Introduction
On 14th May 2025, the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) officially withdrew the legal status of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), citing the party’s failure to implement corrective measures as required under Proclamation No. 1332/2016. NEBE’s decision, announced in a formal statement, claimed that despite the TPLF’s legal recognition under a special arrangement following the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, the party failed to meet its obligations, including holding a general assembly. The move has raised serious concerns about the stability of the fragile peace process that ended two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia. The TPLF, which leads Tigray’s interim administration, attributed its inability to hold internal elections to unresolved leadership disputes and denounced the deregistration as politically motivated. In a letter to the African Union, the party warned that the decision undermines the Pretoria Agreement’s core principles of mutual legitimacy and dialogue-based conflict resolution. TPLF officials argue that revoking the party’s status not only disrupts the region’s political transition but also risks reigniting tensions in a context already marked by delayed implementation of the peace deal and the ongoing displacement of civilians. With national elections due by June 2026, the exclusion of a key political actor raises the spectre of renewed instability, and democratic regression.
Association
In early June 2025, the Ethiopian government suspended the Ethiopian Health Professionals Association (EHPA), escalating its response to a month-long strike by public healthcare workers demanding fair wages and improved working conditions. Earlier, on 30th May, the EHPA had condemned the dismissals, intimidation tactics, and efforts to replace striking workers. Thereafter, the Authority for Civil Society Organisations (ACSO) suspended the EHPA, citing procedural issues, though its president, Yonatan Dagnaw, insisted the association had complied with national regulations and linked the suspension to its support for the strike. Despite a dialogue involving the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and a meeting between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and selected healthcare professionals, the government failed to resolve the grievances.
On 2nd June 2025, police officers arrested former State Minister of Peace, Taye Dendea, after the Federal Supreme Court reinstated two criminal charges that had previously been dropped. The new charges accuse him of inciting violence, supporting anti-peace forces, and violating firearm possession laws. However, Taye’s lawyer pointed to a pattern of legal violations, including the absence of a valid arrest warrant, conflicting information given to Taye and his family, and denying him access to legal representation. On 3rd June, the Lideta Branch of the Federal High Court revoked Taye’s earlier bail and ordered his continued detention. His lawyer criticised the court session for being held during the lunch break and without legal counsel present, calling it a deliberate move to reverse the bail decision in secret. Taye was initially arrested in December 2023, a day after he was removed from his ministerial position following his public criticism of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. He was then accused of supporting armed groups and using social media to incite violence. In August 2024, the Federal High Court acquitted him of those charges, ruling that his posts and interviews were protected under the constitution as free expression. His re-arrest and the manner in which it was conducted have raised serious concerns about due process, judicial independence, and the use of legal institutions to suppress dissent in Ethiopia.
The draft amendment to Ethiopia’s Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Proclamation, proposed by the Ministry of Justice in July 2025, marks a significant shift in Ethiopia’s regulatory framework, expanding state oversight and limiting civic space. It empowers the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organisations (ACSO) to suspend groups on the basis of suspicion or perceived risk, replacing the current safeguard that limits suspension to confirmed violations by the Director-General and for a fixed duration. The bill imposes sweeping restrictions on foreign and foreign-established organisations, barring their direct or indirect engagement in political advocacy, election observation, voter education, and related technical or financial support. It further introduces heavy administrative burdens by subjecting organisations to prior approval for registration, property acquisition, bank transactions, and borrowing, alongside a mandatory four-year licence renewal cycle. The Authority would also retain wide discretion to deny registration if it considers an organisation a potential security threat. These restrictions reverse key post-2018 reforms that had enabled greater civic participation and international engagement in governance processes. Although the Ministry cites consultations with stakeholders and claims the revisions are grounded in extensive studies, legal experts and rights advocates warn the changes could entrench government control, weaken independent oversight, and undermine democratic processes.
