The Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) denounced, in a press release dated November 26, 2024, persistent harassment of its leaders by the authorities, forcing them to flee the country.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) said its leaders had been subjected to ” sustained harassment, surveillance and intimidation » from government authorities, forcing them to leave the country to ensure their safety.
He emphasizes that “ the hostile environment pushed civil society leaders to leave the country », thus highlighting the signs of deterioration of civic space in this East African country.
The EHRDC revealed that people such as Atnafu Birhane, program director at the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), Eden Fisseha, former director of the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE), and Dan Yirga, former director of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), had left Ethiopia due to alleged harassment.
This statement follows the suspension by the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) of three human rights organizations, AHRE, CARD and LHR, accused of “ lack of political neutrality » and “ engage against the national interest ».
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, said: “ We condemn the suspension of AHRE, CARD and LHR based on vague and unsubstantiated allegations. Such accusations have long been used by Ethiopian authorities to suppress civil society organizations. »
In a press release published on November 26, 2024, Amnesty International condemned these suspensions, which it describes as “ increasing repression of civic space “. The organization called the allegations “ vague” and “unfounded ».
Mr. Chagutah called for the immediate reversal of the suspensions, stressing that they “ violate the human rights to association and freedom of expression “. He also noted that these suspensions come against a backdrop of escalating conflicts and human rights violations in several regions, including Amhara, Oromia and Tigray.
« In a context of escalating conflicts, mass arbitrary detentions and forced evictions, the role of civil society and the media is more important than ever in Ethiopia », added Mr. Chagutah.
MG/abj/lb/Sf/APA
