In further signs of its authoritarianism, the Abiy Ahmed regime is closing civil society organizations in Ethiopia. In the past two weeks alone, three prominent civic organizations working in the areas of human rights and democratization were abruptly closed based on vague and unsubstantiated allegations. The closing of the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE), and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is the latest clear indication of the Abiy regime’s authoritarianism.
The crackdown on civil society comes at a time when the Abiy regime deceptively asserts that it is championing human rights, opening up civic space, and upholding freedoms of expression and assembly. For instance, during the recently completed United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Ethiopia’s human rights record, conducted on November 12, 2024, Abiy regime officials claimed, “we are opening up political space and enabling political parties and the media to operate freely.” In addition, regime officials claimed, “significant progress in strengthening freedom of expression and the implementation of media laws is enabling engagement in political and human rights activism.” The actual record is the complete opposite, as the closing of the three civil society organizations—CARD, AHRE, and LHR—demonstrates.
Moreover, political parties are increasingly being harassed, their leaders jailed or exiled, while journalists and human rights advocates are targeted and jailed in mass. In this regard, a report by the Center for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) states, “CPJ finds significant deterioration since Ethiopia’s last UPR and makes recommendations to the government of Ethiopia to halt the ongoing repression of the media.” Ethiopia’s last UPR on human rights was conducted on May 14, 2019.
Similarly, the “People Power Under Attack 2024” report by CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organizations, concludes: “The findings for Ethiopia show there is little space left for people to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as authorities try to stifle citizens’ voices and attempts at activism in an atmosphere of hostility.” According to the report, Ethiopia’s civic space score is now 20 out of 100, culminating in the country’s civic space being downgraded from “Repressed” to “Closed,” the worst possible rating — a direct consequence of the sustained assault by the Abiy regime on civil and political rights in the country.
In this context, international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are condemning the targeting of civil society organizations and the closing of civic space in Ethiopia. In doing so, they are calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council and concerned governments to: 1) condemn the Abiy regime’s assault on civil society; 2) change their approach to how they deal with the Abiy regime; and 3) pressure the Abiy regime to end the rapid decent towards deeper repression.
Ethiopian Policy Institute 