Amhara region police forces patrolling parts of Western Tigray. (Photo: Archive/Screenshot)Addis Abeba – Three members of the US Congress have written a letter urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen to impose sanctions on individuals responsible for human rights abuses in Western Tigray, in Ethiopia. Specifically, the Congress members are calling for visa blocking and financial asset control sanctions against Colonel Demeke Zewdu and Belay Ayalew, who have been identified by Human Rights Watch as central figures in ongoing arbitrary detention, torture, and ethnic cleansing in West Tigray. They referred to a report released on June 1, 2023, by Human Rights Watch, which provides extensive evidence of a new wave of ethnic cleansing targeting Tigrayan civilians carried out by Amhara militants following the peace agreement. Human Rights Watch has urged the federal government to suspend, investigate, and appropriately prosecute commanders and officials implicated in serious rights abuses.

Source: Ethiopian News July 25, 2023 14:24 UTC