The recent suspension of two prominent human rights organizations in Ethiopia has drawn intense criticism from international watchdogs, including Human Rights Watch (HRW). As reported on JURIST, Ethiopian authorities ordered the cessation of operations for the Ethiopian Human Rights Council and Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center in December 2024, citing alleged lack of “independence” and accusations of overstepping their mandates. HRW has described these moves as part of a broader governmental effort to stifle civil society and silence independent scrutiny.
Mausi Segun, HRW’s Africa director, criticized the Ethiopian government’s actions, stating that these suspensions are emblematic of the “relentless assault against human rights groups” conducted over the past year. This crackdown extends further, with three other major organizations previously having their operations halted, including the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy, Lawyers for Human Rights, and the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia. Although suspensions for some of these groups were temporarily lifted, they were reinstated shortly afterward.
The resurgence of such restrictive measures echoes past governance strategies, notably under the 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation. This law granted authorities the ability to freeze assets and dissolve organizations deemed non-compliant. Although it was replaced by the less restrictive Organization of Civil Societies Proclamation in 2019, the law still allows for suspensions under broad, potentially politically motivated pretexts. Article 77(4) of the 2019 law provides the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations the latitude to suspend groups for “grave violation of law,” a clause that critics argue has been misused.
This development raises substantial concerns about the state of human rights and the freedom of civil society in Ethiopia. The international community’s scrutiny of these moves is likely to intensify, given their potential impact on human rights documentation and advocacy within the East African nation.