The UK parliament House of Lords recently hosted an event with the theme of “Remember Tigray” on the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime. The event, organized by UK Councilor Lord David Alton and human rights advocate Rowena Kahsay, featured a screening of a special documentary film produced by Tedros Geregziabher Belay and Fitsum Berhane.

Fitsum Birhan, one of the filmmakers, expressed satisfaction at seeing the culmination of their two-year genocide documentation project being viewed by British Member of Parliaments. Tedros Gebrezgiabher emphasized the importance of the documentary “Remember Tigray” in shedding light on the atrocities committed during the genocidal war in Tigray.

Dr. Sarah Vaughan, a senior research consultant in the Horn of Africa, also spoke at the forum, highlighting the devastating effects of the Tigray genocidal war. She described the violence, which lasted for two years and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and combatants. retrospect, it feels almost like a blueprint for later wars – in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Sudan. she stated

She also presented the reported acts of rape and sexual enslavement of over 120,000 women and girls, a result of a systematic campaign that experts have characterized as ‘genocidal rape’. Additionally, Dr. Vaughan mentioned the ethnic cleansing and displacement of a significant population, numbering nearly 3 million people. She highlighted the indiscriminate aerial bombardment by drones, artillery, and aircraft, including the notorious double-tap attacks on schools, refugee centers, hospitals, and homes, which have been committed by the federal government and its allies.

Furthermore, Dr. Sarah Vaughan emphasized that the civilian population in Tigray continues to endure a state of limbo; subjected to a war of attribution-brutalization. She noted that the abuses documented between 2020 and 2022 were extreme and egregious, as meticulously reported by UN Human Rights Experts.

Dr. Sarah Vaughan also presented that ”we must lobby our government to do more to bring this awful violence to a real and sustainable end. Ethiopia remains an important recipient of British aid, including a substantial economic support package approved this year. The Ethiopian Prime Minister is a protégé of the very Gulf actors with whom our own Prime Minister has been meeting this week. Our relations with Ethiopia are too close to “business as usual,” and this is often justified because the country is deemed too big to fail.” she stated

The forum at the UK House of Lords served as a platform to raise awareness and honor the victims of Tigray genocide, showcasing the importance of remembrance and prevention of such tragedies