Ethiopia: Amnesty Urges Ethiopia to Drop Proposed CSO Law Amendments, Warns of 'Total Closure' of Civic Space

Addis Abeba — Amnesty International has called on Ethiopian authorities to immediately withdraw proposed amendments to the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Proclamation, warning that the changes would reverse hard-won legal reforms and mark a "total closure of civic space" in the country.

In a statement issued on 18 August, Amnesty accused the Ministry of Justice of leading the amendment process in "strict secrecy," with limited consultation restricted to government-aligned groups. The rights body warned that the proposals represent "a sharp rise in authoritarian practices" and urged Ethiopia's development partners to press the government to halt the changes.

According to Amnesty, one of the most significant changes is the restructuring of the CSO Board, which under the 2019 law granted civil society representatives a majority of seats. The new draft reduces the board to seven members, five of whom would be government appointees, a shift that Amnesty said "eliminates self-governance" and entrenches executive control.

Amnesty called on the government to drop the amendments, respect the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly, and end the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists, and activists. It also urged development partners to step up scrutiny of Ethiopia's human rights situation and provide direct support to independent organizations.

The announcement of the draft proposal drew a lot of criticism from experts and rights organizations. Last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) 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.

A senior legal expert, who spoke to Addis Standard on condition of anonymity following the announcement of the amendment, warned of a return to suppressive laws that shrink civic space. The expert drew parallels with the post-2005 era, noting that after the disputed election, the EPRDF enacted laws targeting political parties, the media, and civil society organizations, alongside 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 added, referring to the law enacted after 2005. "Those revisions expanded democratic space. Now, all three suppressive laws--the media law, the terrorism law, and the CSO law--are being reversed. The result is a return to the post-2005 tactics of restricting democratic institutions."

Read the original article on Addis Standard.