These actions send a chilling signal and prevent human rights organizations from carrying out their essential work to promote and protect human rights and accountability in the country. In recent months, Ethiopian security and intelligence forces increased the intimidation, harassment, and threats against prominent Ethiopian human rights organizations in the country, including the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), Ethiopia’s oldest independent human rights organization. Human rights defenders also shared their concerns that the ACSO stopped registering new human rights civil society organizations since at least August 2023. Ethiopia’s international and regional partners should press Ethiopian authorities to respect the rights of political opponents, journalists, human rights defenders, and activists; call for scrutiny in this regard by UN human rights bodies, including the UN Human Rights Council; and provide visible recognition, including by issuing public statements, that the situation facing human rights defenders in Ethiopia remains critical. Signatories:Amnesty InternationalFront Line DefendersHuman Rights WatchInternational Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights DefendersWorld Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights DefendersDistributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Source: Ethiopian News June 18, 2024 13:32 UTC