Monday July 10, 2017
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and senior Ethiopian police officials held a one-day discussion in Addis Ababa last week to discuss international human rights and humanitarian standards related to policing.
The June 29 discussion, which was attended by federal and regional police commissioners and deputy commissioners, also provided an opportunity for the ICRC to launch two reference books and an ICRC-produced video that will serve as teaching manuals for the police on international human rights and humanitarian principles pertaining to policing.
Sisay Shikur, Federal Deputy Police Commissioner General, thanked the ICRC for organizing the discussion, while Assistant Commissioner Getu Tekleyohannes, Community Service Vice President with the Ethiopian Police University College (EPUC), expressed appreciation for ICRC's trainings on international human rights and humanitarian standards, which he said helped the police understand universal policing standards.
James Reynolds, the head of the ICRC delegation in Ethiopia, handed over training materials to Shikur. Reynolds highlighted the ICRC's longstanding partnership with the Ethiopian police and indicated some of the areas of ICRC's expertise that would be available in the future.
ICRC Regional Police Delegate Mark Waine briefed the participants on the contents of the two reference books titled "Basic International Human Rights and Humanitarian Standards for Policing" and "Guidelines on the Conditions of Arrest, Police Custody, and Pre-Trial Detention in Africa" as well as a video film depicting the use of force and firearms.
The ICRC is promoting humanitarian principles among the members of the police forces, including special police forces, in Ethiopia. In partnership with the Ethiopian police, it has provided trainings and seminars in international human rights and humanitarian principles and training of trainers (ToTs) to over 35,000 police and security members and officers in the last 15 years.