Human Rights Watch World Report 2013 – Ethiopia

The sudden death in August 2012 of Ethiopia’s long-serving and powerful prime minister, Meles Zenawi, provoked uncertainty over the country’s political transition, both domestically and among Ethiopia’s international partners. Ethiopia’s human rights record has sharply deteriorated, especially over the past few years, and although a new prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, took office in September, it remains to be seen whether the government under his leadership will undertake human rights reforms.
Ethiopian authorities continued to severely restrict basic rights of freedom of expression, association, and assembly in 2012. Thirty journalists and opposition members were convicted under the country’s vague Anti-Terrorism Proclamation of 2009.The security forces responded to protests by the Muslim community in Oromia and Addis Ababa, the capital, with arbitrary arrests, detentions, and beatings.
The Ethiopian government continues to implement its “villagization” program: the resettlement of 1.5 million rural villagers in five regions of Ethiopia ostensibly to increase their access to basic services. Many villagers in Gambella region have been forcibly displaced, causing considerable hardship. The government is also forcibly displacing indigenous pastoral communities in Ethiopia’s Lower Omo Valley to make way for state-run sugar plantations.
Freedom of Expression, Association, and Assembly
Since the promulgation in 2009 of the Charities and Societies Proclamation (CSO Law), which regulates nongovernmental organizations, and the AntiTerrorism Proclamation, freedom of expression, assembly, and association have been increasingly restricted in Ethiopia. The effect of these two laws, coupled with the government’s widespread and persistent harassment, threats, and intimidation of civil society activists, journalists, and others who comment on sensitive issues or express views critical of government policy, has been severe. Ethiopia’s most important human rights groups have been compelled to dramatically scale-down operations or remove human rights activities from their man dates, and an unknown number of organizations have closed entirely. Several of the country’s most experienced and reputable human rights activists have fled the country due to threats. The environment is equally hostile for independent media: more journalists have fled Ethiopia than any other country in the world due to threats and intimidation in the last decade—at least 79, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The Anti-Terrorism Proclamation is being used to target perceived opponents, stifle dissent, and silence journalists. In 2012, 30 political activists, opposition party members, and journalists were convicted on vaguely defined terrorism offenses. Eleven journalists have been convicted under the law since 2011.
On January 26, a court in Addis Ababa sentenced both deputy editor Woubshet Taye and columnist Reeyot Alemu of the now-defunct weekly Awramaba Times to 14 years in prison. Reeyot’s sentence was later reduced to five years upon
appeal and most of the charges were dropped.
On July 13, veteran journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega, who won the prestigious PEN America Freedom to Write Award in April, was sentenced to 18 years in prison along with other journalists, opposition party members, and political
activists. Exiled journalists Abiye Teklemariam and Mesfin Negash were sentenced to eight years each in absentia under a provision of the Anti-Terrorism Law that has so far only been used against journalists. Andualem Arage, a member of the registered opposition party Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), was sentenced to life for espionage, “disrupting the constitutional order,” and recruitment and training to commit terrorist acts.
In September, the Ethiopian Federal High Court ordered the property of Eskinder Nega, exiled journalist Abebe Belew, and opposition member Andualem Arage to be confiscated.
On July 20, after the government claimed that reports by the newspaper Feteh on Muslim protests and the prime minister’s health would endanger national security, it seized the entire print run of the paper. On August 24, Feteh’s editor, Temesghen Desalegn was arrested and denied bail. He was released on August 28, and all the charges were withdrawn pending further investigation.
Police on July 20 raided the home of journalist Yesuf Getachew, editor-in-chief of the popular Muslim magazine Yemuslimoche Guday (Muslim Affairs), and arrested him that night. The magazine has not been published since, and at this writing, Yesuf remained in detention.
On December 27, 2011, two Swedish journalists, Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, were found guilty of supporting a terrorist organization after being arrested while traveling in eastern Ethiopia with the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), an outlawed armed insurgent group. They were also convicted of entering the country illegally. The court sentenced them to 11 years in prison. On September 10, they were pardoned and released along with more than 1,950 other prisoners as part of Ethiopia’s annual tradition of amnesty to celebrate the Ethiopian New Year.
On several occasions in July, federal police used excessive force, including beatings, to disperse largely Muslim protesters opposing the government’s interference with the country’s Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs. On July 13, police forcibly entered the Awalia mosque in Addis Ababa, smashing windows and firing tear gas inside the mosque. On July 21, they forcibly broke up a sit-in at the mosque. From July 19 to 21, dozens of people were rounded up and 17 prominent leaders were

Ethiopia: Sudanese Refugees Relocated to Camp in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa — The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has relocated over 1,480 Sudanese refugees from the border to Sherkole camp in Ethiopia pushing the capacity of the camp beyond the initial limit of 9,000 people.
In a statement the UNHCR in Ethiopia said the refugees who had originally been displaced by the conflict in Sudan's eastern Blue Nile state were relocated during March and April.
The Sudanese refugees were being sheltered among host communities along the Ethiopia-Sudan border since their arrival in 2011 hoping to return when stability is restored.
But with the security situation in Blue Nile state still uncertain the UN refugee agency said it is planning to relocate more Sudanese refugee from the borders to camps further inside Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's Agency for Refugees and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) - which is an implementing partner of the UNHCR - said that some 2,000 more Sudanese are ready to be relocated soon.
Currently Ethiopia hosts nearly 90,000 Sudanese refugees who make up 22.5% of the total over 397,000 refugees currently Ethiopia shelters.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS:
The UNHCR believes that continuing conflict and access to humanitarian aid in Blue Nile and Kordofan states would possibly drive more Sudanese to seek refuge in Ethiopia.
With the Sudanese government and SPLM-N as yet unable to reach a peace accord, the UNHCR said Assosa town in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region will remain in emergency preparedness mode to receive new refugees.
The AU-mediated peace talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N held last month in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, ended with no breakthrough.
The two sides failed to reach agreement on the central issues of the conflict as well as providing humanitarian aid to conflict-affected regions.
Further more the UNHCR and its partners are planning to expand Kutaworke transit centre within Sherkole camp with the aim of using it as a temporary shelter in the event of a large scale of influx.
"In the meantime, UNHCR is following up with ARRA and the regional authorities on the approval of the site for a 4th camp" it said.
DISEASE OUTBREAK:
The UNHCR meanwhile said Sudanese refugees continue to arrive in Ethiopia from camps in Upper Nile where the outbreak of Hepatitis-E is confirmed.
To tackle a potential spread of the disease to the camps in Ethiopia a multi-agency task force has been established to develop and implement a Hepatitis-E preparedness plan.
According to UNHCR officials there is a legitimate possibility that the disease could be prevalent within Blue Nile state.
"UNHCR and ARRA have been meeting with the Regional Health Bureau, WHO and UNICEF to strengthen coordination between the host community and Refugee operations regarding epidemic preparedness and response", the UN body's statement said.