This page summarizes cases raised with Ethiopia by the Special Rapporteur between May 1, 2011, (when the Special Rapporteur took up his functions) and February 28, 2017 (the date of the last public release of communications). Communications are released to the public once per year. This page also contains observations on these communications and on responses received from Ethiopia. Communications and observations are divided into sections based upon which observation report they originally appeared. Each communication is referenced as urgent appeal (UA), allegation letter (AL), joint urgent appeal (JUA) and joint allegation letter (JAL) – the hyperlinks lead to these documents. This is followed by the date the communication was issued, as well as the case number and the State reply (also hyperlinked if available). Summaries and communications are published only in the language of submission (in the case of Ethiopia, English). First Report (May 1, 2011 to March 15, 2012) Joint urgent appeal, 5/10/2011. Case no. ETH 4/2011. State Reply: 17/2/2012. Alleged arrests, detention and charges under anti-terrorism legislation of journalists and opposition politicians. Joint allegation letter, 9/12/2011. Case no. ETH 6/2011. State Reply: None to date. Alleged strict implementation of the Charities... Continue reading →
Issue No. 24 of the Assembly and Association Briefing, the newsletter of Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In this issue: • In final presentation to UN General Assembly, Special Rapporteur reflects on time in mandate; warns that situation for civil society remains ‘precarious’ • Corporate power undermining workers’ assembly and association rights, Kiai warns • Litigation project: Developments in cases in Kazakhstan, Brazil and USA • UN experts urge India to release prominent Kashmiri human rights defender • Democratic Republic of Congo: experts urge end to ‘unjustified’ ban on protests • Ethiopia: call for international investigation into systematic violence against protesters • Maina Kiai’s Foreword to the Civic Charter: the Framework for People’s Participation • Experts blast Kenya for excessive force against anti-corruption protesters • Mauritania: UN experts concerned about situation of jailed rights activists • Egypt NGO law: Special Rapporteur Kiai warns about growing restrictions on civil society • Iran: UN expert Shaheed calls for the immediate release of dual nationals • Assembly & association rights: By the numbers • Special Rapporteur news in... Continue reading →
IRVINE/NAIROBI/PARIS – A group of United Nations human rights experts is urging a U.S. appeals court to grant an Ethiopian American activist the right to sue the Government of Ethiopia for secretly monitoring his online activity for almost five months. The Court’s decision on whether it will hear the activist’s claims will have major repercussions for the ability of individuals to seek redress for human rights violations in domestic courts. Amici Curiae Brief for Appellant Kidane Motion for Leave to File Amici Curiae Brief The activist, who uses the pseudonym “Kidane” in order to protect himself and his family, was born in Ethiopia and granted asylum in the United States in the early 1990s. He currently lives in Maryland and is now an American citizen, but he continues to support members of Ethiopia’s democratic opposition movement. In 2012, Ethiopia reportedly infected Kidane’s computer with malware and, from October 2012 to March 2013, secretly intercepted and recorded his online activities, including his Skype calls, e-mails and web-browsing history. These allegations are part of broader trend of digital attacks targeting human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other vulnerable groups, both in Ethiopia and abroad. The group of experts – UN Special Rapporteurs David... Continue reading →
GENEVA – United Nations human rights experts today urged the Ethiopian authorities to end their violent crackdown on peaceful protests, which has reportedly led to the death of over 600 people since November 2015. They further called on the Government to allow an international commission of inquiry to investigate the protests and the violence used against peaceful demonstrators. “We are outraged at the alarming allegations of mass killings, thousands of injuries, tens of thousands of arrests and hundreds of enforced disappearances,” said the UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard. “We are also extremely concerned by numerous reports that those arrested had faced torture and ill-treatment in military detention centres.” “In light of the lack of progress in investigating the systematic violence against protesters, we urge the Ethiopian Government to allow an international independent commission to assist in shedding light on these allegations,” they stated. The human rights experts highlighted in particular the 2 October events in Oromia, where 55 people were killed in a stampede. “The deaths in the Oromia... Continue reading →
Issue No. 18 of the Assembly and Association Briefing, the newsletter of Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In this issue: • Full coverage of the Special Rapporteur's recently-completed mission to South Korea • Call for submissions for the UNSR’s next report: Exploring fundamentalism’s impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association • UNSR releases annual report recapping 2015 • UN experts urge review of UK surveillance bill threatening freedom of expression • Stop harassment of human rights defenders in occupied Palestinian Territory – UN experts • Alarms over Saudi Arabia’s growing clampdown on freedom of expression • Fundamental freedoms key to ensuring peaceful and fair elections in Venezuela • UN rights experts urge France to protect fundamental rights while countering terrorism • UN experts urge Ethiopia to halt crackdown on protesters, ensure accountability • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special Rapporteur news in brief: December 2015 - January 2016 • World briefing: Freedom of assembly and association in the news For a link to the newsletter, click on the image at right or click here (1.9MB file) or here (4.5MB full... Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of United Nations human rights experts* today called on the Ethiopian authorities to end the ongoing crackdown on peaceful protests by the country’s security forces, who have reportedly killed more than 140 demonstrators and arrested scores more in the past nine weeks. “The sheer number of people killed and arrested suggests that the Government of Ethiopia views the citizens as a hindrance, rather than a partner,” the independent experts said, while also expressing deep concern about allegations of enforced disappearances of several protesters. The current wave of protests began in mid-November, in opposition to the Government’s ‘Addis Ababa Integrated Development Master Plan’ to expand the capital’s municipal boundary. The ‘Master Plan’ could reportedly lead to mass evictions and the seizure of agricultural land in the Oromia region, as well as extensive deforestation. The UN experts welcomed the Government’s announcement on 12 January 2016 suspending the implementation of the ‘Master Plan’, but were concerned about continuous reports of killings, mass arrests, excessive use of force and other abuses by security forces. “The Government’s decision is a positive development, but it cannot be seen as a sincere commitment until the security forces stop... Continue reading →
Issue No. 12 of the Assembly and Association Briefing, the newsletter of Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In this issue: • Experts in Chile to shape UN recommendations on managing peaceful assemblies • Vibrant civil society fundamental to Latin America’s successes thus far – and equally important going forward, Kiai says in Chile • UN experts: continued detention of Ethiopian journalists unacceptable • Pre-election violence endangers Burundi’s young democracy • Contribute to the UNSR's next report on "sectoral equity" • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special rapporteur news in brief: March-April 2015 • World briefing: Freedom of assembly and association in the news For a link to the newsletter, click on the image at right or click here (2.3MB file) or here (13MB full resolution file). To subscribe to our newsletter, please drop us a line at info@freeassembly.net with the subject line “subscribe to newsletter.” For other recent newsletters, see the links below: The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, No. 9 (December 2014) The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Issue 10) (January 2015) The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Issue 11)... Continue reading →
GENEVA – The Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, today said the detention of the six so-called “Zone Nine” bloggers and three other journalists in Ethiopia over the past year has been “absolutely unacceptable”. The bloggers, who used an online platform to report on social and political issues in Ethiopia, were arrested on April 25 and 26 last year and have remained in detention ever since. The Federal First Instance Court of Ethiopia reportedly charged them under the 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation for “working with foreign human rights organizations and inciting violence through social media to create instability in the country.” Their trial has been adjourned several times. “The continued detention of these journalists is absolutely unacceptable and particularly worrying as the country prepares to hold parliamentary elections on May 24. The open public debate that should mark any democratic process is obviously undermined if journalists are silenced through harassment or detention,” Kaye said. “Muzzling the media and limiting public debate is never a good response to the threats of violence and terrorism,” continued Kaye. “Prosecuting journalists who... Continue reading →
Issue No. 8 of the Assembly and Association Briefing, the newsletter of Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In this issue: • Special Rapporteur tells UN General Assembly that rights to peaceful assembly and association must also be protected at multilateral level • Kiai to OSCE states: restrictions on assembly and association rights contribute to rise of extremism • Malaysia Sedition Act threatens freedoms • Experts: Coordinated, multipronged approach needed to inject international standards into domestic and regional courts • UN experts urge Ethiopia to stop using anti-terrorism legislation to curb human rights • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special rapporteur news in brief: September-October 2014 • World briefing: Freedom of assembly and association in the news For a link to the newsletter, click on the image at right or click here (1.9MB file) or here (7.3MB full resolution file). To subscribe to our newsletter, please drop us a line at info@freeassembly.net with the subject line “subscribe to newsletter.” For other recent newsletters, see the links below: The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, Issue 5 (June 2014) The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, Issue 6... Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of United Nations human rights experts* today urged the Government of Ethiopia to stop misusing anti-terrorism legislation to curb freedoms of expression and association in the country, amid reports that people continue to be detained arbitrarily. The experts' call comes on the eve of the consideration by Ethiopia of a series of recommendations made earlier this year by members of the Human Rights Council in a process known as the Universal Periodic Review and which applies equally to all 193 UN Members States. These recommendations are aimed at improving the protection and promotion of human rights in the country, including in the context of counter-terrorism measures. “Two years after we first raised the alarm, we are still receiving numerous reports on how the anti-terrorism law is being used to target journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders and opposition politicians in Ethiopia,” the experts said. “Torture and inhuman treatment in detention are gross violations of fundamental human rights.” “Confronting terrorism is important, but it has to be done in adherence to international human rights to be effective,” the independent experts stressed. “Anti-terrorism provisions need to be clearly defined in Ethiopian criminal law, and they must not be... Continue reading →
