News Human Rights Watch Rebukes Repressive Legislation in Tigray
June 24, 2026
Human Rights Watch has called on regional authorities in Tigray to immediately withdraw a piece of legislation that political observers have described as a “blueprint for authoritarianism.”
The international watchdog issued the call after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) introduced a sweeping security and mobilization proclamation earlier this month, forcing civilians into military service and threatening dissenters with execution.
HRW noted that the TPLF enacted the proclamation after ousting the federally appointed interim administration in Tigray in May 2026.
This development, according to the rights group, stems from disputes between the TPLF and the federal government regarding regional funding and the implementation of the 2022 Pretoria Agreement truce.
HRW added that fearing a return to conflict, the TPLF is now rebuilding its military forces. To execute this mobilization, authorities and Tigrayan forces are conducting door-to-door roundups across the region, according to the statement.
“They are compelling former combatants and civilians—including children—into service,” reads a statement issued by the rights group this week. “Security forces are also punishing the parents and children of individuals who evade conscription, causing residents to flee Tigray.”
The law grants the TPLF-aligned and self-proclaimed regional administration the power to criminalize service evasion and impose prison sentences of up to 25 years for individuals who criticize the recruitment campaign.
The HRW statement added that the decree introduces the death penalty for offenses like “threatening the peace” or “collaborating with the enemy,” mirroring “aspects of the national service system in Eritrea.”
HRW’s deputy Africa director, Laetitia Bader, urged leaders to stop forcing civilians to support their military cause, stating that Tigray is still reeling from a devastating two-year conflict and its aftermath.
“Authorities in the region should not respond to ongoing political tensions by forcing civilians into military service while simultaneously punishing criticism of such forced conscription,” Bader said.
The rights group also called on international stakeholders, including the African Union (AU) and the US, to pressure the TPLF to halt recruitment. HRW further requested the AU monitoring mechanism to investigate the actions to prevent a return to hostilities in Ethiopia.