The following is based on a communication written by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and another UN expert to the Government of Ethiopia on 13 February 2025. The communication remained confidential for 60 days before being made public, giving the Government time to reply. The Government replied on 15 April 2025.
Since the communication was sent, in early March 2025, the suspension of all five civil society organisations mentioned in the letter was lifted, and they were allowed to resume their operations.
This is a shorter version of the original communication.
BACKGROUND
Topic: the alarming rise at the end of 2024 in the cases of suspension of civil society organizations in Ethiopia, including of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center, the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy, Lawyers for Human Rights, and the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia, by the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO).
The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) is a non-governmental human rights group in Ethiopia. Since its inception in October 1991, EHRCO has been engaged in the provision of human rights education and training for the public and members of the government at all levels. It also conducts human rights-related studies and research, disseminate results, and provides legal aid to victims of human rights violations.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) was established in December 2019 and has been working since then on building the capacity and ensuring the safety, security and well-being of human rights defenders, by supporting them in carrying out their work.
The Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) is a non-profit organization that has been working since 2019 on the protection of human rights, democratization and the culture of non-violence through advocacy, training and research activities, and by empowering individuals and communities to meaningfully participate in democratic processes and claim their rights.
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is a civil society organization established by lawyers aiming to achieve a better protection of human rights in Ethiopia. They do this by empowering lawyers with knowledge and skills, increasing their role in the promotion and protection of human rights, supporting vulnerable groups and remedying human rights violations through strategic litigation.
The Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the advancement of the protection of human rights in Ethiopia. They provide support to the work of Ethiopian human rights defenders through advocacy and other related activities.
Special Procedures mandate holders previously raised concern about reported restrictions to the right to freedom of association in Ethiopia in communications ETH 6/2011 and ETH 6/2012. We regret not receiving a reply from the Government to these communications.
ALLEGATIONS
On 23 December 2024, ACSO, the governmental body that deals with the registration and activities of civil society organizations operating in Ethiopia, suspended the functioning of two prominent civil society organizations, the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC), based on the allegation that the organizations engage in activities “beyond their stated objectives” and “against national interests”, violating “their obligation to operate independently from political involvement”.
The suspension of EHRCO and EHRDC followed the suspension on 14 and 22 November 2024 of three other civil society organizations, the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), by the same government agency, which reportedly informed them by phone and/or through a letter. The suspension was ordered with immediate effect based on the allegation that the organizations were engaged in activities lacking political impartiality and that were against national interests.
This happened some days after AHRE, CARD and LHR became signatories to a public letter condemning the government’s proposed amendment to the Ethiopian Mass Media Proclamation No. 1238/2021, which reportedly proposed increased oversight of the media by the Office of the Prime Minister.
The suspension of CARD and LHR was reportedly lifted on 12 December 2024. However, the two human rights organizations were then re-suspended on 18 December 2024. According to ACSO, they did not comply with the authority’s regulations following their first suspension.
The suspensions of the civil society organizations took place despite their reported efforts to engage with ACSO staff and their timely submission of the required financial reports to the authorities. The information suggests that the suspensions are causing severe legal restrictions for the organizations to operate in the country, including because of the reported freezing of their bank accounts, which affects their operational viability making them unable to pay the salaries of their staff. Procedural irregularities, including a lack of transparency and prior warning, and the alleged failure to conduct a proper investigation on the allegations that led to the suspension of the organizations were also reported.
Reportedly, civil society organizations in Ethiopia and their staff have been facing increasing pressure, intimidation and harassment, and no new human rights organizations has been registered by ACSO since August 2023.
CONCERNS
In the communication, we express serious concern about the alarming increase in the cases of suspension of civil society organizations by ACSO, reportedly without prior notice and without following due legal procedures and standards. We fear that this measure might be linked to their human rights activities and might have implications on the wider civil society in Ethiopia, jeopardizing the effective and independent functioning of human rights organizations and hindering their right to freedom of association as well as their ability to conduct human rights work freely, without fear of intimidation or reprisals. We further note that the suspension might impact on the enjoyment of human rights in the country, as it might no longer be possible to count on the support of several civil society organizations in cases of human rights violations.
We acknowledge the efforts undertaken by the Ethiopian Government in the field of freedom of association by adopting the Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019 in 2019. We call upon the Government to ensure that the law is effectively implemented in line with international human rights standards by providing a strong and secure civic space in the country with no undue targeting of civil society organizations for their legitimate human rights activities.
