Human Rights Watch on Monday demanded that Ethiopian authorities immediately reverse the suspension of three human rights organizations — the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) and Lawyers for Human Rights in Ethiopia (LHR) — so that they can freely operate.

The respective organizations have been served suspension letters by the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations since November 14, which has seen their activities grind to a halt on the basis that the organizations were politically biased and undermining the country’s national interest. LHR’s operations were suspended for allegedly “failing to maintain political neutrality, acting beyond its designated purpose, and engaging in actions detrimental to the country’s interests and public welfare,” while CARD’s operations were suspended on similar grounds for a “lack of political neutrality” and for engaging in “activities deemed contrary to the interests of the country.”

Each organization has categorically denied the allegations and expressed a commitment to challenging the suspension. One course of objection is that the Authority did not follow the correct procedures under the Charities and Societies Proclamation by failing to provide written notice that they were breaching the law.

The timing of the suspensions coincides with their endorsement of a public letter criticizing proposed amendments to the Media Proclamation as a veiled attack on free speech and press freedoms. The proposed amendments would reconfigure the composition of the Ethiopian Media Authority’s power structure to shift the fate of media licences further under the influence of the Office of the Prime Minister.

The actions of the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations mark a concerning pattern of repression and lack of accountability in Ethiopia amidst the ongoing conflicts in the Tigray, Amhara and Oromia regions. Deputy Africa Director Laetitia Bader says, “[t]he government’s latest assault shows that Ethiopia remains among the most inhospitable places to criticize government actions and promote human rights.” HRW has called for an immediate reversal of the organization’s suspensions and for the international community to actively reject the government’s escalating crackdown on fundamental human rights.