March 4, 2025
Borkena
Toronto – The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) has resumed work after a two-month closure following the government’s decision to suspend its operations in December 2024. The suspension has been lifted with a warning.
The Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO), the government body that suspended EHRCO along with three other civic organizations, accused them of undertaking activities outside their mandated areas. EHRCO was also accused of not being “neutral,” failing to operate within the 2023 administrative budget limit, and “acting irresponsibly.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, EHRCO said, “The Ethiopian Human Rights Council always operates within the law, works responsibly, promotes peace in the country, and remains neutral.”
EHRCO expressed its belief that the suspension may have resulted from differences in perspective and that a consensus could have been reached if there had been an opportunity for discussion and closer collaboration with Ethiopia’s Authority for Civil Society Organizations.
Furthermore, EHRCO announced that it has been holding talks with senior officials of the authority since the suspension was imposed. The Authority for Civil Society Organizations dispatched a team for evaluation, investigation, and follow-up work before lifting the suspension.
EHRCO confirmed that its main office in Addis Ababa and branch offices in the regions have resumed operations as of today.
In addition to EHRCO, the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC), the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) were also suspended. These organizations have now been allowed to resume operations after the Ethiopian government lifted the suspension on Monday.
Human rights organizations in Ethiopia have faced increasing government pressure over the past few years. Among other forms of pressure, they have been denied access to areas with reported extensive rights violations, such as the Amhara region. In some cases, human rights abuse investigators have been attacked and arrested.
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