High court ruling says UK should respect human rights in Ethiopia
LONDON, July 15 (RIA Novosti) – The UK High Court’s Monday ruling allowing to review the UK aid agency’s compliance with its own human rights policies in Ethiopia signals the need for the British government and other donors to uphold their commitments, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a press release. In its July 14 ruling, the High Court said that allegations that the UK Department for International Development (DFID) has failed to adequately assess evidence of human rights violations in the African country deserve a full judicial review. “The UK High Court ruling is just a first step, but it should be a wake-up call for the government and other donors that they need rigorous monitoring to make sure their development programs are upholding their commitments to human rights,” Leslie Lefkow, HRW deputy Africa director, said. The primary human rights violations took place within the “villagization” program, a compulsory resettlement of people into designated villages, which was carried