On December 25, 2024, the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO), the government agency in charge of regulating and overseeing civil society organizations (CSOs) in Ethiopia, suspended two prominent human rights organizations: the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) – accusing them of engaging in activities deemed “not politically neutral” and “acting against national interests.”

Similarly, during the month of November, ACSO placed suspensions on the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE), and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR). While these organizations received letters on December 12, 2024, stating that their bans had been lifted – CARD and LHR received notices on December 18, 2024 that their suspension had been reinstated, claiming that they had failed to comply with ACSO’s regulations and “learn from past mistakes.”

These CSOs have responded to the different requests and claims made by Ethiopian authorities, providing financial reports and welcoming ACSO staff into their offices to inform them about their activities. Despite these efforts, the suspensions remain, restricting the groups from operating in the country and freezing their bank accounts. Ethiopian CSOs, local media groups, and international organizations have condemned ACSO’s suspensions, pointing to procedural irregularities, a lack of transparency, and ACSO’s failure to provide advance notice or conduct proper investigations. ACSO’s claims are vague and inconsistent with the activities these organizations carry out.

The suspension of CSOs took place days after CARD, AHRE, and LHR signed a public letter that criticized proposed amendments to the government’s media law. The proposed amendments would undermine the independence of the country’s media authority, placing more control within the Office of the Prime Minister rather than an independent board.  

These developments are part of broad efforts by the government to intimidate and silence human rights defenders and leaders of prominent civil society organizations in the country. Over the last year, at least six leading voices in the human rights and Ethiopian CSO space have fled the country for fear of repression and concerns of safety for themselves and their families.  Paired with the recent crackdowns, these have contributed to a chilling effect within the CSO community.

Despite Ethiopia’s efforts in 2019 to create a more enabling environment for civil society through the new Organization of Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019, Ethiopian civil society continues operating under a restrictive legal framework. The CSP 2019 grants the Ethiopian government the authority to interfere in CSO activities or suspend them at will. Without reforms to this legislation, independent civil society voices will continue to face restrictions on fundamental freedoms and their ability to operate in the country.  

The World Movement for Democracy stands in solidarity with Ethiopian civil society organizations working to advance democracy and human rights and express our utmost concern about the closing of civic space in Ethiopia aimed at silencing independent voices. We urge the Ethiopian authorities to:  

• Lift the suspensions placed on civil society organizations and unfreeze their bank accounts immediately and unconditionally. 
• Adopt the necessary reforms to create an enabling environment for civil society to operate according to international standards.