Submission to the 38th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Banjul, Gambia, November 2005
Human Rights Watch calls on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to address urgent human rights concerns in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan-Darfur and Uganda.
November 19, 2005 Background Briefing
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The Dark Side of Ethiopia’s “Green Revolution”
By Chris Albin-Lackey
On September 3, Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara International awarded its first-ever African Green Revolution Prize to Ethiopia’s prime minister, Meles Zenawi. To the amazement of many Ethiopians, Yara had identified Meles as being at the vanguard of what it calls “a revolution to end hunger that also empowers people with a voice, and the opportunity to create their own future.”
September 5, 2005 Commentary
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Why turn a blind eye to tyranny?
July 4, 2005
By Chris Albin-Lackey
Published in The International Herald Tribune
When people around the world came together on Saturday for the Live 8 concerts, they were hoping to recapture the magic of "the day that rock 'n' roll changed the world" at Live Aid in 1985. Twenty years later, Ethiopia has again emerged as a potent symbol - not only of the cause behind the concert, but also of the consequences of oversimplifying the debate on aid to Africa.
July 4, 2005 Commentary
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Ethiopia: Crackdown Spreads Beyond Capital
As Arbitrary Arrests Continue, Detainees Face Torture and Ill-Treatment
In the wake of last week’s election-related protests, the Ethiopian government’s crackdown on potential sources of unrest has spread throughout the country, Human Rights Watch said today. While international attention has focused on events in Addis Ababa, opposition members and students in other cities are increasingly at risk of arbitrary arrest and torture.
June 15, 2005 Press Release
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Ethiopia: Political Dissent Quashed
Election Observers Should Not Fail to Recognize Effects of Systematic Repression
As parliamentary elections approach, the Ethiopian authorities have established new institutions that suppress speech and political activity in the country’s most populous region, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. At the same time, officials have continued to detain and harass perceived political opponents.
May 10, 2005 Press Release
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Suppressing Dissent
Human Rights Abuses and Political Repression in Ethiopia's Oromia Region
On May 15, 2005, Ethiopia will hold national elections. The international community, including international donors, who have poured substantial amounts of aid into Ethiopia since the current government came to power fourteen years ago, will be watching these elections closely for signs that Ethiopia is moving towards real democracy. In advance of these elections, the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi enacted reforms that could, on the surface, make the elections more open. However, as this report documents, the political freedoms required for elections to be a meaningful exercise of Ethiopian citizens’ fundamental right to participate in the selection of their government do not exist for many Ethiopians.
HRW Index No.: A1706
May 10, 2005 Report
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Ethiopia and Eritrea: Promoting Stability, Democracy and Human Rights
Testimony to U.S. House of Representatives
Michael Clough, Africa Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch, testified before Congress regarding the human rights situations in Ethiopia and Eritrea based on reporting from two recent missions to Ethiopia by HRW researchers and ongoing monitoring of human rights conditions in Eritrea.
May 5, 2005 Testimony
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Ethiopia: Crimes Against Humanity in Gambella Region
Army Impunity and Official Inaction Fuel Abuses
The Ethiopian military has committed widespread murder, rape and torture against the Anuak population in the remote southwestern region of Gambella since December 2003, Human Rights Watch said in a 64-page report released today entitled “Targeting the Anuak: Human Rights Violations and Crimes against Humanity in Ethiopia’s Gambella Region.” Human Rights Watch said that the abuses detailed in the report could amount to crimes against humanity.
March 24, 2005 Press Release
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Targeting the Anuak
Human Rights Violations and Crimes against Humanity in Ethiopia’s Gambella Region
Since late 2003, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) has committed numerous human rights violations against Anuak communities in the Gambella region of southwestern Ethiopia that may amount to crimes against humanity. These abuses have taken place in a region plagued by longstanding ethnic tensions to which the Ethiopian military has become a party.
HRW Index No.: A1703
March 24, 2005 Report
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The Africa Agenda
Interest in rights issues must not wane with Powell's departure
By Michael Clough and Nicholas Galletti
Published in The Baltimore Sun
If Condoleezza Rice's testimony this week at her Senate confirmation hearing as secretary of state is an indicator of the Bush administration's plans for Africa, Africans and the human rights community should be worried.
