The government then made a bleak situation worse through the enactment of a draconian anti terrorism proclamation despite. Analysis this paper analyses ethiopia s draft anti terrorism proclamation the draft proclamation and assesses to what extent the proposed law on its face conforms to international human rights. Time to repeal antiterrorism law in ethiopia inter press. Pdf the impact of ethiopias antiterrorism law on freedom. Ethiopia adopts new version of muchcriticized terrorism law. Instead, yonatan tesfaye, a former spokesman of the semayawi blue party, was detained in december 2015 on charges under article 4 of ethiopia s anti terrorism proclamation. Ethiopia recognized the right to freedom of expression. The proclamation was adopted on 7 july 2009 and came into force upon its publication in the federal negarit gazeta of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia official gazette 15th year no. An analysis of the draft ethiopian antiterrorism law. The report examines how the law, enacted in 2009, is a tool of repression, designed and used by the ethiopian government to silence its critics. Ethiopia prosecutors bring multiple criminal charges. Addis ababa ethiopian lawmakers have replaced anti terrorism legislation that had drawn criticism from rights activists, although amnesty international said the new version still had the potential to be used against government critics. The new law, adopted thursday, removes text invoked to arrest scores of journalists and politicians over the years.
State terrorism and computer crimes in ethiopia posted in al mariams commentaries by almariam on may 29. Analysis of ethiopias draft antiterrorism law human. The use of the anti terrorism proclamation in previous cases against journalists. The voice of america amharic last week reported 16 ethiopian opposition political parties agreed to discuss the anti terrorism and other proclamations and other agenda points including communications, press and charities and civic organizations with the ruling regime in ethiopia. Time to repeal antiterrorism law in ethiopia zehabesha. This law must be revised to align with international standards and must no longer be used to harass journalists, said seif magango. Ethiopia adopts new version of muchcriticized terrorism. Corruption offences means corruption offences provided in the fdre penal code. Ethiopian legal information portal find laws, cases, legal. Many dissidents fall into its trap and by day its effect is becoming more farreaching and resonating. Republic of ethiopia, it is hereby proclaimed as follows. In this paper, i discuss how the anti terrorism proclamation of 2009 hereafter referred to as. Radical improvements in good governance and democracy also require repeal of the socalled anti terrorism proclamation no.
Esat news january 18, 2018 ethiopia s ruling party says changes would not be made to the draconian anti terrorism proclamation atp, let alone scrapping the law altogether. Analysis of ethiopias draft antiterrorism proclamation. A discussion on the revision of the anti terrorism proclamation has been held. Cite as, national legislative bodies national authorities, ethiopia. The cruel political jokes of the ttplf in ethiopia by. Aug 25, 20 terrorism by antiterrorism law lately, meles zenawi, the dictator in ethiopia, has been rounding up dissidents, journalists, opposition party political leaders and members under a diktat known as antiterrorism proclamation no. Ttplf terrorism by anti terrorism law like the apartheid 1967 terrorism act, the ttplf anti terrorism proclamation under section 3 classifies as terrorist anyone or group intending to advance a political, religious or ideological cause seeks to destabilize or destroy the fundamental political, constitutional or, economic or. It confirms that the law is designed and used by the ethiopian government as a tool of repression to silence its critics. Ethiopia s infamous anti terrorism law saw prominent journalists, high level opposition members take lengthy prison sentences a court in addis ababa jailed blogger eskindir nega and opposition party members including adualem arage, deputy chairman of the unity for democracy and justice udj, the only opposition party with a lone. Nov 30, 2012 the politics in ethiopias political trials. Whereas, the right of the people to live in peace, freedom and security has to be protected, at all times, from the threat of terrorism. Terrorism by anti terrorism law lately, meles zenawi, the dictator in ethiopia, has been rounding up dissidents, journalists, opposition party political leaders and members under a diktat known as antiterrorism proclamation no.
Legislative proposals and application of human right treaties in ethiopia. Addis ababa reuters ethiopias ruling coalition started talks with opposition groups on wednesday on amending provisions of an antiterrorism law that critics say. Even assuming, arguendo, that the intent requirement for terrorist acts implicitly applies to encouragement also, advocating for peaceful protestswhich may be intended to influence policy but that in no way actually endangers people or propertymay constitute encouraging terrorism under ethiopian law. In august 2009, ethiopia enacted legislation to counter terrorism anti terrorism proclamation no. Ethiopias highly controversial antiterrorism law, proclamation no. Proclamation no 4332005 the revised proclamation for the. Terrorism, charities and civic society proclamations. This paper analyses ethiopias draft antiterrorism proclamation the. An earlier version of this analysis was based on an unofficial draft of the proclamation dated january 2009. Amnesty international, human rights watch, committee to protect journalists cpj, all have openly criticized ethiopia for adopting the anti terrorism proclamation. In principle, the anti terrorism proclamation and the existing criminal code have high requirements for government prosecutors to prove intent in charges against the press, according to legal experts and cpj analysis.