On 21st July 2025, ACSO summoned senior staff of the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC) and instructed them to remove their founder and Executive Director, Mr Yared Hailemariam, within one to two weeks. Officials reportedly cited his outspoken human rights advocacy on social media and other platforms as the reason for the order, while warning that suspension remained an option if the board failed to act. This directive constitutes direct government interference in the internal governance of a civil society organisation, contravening Ethiopia’s 2019 CSO Proclamation and international obligations on freedom of association. It also reflects a pattern of targeted harassment against Mr Hailemariam, who, despite receiving the 2024 Schuman EU Award for his decades of work promoting democracy and human rights, has faced persistent surveillance and pressure. Yared resigned on 1st August 2025. The development comes at a time when authorities are seeking to amend the CSO law to broaden state oversight and expand suspension powers, signalling a wider effort to shrink civic space and deter independent human rights advocacy in Ethiopia.
Peaceful Assembly
In May 2025, healthcare workers across Ethiopia launched a nationwide protest demanding improved pay, better working conditions, and protection of their rights. The strike, preceded by public protests and online campaigns under hashtags such as #HealthWorkersMatter, triggered widespread concern and government backlash. Senior doctors reported unbearable workloads and warned that the suspension of non-emergency services was already jeopardising patient care, stating the situation could not be sustained beyond a week without resolution. Instead of engaging constructively, authorities responded with intimidation and arrests. Throughout the month, dozens of healthcare workers were detained without charge, including leaders of the EHPA and Dr Mahlet Guush, who was held for over three weeks following a media interview critical of the government. Her case, along with arrests in the Amhara region by local militias, illustrates the pattern of arbitrary detention and harassment. Despite the Health Ministry’s order to return to work and claims that some workers were spreading misinformation, authorities have not formally invoked the Labour Proclamation, which restricts strike action for medical practitioners. The civil servants’ law, under which most healthcare workers fall, does not explicitly prohibit strikes. Nevertheless, the government accused striking professionals of incitement and attempting to erode public trust. These actions directly contravene international legal standards, including International Labour Organization conventions and Ethiopia’s constitution, which protect the rights to strike, free expression, and peaceful assembly.
On 5th July 2025, the Bahir Dar City High Court in Ethiopia’s Amhara region granted police an additional five days to detain and investigate Dr Daniel Fentahun, a prominent gynaecology and obstetrics resident at Bahir Dar University, over his alleged role in leading a protest involving detained healthcare workers that began in May. He faces charges of inciting, mobilising and organising a health workers’ strike that authorities claim led to loss of life. The extension follows a similar five-day remand granted on 27th June, with police citing unresolved matters requiring clarification. His arrest came shortly after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused unnamed actors of hijacking the strike, asserting it had been overtaken by political opportunists, and accusing some participants of politicising the medical profession.
Expression
Between 26th and 28th March 2025, authorities arrested seven journalists from the Ethiopian Broadcasting Service (EBS) over an episode aired on 23rd March of “Addis Meiraf,” in which Birtukan Temesgen alleged she was abducted and raped by men in military uniform in 2020. Days later, Birtukan publicly recanted her claims on state media, followed by an apology from EBS founder Amman Fissehazion, who admitted the station had failed to verify the allegations prior to broadcast. The Ethiopian Media Authority suspended the programme on 1st April, citing the need for corrective action. Despite these administrative steps, police escalated the matter, accusing the journalists of inciting conflict and collaborating with “extremist” groups in the Amhara region to threaten national security. The arrests followed a raid on EBS premises that briefly shut down operations, and the journalists, along with Birtukan, were remanded for 14 days pending investigations. Legal representatives argue the case reflects a misuse of anti-terrorism legislation and that any ethical breaches should be addressed through Ethiopia’s media and hate speech laws, which provide for civil and administrative remedies.
On 5th April 2025, authorities arrested Muhyidin Abdullahi Omar, editor at the state-run Harari Mass Media Agency and founder of Biyyoo Production, a YouTube news channel, in eastern Ethiopia’s Harari Region. Prosecutors charged him on 28th April with defamation and disseminating disinformation over Facebook posts alleging corruption in the regional attorney general’s office and mismanagement at a local mosque. Notably, Omar had been on administrative leave from the Harari Mass Media Agency since 2022 following a prior arrest linked to his social media activity. However, on 7th April 2025, two days after his most recent arrest, his employer suspended his salary pending a disciplinary hearing.
