As Ethiopia approaches another election cycle, the government’s actions speak far louder than its promises — and what they say is alarming. A country cannot claim to be preparing for a democratic contest while it is busy handcuffing journalists, silencing opposition leaders, and governing through fear instead of dialogue.
The Coalition for Unity in Ethiopia has done what any responsible political body must do: draw a clear line. Their demand for peace and the release of imprisoned political actors is not extreme, not radical, and not negotiable. It is the minimum requirement for any country pretending to conduct an election.
But the real scandal is that such a demand even has to be made.
For years now, Ethiopia’s government has insisted that it is building a democratic state. Yet the pattern remains unchanged:
- Journalists are arrested for doing their jobs.
- Opposition figures are detained precisely when their political participation matters most.
- Regions are militarized instead of stabilized.
- Critical voices are treated as enemies, not citizens.
These are not allegations whispered in diplomatic back channels; they are facts documented repeatedly by global media freedom organizations and human rights groups. The only people who continue to deny them are those benefiting from the repression.
The government’s refusal to release prisoners of conscience — or even acknowledge the damage these arrests cause — reveals a leadership afraid of its own people. A confident government does not fear journalists. A legitimate government does not jail opponents before an election. A stable government does not rule by intimidation.
The coalition’s deadline forces a question Ethiopia’s rulers have avoided for far too long:
Will the government choose dialogue or domination? Peace or prolonged instability? Democracy or the illusion of it?
If it refuses to release political prisoners, refuses to restore peace, and refuses to open the political space, then the upcoming election will be nothing more than theatre — a performance staged for international observers while citizens watch their rights evaporate.
Ethiopia deserves better than a government that mistakes repression for strength.
It deserves leaders who win elections through ideas, not imprisonment.
And the world must stop applauding elections that are neither free nor fair.
The clock is ticking. The coalition has spoken. And sooner or later, so will the Ethiopian people — with or without the government’s permission.
“No Press Freedom, No Democracy: Ethiopia under Abiy Ahmed’s Grip”