Ethiopia: Discrimination in Access to Nationality

Published: 1/Apr/2009
Source: Open Society Justice Initiative

Statement Submitted by the Open Society Justice Initiative for Consideration by the United Nations Human Rights Council at its Sixth Session, on the occasion of its Universal Periodic Review of Ethiopia November 30 – December 11, 2009

INTRODUCTION
1. The Open Society Justice Initiative is an operational program of the Open Society Institute (OSI) that pursues law reform activities grounded in the protection of human rights and contributes to the development of legal capacity for open societies throughout the world. A major area of the Justice Initiative’s work is the enforcement of international legal prohibitions on discrimination, statelessness and arbitrary deprivation of nationality.
2. Statelessness in Ethiopia primarily affects people of Eritrean origin.  Since the independence of Eritrea, and in particular since the 1998-2000 war, many tens of thousands of people of Eritrean origin have been trapped in a stateless limbo.  In addition, Ethiopia’s nationality laws are currently not in line with its international obligations regarding the protection of children from statelessness.

Download from OHCHR website: https://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session6/ET/OSJI_ETH_UPR_S06_2009.pdf

 

Themes: Acquisition of nationality, Discrimination, Ethnic/Racial/Religious, Statelessness
Regions: Ethiopia
Year: 2009