Arrests and harassment of journalists, opposition figures and activists in Ethiopia has risen this year, the war-torn country's rights watchdog said, underlining "concerning" levels of violence despite a peace agreement. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report on the year to June noted "an increase in the arrest and harassment of media personnel, members of opposition political parties and civil society groups, raising concerns on the shrinking of civic space". The commission saw "significant and encouraging progress" in government moves to launch a process of "transitional justice" to handle crimes committed during the fighting. RELATED Ethiopia rights body seeks release of detained journalists MENA"Conflicts and attacks in Oromia region are extremely concerning and require urgent attention," the commission said. The report found "significant improvement in detention facilities and treatment of detainees".

Source: Ethiopian News July 12, 2023 17:53 UTC