Former member of the House of People’s Representatives, Ato Berhanu Adelo, has been nominated for the position of Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Ato Berhanu, who has held various government positions, most recently served as the Director General of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office.
The House of Representatives is set to elect a new Chief Commissioner at its meeting on January 30, 2025, to replace Dr. Daniel Bekele, who retired in June last year. Dr. Daniel served as EHRC’s Chief Commissioner for five years, beginning his tenure after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assumed office.
Ato Berhanu, now nominated for the Chief Commissioner role, has previously held multiple government positions. However, he was removed from office due to complaints, as reported by The Reporter newspaper a decade ago. According to the report, employees and clients of the institution had raised concerns about his leadership. The newspaper also noted that former Prime Minister Ato Hailemariam Desalegn removed Ato Berhanu from his position.
From 1996 to 2002, Ato Berhanu served as the Minister of Cabinet Affairs before his appointment as Director General of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office. According to The Reporter, he was later removed from this position due to a complaint filed against him.
The newspaper also recalled that residents of Bonga town in the Kafa Zone, where Ato Berhanu was born, traveled to Addis Ababa to submit a petition against him to then-Prime Minister Ato Meles Zenawi. Following this, an inquiry committee established by the former Prime Minister led to his removal from both his position as Minister of Cabinet Affairs and his membership in the EPRDF Executive Committee.
Beyond his government roles, Ato Berhanu was also a member of the House of People’s Representatives following the disputed 1997 elections. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Civil Service University and a master’s degree in international human rights from an institution in India.
Ato Berhanu’s career includes teaching at various levels, from primary school to university. He also served as a legal advisor in the Zonal Finance Department and taught for three years at the Faculty of Law at the Civil Service University, where he earned his undergraduate degree.
His first senior government role was in the former Southern Regional State Bureau of Justice. He later moved to the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office, from which he was dismissed due to complaints.
His professional record, presented to members of parliament, indicates that he has been engaged in advocacy and legal consulting for the past ten years since leaving government service.
According to the proclamation establishing the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, as Chief Commissioner, Ato Berhanu would be responsible for personally investigating any human rights violations occurring nationwide. Additionally, he would be tasked with studying recurrent human rights issues and presenting recommendations to the House of Representatives. Another key responsibility would be reviewing and commenting on the federal government’s human rights reports.
The Chief Commissioner’s duties also include drafting and submitting human rights-related legislation to the House, providing feedback on laws prepared by other entities, and preparing reports on human rights conditions and the Commission’s operations.
