Articles 21 March, 2025

Articles : WardheerNews: Tigray war survivors file criminal complaint in Germany, accusing Ethiopian and Eritrean officials of war crimes

WardheerNews: Tigray war survivors file criminal complaint in Germany, accusing Ethiopian and Eritrean officials of war crimes

Addis Abeba– Eight survivors of the Tigray war have filed a criminal complaint with the German Federal Public Prosecutor, accusing twelve senior Ethiopian and Eritrean government and military officials of committing “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” according to their legal representatives.

The complaint was prepared by Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) and Dr. Anna Oehmichen, with support from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). It was filed under Germany’s universal jurisdiction principle, which “allows states to prosecute international crimes committed abroad due to the egregious nature of the underlying conduct.”

LAW stated that the complaint was brought forward by eight survivors, including “a former humanitarian aid worker and a former interim government official.” Describing the case as “groundbreaking,” the organization said the complainants—like “hundreds of thousands of others”—had suffered “sexual violence, arbitrary detention, torture, and starvation” and had “thus far been denied access to justice.” Some of the complainants, LAW noted, “currently reside in Germany” and have asked the German Federal Public Prosecutor to launch an investigation.