Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has partnered with Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and Dr. Anna Oehmichen to file a groundbreaking criminal complaint with the German Federal Public Prosecutor on behalf of eight Tigrayan survivors of the recent conflict in Ethiopia alleging that twelve senior Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and military officers committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. Should the complaint proceed to investigation, it will be the first time that such an investigation has been undertaken with respect to the conflict in Tigray.
These survivors, like hundreds of thousands of others, are victims and witnesses of sexual violence, arbitrary detention, torture, and starvation, and thus far have been denied access to justice for their suffering. As one of their only hopes for accountability, these survivors, some of whom currently reside in Germany, have requested the German Federal Public Prosecutor open an investigation into these crimes.
Since it began in November 2020, the conflict in Tigray has been characterized by persistent allegations of atrocities including forced starvation, humanitarian aid blockades, massacres, sexual and gender-based violence, torture, and arbitrary detention. These violations and abuses were predominantly committed against Tigrayan civilians by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, as well as allied militia groups, although other parties to the conflict and civilians from other ethnic groups have also been implicated. One widely cited source puts the conflict’s death toll at anywhere between 300,000 and 800,000 people.
The complaint filed by the eight Tigrayan survivors seeks accountability for some of these atrocities. It requests the German Federal Prosecutor to open an investigation into the alleged crimes under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute international crimes committed abroad due to the egregious nature of the underlying conduct.
The Debevoise team advising LAW is led by partner Catherine Amirfar and includes associates Christel Tham, Michael Pizzi, Federico Wynter, Sarah Lent, Becca Murphy, Dimitra Karakioulaki and former counsel Floriane Lavaud.