As Ethiopia votes, the growing human rights crisis must be addressed Elections

Ethiopia will hold its seventh general election on June 1. The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) gave the green light for the vote to go ahead despite ongoing internal conflicts and human rights violations.

Although it is important for democratic reforms to continue, the current situation in the country does not provide good conditions for free, fair, and credible elections.

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Conflicts and violence

When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, there were high hopes that the country would transform into a formal democracy. While some were cautious, most Ethiopians were happy with the political changes that followed the bloody protests that toppled the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Indeed, just a few months after coming to power, Prime Minister Abiy proposed many measures. Political prisoners, journalists and activists who were unjustly imprisoned were released. Repressive laws, including the notorious “anti-terrorism” law, the media law, the election law and other laws, were amended. Abiy also established good relations with Eritrea, a development that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize and international recognition.

But this change was soon overshadowed by internal strife. In 2020, there was a war between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which killed thousands of people. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and many human rights organizations said that the government forces are the ones who violate human rights the most.

Similarly, the International Commission of Human Rights Experts in Ethiopia established by the United Nations confirmed that war crimes and crimes against humanity, including mass murder, sexual violence and torture, were committed. Despite these findings, no concrete steps have been taken to prove that they have violated the law.

The Pretoria peace agreement, which was signed in November 2022, helped end the violence and put an end to the destructive conflict. However, fears of new violence are growing after the TPLF recently removed the Tigray leadership appointed by the federal government.

Likewise, the conflict that began in Amhara region in 2023 between federal forces and Fano’s army has resulted in serious human rights violations, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, which continue unabated. For example, in January 2024, government forces killed many people in the town of Merawi in Gojam province; at least 89 civilians were taken from their homes, surrounded, and killed, as report and Human Rights Watch.

In addition, drone strikes in several incidents in the Gojam, Wollo, and Shewa areas of Amhara region have resulted in the killing of civilians, exacerbating the poverty crisis and fears of an escalation of violence.

Clashes have continued in the Oromia region, where government agencies are clashing with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in a situation of instability. In April 2024, Bate Urgessa, the leader of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and a critic of the government, was killed in the town of Meki in the Oromia region. The exact circumstances surrounding his death, including the possible motives behind his death, are unknown.

Greater pressure

In recent years, the ruling Prosperity Party has increasingly consolidated authoritarian rule by rolling back the legal and political reforms it initiated and reasserting its authoritarian rule.

Emergency situation to be placed The outbreak of conflict in the Amhara region had a disturbing impact, disrupting the exercise of human rights and democratic freedoms.

Political repression and infighting among opposition members has continued to this day, with reports indicating the killing of political opponents.

The government has been accused of relying on secret security agencies, such as Security Committee (“Security Committee”), which allegedly committed serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention.

Rights groups also report increased censorship, intimidation and harassment of journalists, which has forced many of them into exile. A report The Committee to Protect Journalists indicates that since the year 2020, about 54 journalists have been forced to leave their country due to the persecution they faced by government agents. Several journalists, including Meskerem Abera, Dawit Begashaw, and Gobeze Sisay, were arrested on frivolous charges and remain in prison.

Prominent human rights activists are also being forced into exile due to government brutality. Yared Hailemariam, head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders and one of the country’s leading human rights activists, was forced to flee abroad. Similarly, Dan Yirga, the head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, was also forced to flee the country.

The human rights crisis in Ethiopia has had a profound impact on electoral politics. In the landmark 2024 resolution on electoral democracy, the African Union’s human rights body, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, found numerous human rights violations in the 2015 elections in Ethiopia. Even though it happened before the Prosperity Party came to power, the organization said that the laws enacted in recent years to protect electoral rights should be properly implemented.

Recently, 41 countries issued statements on March 2 of serious human rights concerns in Ethiopia and called for accountability, noting “the stalled process” and “the need for full and immediate implementation”.

Without respect for human rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to participate in democracy, voting alone cannot guarantee a free, fair, and credible election.

Human rights, politics, and security in Ethiopia should be a matter of international concern beyond the election period. It is the second most populous country in Africa and has the ninth the continent’s largest economy. Instability and violence in the country could have a negative impact on East Africa.

On the other hand, if the right political and economic policies are implemented, the number of young people and students in Ethiopia can be a great contribution to economic growth and regional development.

The international community should exert more pressure to ensure that the Ethiopian government makes the necessary changes and follows faith-building measures, including promoting national reconciliation, engaging in political dialogue, freeing political prisoners, and respecting the freedom of expression, assembly, and political participation. All of that should go hand in hand with the democratic electoral process.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect Al Jazeera’s influence.