Amnesty International on Monday issued a statement condemning proposed changes to the Civil Society Organization (CSO) law in Ethiopia, urging that the draft amendment should not enter into force. In addition, the statement called for the end to restrictions on civic space, while characterizing the current situation in Ethiopia as a “human rights crisis.”
Amnesty International states that the approval of the draft amendments would “move the country towards a total closure of civic space.” The Organizations of Civil Societies Proclamation (2019) (CSO Proclamation) governs national and international CSOs that operate in Ethiopia.
The proposed changes include the restructuring of the Civil Society Organization Board, which sets policy guidance for the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO). The ACSO is answerable to the Ministry of Justice. The amendment rearranges the proportion of seats by granting the Abiy Ahmed regime more seats than the members of CSOs.
Amnesty International emphasizes that this signifies a setback for human rights protection in Ethiopia because it “will render checks and balances nearly impossible within the current governance structure, resulting in a structural lack of independence and oversight, and effectively closing the door to accountability of ACSO.”
The draft amendment also disallows donors, including organizations and individuals, from funding national CSOs that pursue “political advocacy”. Amnesty International states that this “leaves room for abuse of discretion” because “political advocacy” is a vague term, allowing Ethiopian authorities to take arbitrary measures against non-profit organizations.
Moreover, where a CSO is “believed to be a threat to national security”, the ACSO can reject the application for registration. Amnesty International argues that authorities solely have to rely on suspicion rather than having proof, which gives rise to arbitrary decisions, “potentially silencing peaceful dissent or critical CSOs under the pretext of national security concerns.”
Furthermore, Amnesty International argues that Ethiopian authorities would have more oversight regarding the financing of CSOs because they would have to seek permission to set up a bank account, and loans would need to be approved by the ACSO.
In closing, Amnesty International outlined the following recommendations directed to the Abiy Ahmed regime and Ethiopia’s development partners:
Ethiopian Policy Institute 