, we cannot accept his death,” the brother told CNN. “We will always remember him.”

INCREASE IN INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

The United States, Germany, France and other G7 countries on Friday called for an independent and transparent investigation into alleged human rights abuses during the conflict in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.

Ethiopia’s federal army expelled the former regional ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), from the capital Mekelle in November.

Thousands of people died, hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes and there is a shortage of food, water and medicines in the region. The government says most of the fighting has stopped, but there are still isolated cases of shootings.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said last week that Eritrea agreed to withdraw troops sent during the conflict to Ethiopian territory along its mutual border, amid growing reports of human rights abuses. Eritrea has denied that its forces have joined the conflict.

G7 foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed their concerns in a joint statement.

“All parties must exercise maximum restraint, guarantee the protection of civilians and respect human rights and international law,” they said.

“It is essential that there is an independent, transparent and impartial investigation into the reported crimes and that those responsible for these human rights abuses are held accountable,” said the ministers.

They said that the withdrawal of Tigray’s Eritrean forces must be swift, unconditional and verifiable and that a political process acceptable to all Ethiopians should be established that would lead to credible elections and a process of national reconciliation.

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in March that it was ready to work with international human rights experts to conduct investigations into allegations of abuse.

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