In a report published on Thursday, Human Rights Watch condemned abuses of Ethiopian migrants to Saudi Arabia.
Migrants are at risk of traveling through the Red Sea, "exploitation and torture" in Yemen, and being held in "abusive" conditions in Saudi Arabia, leading to their expulsion from the kingdom, Amnesty said.
In its report, based on the testimony of a number of migrants, she said Saudi border guards were not hesitant to shoot at migrants, and that many of them had been killed and wounded.
According to the report, the violations included exploitation and torture from the beginning of their journey through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, until reaching Saudi Arabia, while they were held in poor conditions in Saudi Arabia before being expelled.
The risks are enormous
"Many Ethiopians who were hoping for a better life in Saudi Arabia faced enormous risks in their journey from death to sea, torture and all kinds of abuses," said Felix Horn, a researcher at Human Rights Watch and an Africa specialist.
He said Saudi Arabia had forcibly returned hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians to Addis Ababa without taking the necessary measures, and received only debt and shock during their trip.
According to IOM figures, there were about 500,000 Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia when Riyadh launched a campaign against illegal immigration in 2017.
According to the report, IOM deported some 260,000 Ethiopians, an average of 10,000 Ethiopians per month between May 2017 and March 2019, pointing out that deportations continue.
Human Rights Watch accused the Ethiopian, Yemeni and Saudi authorities of not taking any measures to curb the violence. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the report.