On Monday, Amnesty International (AI) urged the Ethiopian authorities to cease the use of the state of emergency as a tool to “silence peaceful dissent”. The statement comes in the wake of arbitrary detentions of politicians and journalists critical of the government.
The state of emergency, which was originally decreed in August 2023 under Article 93 of the Ethiopian Constitution, grants the government a range of powers, including imposing curfews, restricting movement, making arrests, conducting warrantless searches, banning weapon carrying, and limiting public gatherings. Notably, it also allows the government to close or limit the distribution of media outlets contradicting the emergency orders.
Just recently, on February 2, Ethiopia’s parliament extended the state of emergency, originally declared in response to an insurgency in the northern region of Amhara, by an additional four months.
AI argued that by failing to announce the extension in the country’s official gazette, “Negarit Gazette”, the government is directly infringing the public’s right to “access to information” and the attached principle of legality.
AI’s investigations found that this ongoing state of emergency has led to numerous arrests and ensuing detentions, including at least five politicians and three journalists. The interviews conducted by AI also highlighted a practice of illegal detention, with some arrested individuals seemingly kept in police custody without charges or the opportunity to communicate with their legal representatives.
Tigere Chagutah, AI’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, unequivocally condemned the Ethiopian government’s actions:
The Ethiopian government must stop resorting to old tactics of denying basic rights through the pretext of emergency laws. Ethiopians face another armed conflict in Amhara region, a serious humanitarian crisis in Tigray, a dire security situation in Oromia and pervasive impunity nationwide. The role of the media and the right to freedom of expression is as vital as ever.
In April 2023, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the merger of security forces from 11 Ethiopian regions into the national police or army, a move the government claimed was to “strengthen national unity”. However, government critics view this as a calculated strategy to weaken Amhara.
AI also plans to investigate reports of extra-judicial executions of civilians by the Ethiopian National Defense Force, and has raised concerns about these allegations. The European Union on February 13 issued a statement voicing concern over alleged targeted civilian killings in Amhara and considered the extension of the state of emergency as a “worrying development”. The US previously called for an investigation into the killings as well.