On 10th April 2025, police arrested Fanuel Kinfu, founder of the online outlet Fentale Media, from his home in Addis Ababa and questioned him over alleged defamation linked to commentary videos published between April 2023 and June 2024. The videos reportedly criticised public figures and government institutions, prompting legal scrutiny under Ethiopia’s defamation laws. On 15th April 2025, authorities released Kinfu on bail set at 15,000 birr, approximately (US$113).
On 23rd April 2025, police arrested Abebe Fikir, a journalist with the weekly newspaper The Reporter, while he was seeking comment from city officials regarding a housing dispute. Authorities accused him of filming without official permission, an allegation he denied. Abebe was held for two days before being released on 25th April on bail of 10,000 birr, equivalent to (US$75), without any formal charges.
On 17th April 2025, Ethiopian federal police raided the private home of a senior staff member and the offices of Addis Standard, detaining three journalists without producing copies of the alleged warrants. Authorities accused the team of preparing a documentary intended to incite violence—an unfounded claim, as the outlet lacks documentary production capacity. During the raid, police forcibly confiscated laptops, phones, and data storage devices, demanded passwords, and instructed staff to remain silent about the incident. The seized electronics remain in police custody, exposing Addis Standard’s communication systems to potential misuse, including impersonation, misinformation, and efforts to incriminate staff.
Separately, on 17th April 2025, the Ethiopian parliament approved an amendment to Ethiopia’s Mass Media Proclamation with draconian provisions that transgress the independence of the media regulatory body and oust the participation of CSOs. The amendment grants the Prime Minister the Authority to nominate the Director General of the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), a role reserved previously for the House; it repeals Articles 9(1) and 9(2), which required that board members be appointed “openly and transparently”; Article 11(6), the provision that stipulated a board member shall not be “a member or employee of a political party”, has been removed; it repeals Article 9(5)(a), which had required the board to include two members each from civil society organisations, media, and “other institutions that have relevance to the media sector.” Additionally, the amendments transfer licensing and regulations, including the Authority, to refuse licence registration, renewals, suspensions, revocations, warnings, fines, and programme terminations from the board to the Authority itself. These amendments reverse the progress made under Proclamation 1238/2021 and contribute to the shrinking media space in Ethiopia.
On 23rd April 2025, police arrested journalist Ahmed Awga, founder of Jigjiga Television Network, after he aired an interview with a man who alleged that his 16-year-old son, Shafi’i Abdikarim Ali, died from police brutality. The interview featured Abdikarim Ali Ahmed calling for justice, stating that a police officer had kicked his son in the head with boots, leading to hospitalisation and death. Despite these claims, the regional police commander dismissed the incident, telling the BBC Somali service that “the boy simply died” and no one would be held accountable. Ahmed was charged with incitement and remanded in custody on 25th April. On 22nd May, the Fafen Zone High Court sentenced him to two years in prison under the 2020 anti-hate speech law, later reclassifying the charge to “propagation of disinformation and public incitement.” The prosecution accused him of describing a regional election as a “so-called election,” claiming local officials had taken residents hostage, and stating that justice had been replaced by death. However, a review by CPJ and independent media outlet VOSS TV revealed that key evidence cited in court came from a Facebook post not authored by Ahmed but one in which he was merely tagged. None of his actual posts supported the prosecution’s claims. Ahmed’s case forms part of a wider pattern of media repression in Ethiopia, where authorities continue to misuse vague legal provisions to silence dissent and penalise journalists for reporting on sensitive issues.
On 8th June 2025, plainclothes security officers in Addis Ababa arrested journalist Tesfalem Waldyes at the Ghion Hotel. On 10th June, Tesfalem appeared before the Addis Ababa City First Instance Kirkos Division Court, where police accused him of spreading false information. The court granted bail of 15,000 birr (approximately US$109) and issued a release order upon payment. However, despite no formal appeal being filed by police against the release, authorities continued to detain Tesfalem in clear defiance of the court’s decision.