The Tigray Public Prosecutors Association has issued a statement accusing justice institutions in Tigray of abandoning their constitutional mandate and becoming instruments of a small group of armed leaders, political actors and government officials.
The association said in the statement dated August 12, 2026 that institutions originally established under the constitutional order to protect justice, judicial independence and the rule of law are increasingly being used to advance the interests of powerful individuals.
The statement comes at a time when many are talking about the broader deterioration of the justice system through cases such as that of Zewdu Haftu, arguing that the pursuit of justice should be understood in the wider context of alleged political and armed interference in Tigray’s legal institutions.
According to the association, there is growing evidence that authority in Tigray has become concentrated in the hands of a small number of armed actors and officials, while legal professionals who remain committed to their professional ethics face increasing pressure and personal risk.
Prosecutors Say Constitutional Foundations Are Being Eroded
In its statement, the Tigray Public Prosecutors Association said its mission is to protect the rights and interests of prosecutors, promote justice and ensure the supremacy of the law.
However, it said the institutional foundations needed to fulfil those objectives have been steadily weakened.
The association argued that Tigray currently lacks a government constituted through a proper constitutional process and said this has contributed to the gradual breakdown of institutions established to protect legality and justice.
It said prosecutors are working under increasingly difficult conditions, with many facing insecurity, inadequate compensation and a lack of professional protection.
According to the statement, some prosecutors are being forced to leave their profession or disperse in search of safer and more sustainable livelihoods because they no longer see a secure environment in which they can serve the public.
The association further alleged that armed actors and politicians are exerting pressure on prosecutors, preventing them from carrying out their duties solely on the basis of law and professional ethics.
It said there is currently no lawful and effective government structure in Tigray with which the association can work to resolve these problems.
Justice Institutions Accused of Serving Gunmen and Officials
The statement reserves some of its harshest criticism for the leadership of Tigray’s justice institutions. The association said justice-sector institutions, particularly their leadership, have moved away from the principles of justice and rule of law and have instead become servants of armed actors and a small number of officials.
It warned that the independence of the courts is being steadily undermined. The association acknowledged that there are still judges in Tigray who remain committed to their conscience and to the law. However, it said the impartiality and institutional independence of the judiciary are increasingly being called into question because of decisions and interference attributed to senior leadership.
The statement accused the justice leadership of abandoning its responsibility to serve a population that has made enormous sacrifices in the name of justice and instead becoming an instrument of a limited number of political actors.
Allegations of Arbitrary Arrests and Forced Recruitment
The prosecutors’ association also condemned what it described as unlawful arrests, roundups and forced military recruitment of Tigrayan youth.
It alleged that young people are being detained without proper legal procedures and said elements within the justice sector are providing legal cover for actions carried out by unlawful armed actors.
The association specifically condemned what it described as forced recruitment, warning that such practices could further destabilize Tigray and draw young people into conflicts from which they do not benefit.
It also raised concerns about violence against women, alleging that Tigrayan women have been killed while their cases remain unresolved and without access to justice.
Association Rejects Proclamation No. 366/2018
The association also criticized the controversial Proclamation No. 366/2018, adopted on June 1, 2026 in a closed session of the Tigray regional council reinstated by the TPLF after it rejected the authority of the federally recognized Interim Regional Administration.
It described the proclamation as unconstitutional and said prosecutors are being pressured to implement a measure the association considers unconstitutional. It called on Tigray’s public prosecutors, individually and collectively, to reject the proclamation and resist its implementation.
According to the association, Tigray’s justice institutions have set aside their constitutional responsibilities and are concentrating instead on enforcing the disputed proclamation.
Calls for a New Transitional Administration
The association said meaningful protection of prosecutors’ rights, judicial independence and the rule of law will only be possible when peace is restored and a government chosen by the people is established.
It called on the people of Tigray to exercise what it described as their sovereign authority through organized civic structures and to work toward restructuring an inclusive transitional administration.
The association pledged legal support for peaceful efforts aimed at establishing what it described as a people-centered administration in Tigray. It said it would cooperate with organizations pursuing those goals through peaceful means.
Four Major Calls Issued
The prosecutors’ association outlined four principal demands.
First, it said it would support peaceful efforts toward the establishment of an inclusive transitional administration and, ultimately, a government elected by the people of Tigray.
Second, it condemned what it described as unconstitutional measures that could turn Tigray into a center of conflict and lawlessness, particularly forced recruitment and compulsory military mobilization of young people.
Third, it called on Tigray’s prosecutors to condemn Proclamation No. 366/2018 and resist its implementation, while standing with the association in efforts to defend their professional rights and restore justice and the rule of law.
Fourth, it appealed to professional associations, legally established organizations and civil society groups across Tigray to publicly oppose unconstitutional and unlawful acts.
The association argued that silence in the face of constitutional violations should not be regarded as institutional neutrality. Instead, it said remaining silent while constitutional institutions are dismantled amounts to abandoning constitutional responsibility.
Warning of an Existential Political and Legal Crisis
The association characterized the current situation as more than a conventional dispute over institutional administration. It said Tigray is facing insecurity, weakening state institutions, authoritarian tendencies and the danger of being drawn into another destructive conflict.
For that reason, it argued that its struggle for justice and constitutional order requires a different level of attention and organization than would normally be expected in a functioning democratic environment.
The statement concludes with an appeal for coordinated, peaceful and lawful resistance to actions the association says are undermining constitutional order.
Originally published on UMD Media Facebook on 2026-08-12T09:00:00-06:00. Source: https://www.facebook.com/getachew.UMDMedia