Posted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
by Aaron Brooks, The East African Monitor
Following a debate at the African Union’s annual heads of state summit in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, the regional bloc voted for all member states to withdraw from the Interational Criminal Court (ICC). However, the resolution is non-binding with Nigeria and Senegal the only countries to oppose a withdrawal.
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Tag Archives: human rights violations
African Union (AU) summit calls for mass withdrawal from ICC
6 Feb
‘We fear for our lives’: how rumours over sugar saw Ethiopian troops kill
8 NovPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
by Tom Gardner in Ambo, The Guardian
It began with a rumour. On 25 October, residents of Ambo, 120km west of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, heard word on social media that a shipment of smuggled sugar was due to pass through town.
“Sugar is so expensive now, the price has tripled,” explains 18-year-old Israel, a first-year undergraduate at Ambo University. “And they’re exporting it to other parts of the country but the people here don’t have any. It’s not fair.”
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Ethiopia parliament speaker says TPLF ‘disrespect’ made him quit
15 OctPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
by AFP
“I resigned because my peoples and party were disrespected,” he said. “However, I will struggle to bring the necessary respect and do the best I can for Oromo people to gain their rights.”
The speaker of Ethiopia’s lower house of parliament, who resigned last week, said Saturday that he quit because of “disrespect” of his ethnic group.
Abadula Gemeda, a member of the Oromos, the country’s largest ethnic group, announced last Sunday that he was stepping down after seven years as speaker of the House of People’s Representatives.
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Ethiopia: Exercise Restraint at Upcoming Festival—International Inquiry Needed into Deaths at 2016 Event
19 SepPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
by Human Rights Watch
(Nairobi) – Ethiopian government and security officials should act with restraint and take concrete steps to prevent injuries and deaths at this year’s Irreecha festival on October 1, 2017, Human Rights Watch said in a report and video released today. Many people, likely hundreds, died in a stampede at last year’s festival, triggered by security forces’ use of teargas and obstruction of exits.
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USAID Administrator in Ethiopia: His remarks focus on drought situation, while expressing US concern over human rights situation & political space
31 AugPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
Administrator Green:
It is an honor to be here today, and I’d like to thank the Prime Minister and all the Ethiopian people for your hospitality.
My visit is part of a long relationship between our two countries. Today we had a frank and honest discussion about a broad range of issues, including the United States’ commitment to standing with the people of Ethiopia, as they experience a third consecutive year of drought.
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Smith Resolution on Ethiopian Human Rights Advances From Committee in the US Congress
28 Jul
Posted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
Press Release, July 27, 2017
“Today [Thursday], the full House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to advance a resolution, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), highlighting the human rights violations of the Ethiopian government, and offering a blueprint to create a government better designed to serve the interests of the Ethiopian people.
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Golden era of growth fails to mask deeper grievances in Ethiopia
22 JunPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
by Hanna Blyth, Fragile States Index
Since the end of an almost two-decades long civil war that began in 1991, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has provided relative political stability and enabled strong economic development. Though an inter-state conflict with Eritrea over disputed territory flared in 1998-2000, since the ceasefire was declared between the two countries in December 2000, Ethiopia has been on a path of strong fiscal growth and has become an increasingly respected player within the international community. Ethiopia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen from US$8.2 billion in 2000, to an impressive US$61.5 billion in 2015 – coinciding with major injections of foreign capital from development partners. Looking past these golden dollar sign headlines, however, there are signals that deep social and political fissures have the potential to set the country back on a path to conflict.
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How State Restrictions Are Reshaping Civic Space Around the World: The Case of Ethiopia Under Rogue TPLF Included
26 MayPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
by Saskia Brechernmacher, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace May 22, 2017
“In addition to heightened administrative and legal harassment, activists fear prosecution under sweeping anti-terrorism measures. Ethiopian authorities have used the 2009 Anti-Terror Proclamation to selectively target journalists, lawyers, and civil society leaders…In Ethiopia, the 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation effectively bars a wide range of advocacy and rights organizations from receiving external support—while preserving access to such funding for development and service delivery organizations…In Ethiopia, hundreds of organization decided to abandon rights-based programming and shift their focus toward politically neutral capacity-building and local service delivery in order to preserve their access to foreign support. A 2011 survey found that 70% of development NGOs and 44% of human rights organizations changed their mandates and activities in response to the government’s NGO regulations.
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