Rights Federation Slams “Alarming Deterioration” Of Civic Freedoms In Ethiopia

A landmark report from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) warns that Ethiopia’s human rights environment has deteriorated dramatically, detailing a pattern of arbitrary detentions, torture sites re-emerging in military camps, systematic harassment of journalists, raids on newsrooms, restrictions targeting civil society, and repeated states of emergency used to silence dissent across the country.

‎Titled ‘The Illusion of Progress: Ethiopia’s Human Rights Defenders Under Attack’ published jointly with the World Organization Against Torture this month, the report paints a sweeping and alarming picture of escalating repression against human rights defenders (HRDs), civil society organisations (CSOs), and journalists across Ethiopia.

‎The 46-page document concludes that civic space has “alarmingly deteriorated” since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office, describing a “relentless persecution” of rights actors and “a stark reversal of earlier progress” once promised by the reform government.

‎”In a further demonstration of the oppressive climate, many human rights defenders have been forced into exile, while others have faced bans preventing their entry into the country. There is also a systemic culture of ‎intimidation directed at rights groups, often resulting in their suspension and silencing. The government has introduced repressive laws to legitimise these violations,” it reads.

‎The watchdog says that torture and other forms of ill-treatment against dissenting and critical actors remain entrenched tools of governance.

“The administration has failed to implement the substantive and structural changes repeatedly recommended by United Nations (UN) treaty bodies and investigative mechanisms, opting instead for superficial measures—such as the closure of certain notorious detention facilities—while leaving the underlying legal and institutional framework untouched,” the report reads.

‎The Federation argues that Ethiopian authorities have retained the capacity to resort to such practices whenever deemed expedient, particularly in relation to human rights defenders.

“Ethiopia is therefore marked by a profound contradiction. While reforms are advanced in certain areas, civic space continues to contract, underscoring the absence of genuine transformation in the protection of fundamental rights,” it reads.

‎The document states that Ethiopia’s political trajectory shifted dramatically over the past five years, as a result of “a troubling intensification of political unrest” marked by ethnically motivated attacks, controversial election delays, and the outbreak of the Tigray war.‎

The creation of the Prosperity Party in 2019, combined with the fallout from the assassination of Oromo artist Hachalu Hundessa, shifted the political landscape and “precipitated a sharp crackdown on civic space and CSOs,” according to the document.

The Federation said while reforms are advanced in certain areas, civic space continues to contract while subsequent armed confrontations in Amhara and Oromia “undermined the reform measures tentatively introduced in 2018 and 2019,” pushing human rights defenders into a climate of fear and danger.

It indicates that human rights defenders face abductions, arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances, and even extrajudicial killings. ‎According to the document, many have been forced into exile, while those who remain face harassment, surveillance, and legislative reprisals.

‎The report concludes that shrinking civic space is “part of a publicly acknowledged policy designed and applied by the government itself.”

‎”Human rights organisations have been subjected to systematic restrictions, while prominent HRDs have faced harassment, threats, attacks, and, in many cases, forced exile. The government does not tolerate any type of protest or peaceful demonstration unless they are pro-government. The use of excessive force to suppress protests and peaceful demonstrations has spread fear among the population and limited opportunities for exercising rights,” the document reads.

‎The Federation reports the arbitrary arrest and detention of HRDs have become “alarmingly common,” often executed by masked individuals using excessive force and refusing to disclose reasons for arrest. ‎It states that detainees are routinely held incommunicado, denied access to court within 48 hours, and remain behind bars even when granted bail.

The report cites that between 2019 and 2024, 244 arrests involving 201 journalists were recorded, citing data from the Ethiopian Press Freedom Defenders.

‎The Federation documents the case of a journalist from the Amhara region who was detained for interviewing critical political voices. He recounts being held in a dark room without water, food, or light for three days, then transferred to a military camp under the state of emergency.

‎“We faced psychological torture, death threats, denial of medication and fresh air… constant confinement under heavy guard, and no toilets,” he said. “Our families did not know where we were”.

‎He remained detained for 11 months without access to a lawyer or family.

‎The report warns that torture has re-emerged as “an entrenched tool of governance” and‎ cites new allegations that torture centres have been re-established in Awash Arba, a military camp 220 kilometers from Addis Ababa, where detainees are held incommunicado and denied due process.

‎International bodies, including the Human Rights Committee, CAT, and the UPR, have all confirmed ongoing torture and enforced disappearances in Ethiopia.

‎Several attacks on media institutions are documented, including burglary at EHRCO’s office targeting a laptop containing investigation documents, a break in at Ethiopian Insider’s office, a similar attack on Ethio-News and an April 2025 raid on Addis Standard by security forces.

‎‎The report notes that intimidation comes from both state and non-state actors. In the document, Befekadu Hailu explains that insurgent and ethnonationalist groups also wage “psychological warfare against HRDs,” asserting that “each group sees itself as the only victim” and attacks HRDs who criticise any side.

The document describes successive states of emergency (SOEs) since 2020 as a central tool for targeting HRDs. Although constitutional, SOE powers in practice “have gone far beyond what is strictly necessary,” enabling warrantless arrests, media censorship, and bans on assemblies.

‎The Federation revealed that during the 2021 wartime SOE, mass detentions targeted Tigrayan HRDs, journalists, activists, and even aid workers. The 2023/2024 Amhara SOE similarly targeted HRDs and journalists of Amhara origin, it said.

‎The report concludes that SOEs have “evolved into recurring governance tools” rather than temporary responses to crises.

‎Even when bans on rights organisations were lifted in March 2025, the ACSO imposed “suffocating conditions” requiring CSOs to report every activity, disclose all partners, and provide funding details constantly.

‎One interviewee cited in the report said, “It was not a lifting of the ban, but a replacement of outright prohibition with surveillance and control.”

‎Another interviewee noted that ACSO officials pressured organisations to change their leadership, saying the resignation of EHRDC Executive Director Yared Hailemariam was “directly connected to such pressure”.

‎One expert interviewed by the researchers of the Federation tied current repression to the political calendar stating

‎“The current attack on civic space and HRDs is largely related to the upcoming 2026 general elections and the transitional justice process,” he said, implying that the government is wary of CSOs’ roles in election observation and victim-centred justice.

‎The report concludes that repression persists because “the government is unwilling to address these violations,” reinforcing “a persistent climate of impunity” that undermines transitional justice and national dialogue.