In a statement issued Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned Ethiopian authorities for shutting down two prominent human rights organizations in recent weeks, deepening an ongoing crackdown against civil society.

An Ethiopian government body overseeing civil society ordered a halt to the operations of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council and Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center in December 2024. This was based on allegations of lacking “independence” and “acting beyond their mandate”. HRW condemned these actions as a part of a broader pattern of government repression that has intensified over the past year. Mausi Segun, HRW’s Africa director, stated:

The Ethiopian authorities over the past year have waged a relentless assault against human rights groups…By suspending groups engaged in critical human rights documentation and advocacy, the government is showcasing its intolerance of independent scrutiny

The suspensions follow the Ethiopian government’s earlier decision to halt the operations of three other prominent human rights organizations, including the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), and the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia. While CARD and LHR briefly had their suspensions lifted on December 11, 2024, the ban was reinstated a few days later.

The shutdowns signal a return to the repressive tactics used under Ethiopia’s previous administrations and laws. For example, The 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation gave authorities sweeping powers to freeze assets and dissolve human rights organizations, threatening human rights activism. In 2019, Ethiopia enacted the Organization of Civil Societies Proclamation, replacing the restrictive 2009 proclamation. While this eased some constraints on human rights organizations, Article 77(4) of the 2019 law still grants the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations the power to suspend groups accused of committing a “grave violation of law.” This broad provision has been argued to have been misused for politically motivated suppression.