The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRC), which has been in operation for the past 33 years, and the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center, which was also suspended by civil society organizations earlier this week, announced that they had been suspended by the authorities. Both human rights organizations announced earlier this week that they had been suspended “from all activities” by the regulatory authority in a letter.
The official’s letter cited the organizations’ “operations outside the purpose for which they were established, their lack of independence, and their lack of a clear organizational structure” as reasons for the ban. In addition, “monitoring and evaluation have confirmed that [the organization] has acted irresponsibly,” the official wrote in a letter earlier this week.
Like the center, the Ethiopia human right commision has been accused of “acting outside its established purpose, lack of independence, failure to maintain administrative cost limits, and acting irresponsibly.” However, both civil society organizations denied the allegations made against them by the authorities.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center said in a statement, “We would like to state that since its inception, our organization has not been directly or indirectly involved in any improper or illegal activity outside of its established purpose.” The center, which stated that it has been carrying out its work “with complete impartiality,” added, “Our organization has been carrying out many projects for years, with a board-led and transparent organizational structure.”
The organization also stated in the statement that it did not believe the ban was “appropriate and in accordance with the law,” stating that the agency had “unknowingly” conducted a monitoring and evaluation of the proposal “without due process of law.”
The center noted that it has submitted a letter to the authority requesting an “adequate explanation” for the suspension. The organization has been suspended from all its activities and its office has been closed until the authority reviews this letter and makes a decision, the organization said in the statement.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center, which works on human rights, was established in 2013 under the Civil Society Organizations Proclamation.
He recalled that over the past 33 years, Ethiopian human right commision has been “a long-standing organization that has been carrying out significant activities to ensure respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in the country.”
The institution, which is an “independent and independent organization that operates in accordance with law and order,” said in a statement that it is in talks with the authorities regarding the lifting of the ban. The closure of the centers brings to four the number of civil society organizations that have been closed in the past few weeks.
The Civil Society Organizations Authority banned the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), Lawyers for Human Rights, and the Coalition for Human Rights in Ethiopia in separate days in November.
A few days after the ban on the organizations was lifted, the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) and Lawyers for Human Rights were banned again.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center announced in a statement issued last Friday that it was concerned about the re-banning of the organizations.
The center said in a statement: “We call on the government and relevant stakeholders to protect the civic environment and support the efforts of human rights defenders.”
“In addition, we demand that the main reasons for the closure of the two organizations be made public to the public in a manner supported by sufficient evidence,” he said.
In a speech in parliament late last year, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said, “The functioning of the so-called Human Rights Declaration institution must be examined. We leave it to you to decide what will happen if we allow an institution in Ethiopia that reports to other forces, which we do not pay salaries for.”
Abiy added, “Human rights is a beautiful language. But this language is being diverted from its original meaning and is becoming a political tool.”
This comment by the Prime Minister shocked human rights organizations.