January 21, 2005 Commentary
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Letter to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
Human Rights Watch is concerned that the authorities have violated the right to bail as provided in the Ethiopian Constitution and international human rights law in two cases involving political dissidents and journalists. We urge that high court orders mandating their release on bail be immediately honored.
September 8, 2004 Letter
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Ethiopia: Investigate Torture by Police
Ministers' Failure to Investigate, Prosecute Makes Them Accomplices
The Ethiopian government should launch an immediate investigation leading to the prosecution and dismissal of all federal police involved in the recurring practice of torture of people caught up in mass arrests, Human Rights Watch said yesterday in a letter addressed to the Ethiopian ministers of federal affairs and of justice.
March 18, 2004 Press Release
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Letter to Ethiopian Ministers of Justice and Federal Affairs
Human Rights Watch urgently calls for investigations by the Ministries of Federal Affairs and Justice into allegations of torture inflicted on University of Addis Ababa students at the Kolfe Police Training Academy on January 20-21, 2004. Individuals found responsible for acts of torture should be criminally prosecuted as well as dismissed from employment.
March 17, 2004 Letter
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Letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
We are writing in regard to recent government actions taken against the Ethiopian Free Journalists Association (EFJA), a private association. We believe the government’s interference in the internal governance of the EFJA has been politically motivated and is in violation of the rights to freedom of association and expression guaranteed under international human rights law.
February 13, 2004 Letter
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Ethiopia: Stop Harassing Journalists’ Group
The Ethiopian government should end its harassment of an association of independent journalists that has frequently criticized the government's repression of the independent press, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Ethiopia’s prime minister.
February 13, 2004 Press Release
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The Horn of Africa War
Mass Expulsions and the Nationality Issue
Citizens and residents expelled by both Ethiopia and Eritrea during their 1998-2000 border war should be offered repatriation and the restoration of citizenship, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 64-page report, “The Horn of Africa War: Mass Expulsions and the Nationality Issue,” recounts the plight of almost one hundred thousand citizens and residents of both countries who were uprooted and deprived of their residence and nationality without a semblance of due process. It documents cases of mistreatment typical of the mass expulsions, including prolonged detention, lack of food, water, and medical care, beatings, and other physical abuse. With final demarcation of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea set to take place in May, there is hope that peace will hold between the two countries. For tens of thousands of Ethiopians and Eritreans, though, the human rights consequences of the war are still devastating.
HRW Index No.: A1503
January 30, 2003 Report
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Lessons In Repression: Violations Of Academic Freedom In Ethiopia
This report focuses on three major abuses: repeated, unjustified use of lethal force by security forces to put down political protests by students; continued repression of the independent Ethiopian Teachers' Association, whose members include many of Ethiopia's most distinguished professors; and the stifling of independent thought through denial of university autonomy and government control of activities on university campuses. The government of Ethiopia, the ruling party of which has its roots in a student movement, has repeatedly failed to hold those responsible for these violations accountable.
January 24, 2003 Report
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Testimonies from “Lessons in Repression: Violations of Academic Freedom in Ethiopia”
Ethiopia’s Educated Suffer Government Repression.
January 24, 2003 Testimony
Ethiopia
Lessons in Repression: Violations of Academic Freedom in Ethiopia
Being educated can be a risky business in Ethiopia. Students and teachers, often among the most politically active elements of society, are frequent victims of human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest, and denial of freedom of association and expression. Ethiopian leaders since Haile Selassie have targeted the academic community; the current government’s continuation of such abusive practices emphasizes the serious obstacles facing Ethiopia before basic rights are respected and enforced not only on university campuses but across the country.This report focuses on three major abuses: repeated, unjustified use of lethal force by security forces to put down political protests by students; continued repression of the independent Ethiopian Teachers’ Association, whose members include many of Ethiopia’s most distinguished professors; and the stifling of independent thought through denial of university autonomy and government control of activities on university campuses. The government of Ethiopia, the ruling party of which has its roots in a student movement, has repeatedly failed to hold those responsible for these violations accountable.
January 1, 2003 Report
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Ethiopia: Police Firing on Unarmed Protesters
The Ethiopian government must urgently establish clear restraints on the use of lethal force against civilians, Human Rights Watch said today.
June 11, 2002 Press Release
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