At least 75 people killed by government forces in the unrest that followed Hachalu Hundessa’s murder, rights body says.
Ethiopian security forces killed more than 75 people and injured nearly 200 during the deadly ethnic unrest in June and July following the killing of a popular singer, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has said in a report.
The report published on Friday said 123 people in all were killed and at least 500 injured amid one of the country’s worst outbreaks of ethnic violence in years, a “widespread and systematic attack” against civilians that points to crimes against humanity.
Some victims were beheaded, tortured or dragged in the streets by attackers, it said.
Ethnic violence is a major challenge for Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has urged national unity among more than 80 ethnic groups in Africa’s second most populous country.
Hachalu, a former political prisoner, rose to prominence during prolonged anti-government protests [Screen grab/YouTube]The unrest in June and July followed the killing of singer Hachalu Hundessa, who had been a prominent voice in the anti-government protests that led to Abiy taking office in 2018 and announcing sweeping political reforms. Those reforms, however, opened the way for long-held ethnic and other grievances to flare.
