ETHIOPIA: Human Rights Council side event on recent NGO law

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This report was compiled following a side event on a new NGO law in Ethiopia, held during the tenth session of the Human Rights Council, and an interview with Ethiopian rights activist Yared Hailemariam.

In January 2009, the Ethiopian Parliament adopted a controversial new law which could both give control to the government over NGO activities, and also criminalise the work of human rights defenders.

In light of this, Human Rights Watch organised a side event during the Human Rights Council session last week to discuss implications for civil society, opportunities for advocacy, but also bring the issue to wider international attention.

Background

Ethiopians were given a taste of things to come when, during the 2005 elections, the government adopted repressive policies and, despite widespread civil participation, the Prime Minister declared victory, banned public protests and limited freedom of expression. Members of the main opposition parties were arrested and many human rights organisations were targeted through searches and arrests.

June and November 2005 saw students taking to the streets in protest against repressive policies, and dozens of protesters were killed.

Yared Hailemariam who was working for the Ethiopian Human Rights Council at the time, explained that “because I was working as a human rights investigator, our offices were searched and some of myself and a colleague were arrested.

“After spending eight days in prison we appeared in court accused of having organised illegal protests and destroying public property. Thankfully they had no evidence so we were released without charge.”

Worsening State

The political situation worsened and during the protests in November hundreds of members of the opposition party and over 18,000 protesters were detained.

“At the time, I was out of the country, attending a conference in Uganda on Human Rights Defenders when the government issued a list of its 55 most wanted people. I found my name on that list and next to it read that I was being accused of treason and genocide. I have not been back to Ethiopia since.”

Hassan Shire Sheikh, from the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) explained the implications for civil society organisations under this new law which would allow the government, among other things, to:

  • Decide which NGOs can be registered and which ones should be disbanded
  • Subject all civil society groups to intrusive government control and surveillance.
  • Bar foreign NGOs from doing any work related to human rights, governance, protection of the rights of women, children and people with disabilities, conflict resolution and a range of other issues.
  • Strip Ethiopian NGOs that work on human rights issues of access to foreign funding.
  • Impose criminal penalties on anyone participating in activities deemed 'unlawful'
  • Fine or jail, for up to 15 years, anyone participating in meetings organised by such 'unlawful' organisations 
  • Prohibit all activities carried out by non-Ethiopian NGOs that relate to human rights and other identified fields

A number of Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders are trying to get the international community, particularly donor governments, to put pressure on the Ethiopian Government to scrap the law.

Yared Hailemariam is currently working for the Association for Justice and Accountability and is documenting human rights violations in Ethiopia (but based outside the country). He is preparing to take a case to the African Court of Human Rights.

Further information

Country: 
Ethiopia

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