Addis Abeba — Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Ethiopian lawmakers to reject proposed amendments to the country's civil society law, warning that the bill would grant sweeping powers to the federal government and severely restrict civic space. The organization also called on Ethiopia's international partners to denounce the draft and emphasize the need for any legal reforms to align with international human rights standards.
In its latest publication, HRW said, "Ethiopian lawmakers should reject proposed amendments to the civil society law that would grant the government sweeping powers to restrict nongovernmental organizations." It further urged international actors to speak out against the bill, which has not yet been tabled before parliament.
According to HRW, the draft amendments--introduced ahead of Ethiopia's upcoming general election scheduled for June 2026--would allow the federal government to "prohibit foreign funding to groups engaged in governance and election-related work, and deny registration to, suspend, or dissolve organizations on vague 'national security' grounds without judicial oversight and the right to appeal."
Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said the proposal risks undoing the progress made under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration. "The proposed amendments to Ethiopia's civil society law would dismantle the very reforms Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government had enacted," she said.
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She further warned that the bill poses a serious threat to civic engagement and rights advocacy. "Adopting these amendments would be a deadly blow to the country's civil society and civic space," she added.
HRW also noted that the bill comes at a time of increased government pressure on civil society organizations and human rights groups, amid a broader trend of shrinking civic space in the country.
The draft amendment to the current Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Proclamation was prepared by the Ministry of Justice introducing sweeping changes that have raised concern among rights advocates and legal experts.
The draft grants the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) new powers to issue suspension orders when there is "suspicion of a serious legal violation by a civil society organization" and when the agency "believes irreparable harm will occur if the organization is not suspended." Under the current proclamation, enacted as part of the post-2018 reforms, only the Director-General could issue such orders and only after a confirmed legal violation was found during an investigation, limited to a three-month suspension.
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The amendment also introduces restrictions on foreign and foreign-established organizations, explicitly barring them from engaging "directly or indirectly" in political advocacy, voter education, election observation, or any election-related work, including through technical or financial support to local organizations.
Speaking to Addis Standard, human rights advocate and activist Befekadu Hailu warned that if passed, the amendment "will narrow the civil space, there is no doubt about that." He noted that most civil institutions struggle to raise funds locally and that the restrictions would particularly hurt advocacy organizations. While humanitarian efforts like those by Mekedonia may manage local fundraising, he said advocacy work would suffer due to a lack of public understanding about its importance.
A senior legal expert who spoke to Addis Standard anonymously noted that the amendment infringes on the right to access justice. "Organizations whose rights were previously infringed upon had recourse to courts. The new draft removes that option," the expert said.
The legal expert drew parallels with the post-2005 era, noting that after the disputed election, the EPRDF enacted laws targeting political parties, media, CSOs, and passed the anti-terrorism law - all before the 2010 election. "We're seeing the same trend," the expert said.
"When Prime Minister Abiy came to power, the goal was to revise Proclamation No. 628," he continued, referring to the law enacted after 2005. "These revisions expanded the democratic space. Now, all three suppressive laws - the media law, the terrorism law, and the CSO law- are being reversed. This is a return to the post-2005 tactics of restricting democratic institutions."
