Full report in PDF Ethiopia: Ailing Civic Space in an Authoritarian State.
The Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) is
pleased to announce the launch of its new report, “Ailing Civic Space in an
Authoritarian State: The State of Human Rights Defenders and Cost of Dissent in
Ethiopia.” This report aims to provide an overview of the situation of human
rights in Ethiopia and to examine the increasingly restricted space in which
human rights defenders (HRDs) operate, with particular attention to trends that
have developed since the adoption of a series of repressive laws in 2009. While
the Ethiopian government has made considerable strides in economic development,
space for human rights dialogue has gradually disintegrated and many HRDs now
face detention, torture, and harassment, while growing numbers now choose life
in exile rather than remaining in the country.
After the highly controversial 2005 national elections, the
Ethiopian Parliament enacted legislation that dramatically narrowed space for
civil society, notably the Charities and Societies Proclamation, Mass Media
Proclamation, and the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. These three laws have been
heavily criticised for their restrictive provisions, which limit the work of
journalists, HRDs, and civil society organisations through broad language and
severe punishments.
Over the past two years, Ethiopia has been rocked by growing
protest movements in different parts of the country, notably in the two most
populous regions of Oromia and Amhara, and to a lesser extent the Southern
Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). Security officials
responded to these mass protests with excessive force, which resulted in the
killing of over a thousand people and the arrests of tens of thousands of
demonstrators since 2014. These actions triggered timid condemnations from
Ethiopia’s key partners and outcry from international human rights bodies. The
widespread and deadly demonstrations led the government to declare a State of
Emergency in October 2016 that lasted 10 months.
This report aims to document the deterioration of civic
space in Ethiopia and the restrictions on HRDs, activists, bloggers, and other
media professionals, which can be seen as roots of the current political
crisis. This includes actions undertaken to limit the actions of
non-governmental organisations, journalists, lawyers, and other professional and
non-professional activities that aims to further the cause of human rights. By
documenting the deteriorating human rights situation in Ethiopia, it is the
intention of AHRE to provide human rights institutions, civil society, and
concerned bodies with adequate source material to direct their efforts in
addressing the overall conditions of HRDs and work towards rebuilding and
strengthening civic space in Ethiopia. The report also features key
recommendations to the government of Ethiopia, European Union, African
Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, United Nations, donors, and allies.
Contacts:
Yared Hailemariam – Executive Director
Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE)
Phone +32 486 336367
Email: executive@ahrethio.org
https://ahrethio.org/
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