The Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Marie Sol Fulci, spoke today at the interactive dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, regarding the situation of human rights in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, in the framework of the 48th session of the Human Rights Council.
“We reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of foreign forces from Ethiopia”, the Deputy Permanent Representative stated, expressing Italy’s deep concern about the ongoing military escalation, expanding from Tigray to the regions of Amhara and Afar.
“All parties should cooperate to ensure full respect for international humanitarian law and safe and unhindered humanitarian access, especially to the benefit of those who are in the most vulnerable situations”, she said, calling for all human rights violations and abuses to stop, including sexual and gender-based violence, ethnically targeted violence, as well as hate speech.
Furthermore, Italy supports the start of an inclusive process of national dialogue. Underlining the necessity of impartial and independent investigations in order to ensure that all those responsible for the serious violations and abuses of human rights are held accountable, the Deputy Permanente Representative reiterated Italy’s support for the joint investigation that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the OHCHR have conducted and its expectation to discuss its findings within the Human Rights Council.
