By Muluken Tekleyohanes | Ambassador Media | June 26, 2025
In a powerful statement released this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the Ethiopian government’s intensifying repression of health workers, calling for an immediate end to arrests, intimidation, and the unlawful ban on professional associations.
Between early May and early June, at least 148 health workers have been arrested for participating in peaceful strike actions aimed at demanding better wages, safer working conditions, and respect for their rights. HRW confirmed that 47 of those were arrested in May alone. The strike, which began on May 4, has disrupted non-emergency services at hospitals and medical education institutions across the country.
“The Ethiopian government has chosen to resort to repressive measures rather than respond to the concerns of health workers about their work and safety,” said Laetitia Bader, Deputy Africa Director at HRW. The statement also urged authorities to lift the ban on the Ethiopian Health Professionals Association and to stop attacking medical professionals.
Despite mounting public pressure, the Ethiopian government, under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has continued to escalate its crackdown — even after holding a meeting with health worker representatives last week. Rather than addressing their legitimate concerns, the administration has responded with further detentions and silence.
Among those arrested is Dr. Daniel Fentaneh, a respected final-year obstetrics and gynecology resident at Bahir Dar University. He was detained on June 18 in Bahir Dar by security forces, reportedly in connection with his leadership role in the Ethiopian Health Professionals Movement.
Ambassador Media strongly condemns the actions of the Abiy administration, which now stands accused of criminalizing protest and violating both constitutional rights and international norms. Prime Minister Abiy, once hailed as a reformer, has overseen a regime increasingly intolerant of dissent — not just from political opponents, but now from the very doctors, nurses, and students who form the backbone of Ethiopia’s health system.
Banning health workers’ associations, arresting peaceful professionals, and ignoring their pleas for reform sends a dangerous message: that this government would rather silence its citizens than serve them.
HRW’s statement reflects growing international alarm over the trajectory of Ethiopia’s leadership. A government that jails health workers instead of engaging them is not protecting its people — it is persecuting them.
Ambassador Media joins Human Rights Watch in calling on the Ethiopian government to:
Release all detained health workers immediately,
Reinstate the Ethiopian Health Professionals Association, and
Begin genuine, accountable dialogue with the health sector.
The world is watching. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed must decide: will he lead a country that listens to its people, or one that punishes them for speaking?