Ethiopia authorities should release journalist mesganaw. This diktat approved on a 28691 vote of the rubberstamp parliament is so arbitrary and. Ethiopian government and opposition start talks on. In addition, the anti terrorism proclamation and the ethiopian constitution serve as critical sources of reference materials for this paper. Ethiopian government and opposition start talks on amending.
In practice, however, ethiopian judges have leniently interpreted these requirements, giving them little or no consideration. A tool to stifle dissent, by the oakland institute and the environmental defender law center, authored by lawyers including representatives from leading international law firms, unravels the 2009 proclamation. Ena january 22020 the house of peoples representatives hpr approved today the revised antiterrorism draft bill. As a living victim of misuse of the anti terrorism proclamation atp in ethiopia, i face a heartbreaking judgement oftentimes from ordinary citizens who knew that i was once charged of the atp. They say, you must have been involved in something that got you suspected of terrorism. Conflating terrorism and journalism in ethiopia committee. The oromo and the war on terror in the horn of africa us.
Whereas, terrorism is a danger to the peace, security and development of the country and a serious threat. Amharic translations of recent commentaries by the author. Whereas it has become necessary to strengthen the national intelligence and security service so as to protect and defend the sovereignty of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, the constitution and constitutional order. As a result drafters first draft in amharic and then translate it. The enactment results from an acknowledgment that terrorism is a threat to human rights, peace and security of not only the people in ethiopia, but to the rest of the world preamble of ethiopia anti terrorism proclamation, 2009. Document this paper analyses ethiopia s draft anti terrorism proclamation the draft proclamation and assesses to what extent the proposed law on its face conforms to international human rights. Eskinder nega fenta, an independent journalist and blogger, was one of six journalists convicted under the anti terrorism proclamation of.
Ethiopia uses antiterror laws to silence critical journalists. All provisions cited are unofficial amnesty international translations from amharic. On wednesday 17 july 20, members of the european parliaments subcommittee on human rights visited ethiopia and urged the government to release journalists and opposition activists imprisoned under the countrys antiterrorism proclamation no. Sbort title this proclamation may be cited as the public \ servants pension amendment proclamation no. Ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation and the right to.
In its analysis, the paper does a diachronic analysis of comparing the ethiopian situation before and after the passage of the anti terrorism. Since its enactment on july 2009, ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation is at the very center of every political discourse in the almost nation. This paper analyses ethiopias draft antiterrorism proclamation the draft proclamation and assesses to what extent the proposed law on its face conforms to international human rights standards. The politics in ethiopias political trials opendemocracy.
But first it will tell the stories of just a small number of those unjustly targeted by the law. Jan 20, 2011 a proclamation on anti terrorism proclamation no. The proclamation has been used by the regime to charge and imprison opposition party members, journalists and dissidents who criticise the regime or exercise their. Whereas, money laundering and financing of terrorism not only threaten security but also compromise the stability, transparency soundness and efficiency of. Moreover, it was developed to fill the gaps in the previous antiterrorism proclamation no. Ethiopian antiterrorism proclamation, ethiopia began to appropriate the legal and political rationalities of the west, to transfer its. In the last two weeks ethiopian security forces detained two ethiopian journalists, eskinder nega and sileshi hagos. This discussion of the antiterrorism proclamation may seem semantic, but the result is painfully real for the journalists and activists who face imprisonment for exercising. A tool to stifle dissent, authored by lawyers from leading international law firms, provides an indepth and damning analysis of ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation. However, the federal ethics and anti corruption commission of ethiopia is responsible for preparing a national report on anti corruption efforts across the country. This article analyses the impact of ethiopias antiterrorism law on the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression and information. The parliament in its 8 th regular session endorsed the bill with majority vote and one abstention that was drafted by the attorney general and forwarded to it. Short title this proclamation may be cited as the revised anti corruption special procedure and rules of evidence proclamation no.
The australian anti terrorism law, one of the legislation said to have been used as a basis for the ethiopian anti terrorism proclamation, incorporates a. Jun 30, 2009 the provisions of ethiopias draft antiterrorism proclamation can be broadly grouped under the following categories. From 2 to 9 december, at the invitation of the government, i conducted the first mission to ethiopia by a mandateholder of the. Eleven statements from his facebook page were used as evidence. Analysis, ethiopia, news tagged ethiopia antiterrorism law, ethiopia civic society law, ethiopia ethnic politics, ethiopia good governance. Unhcr is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Our major radio programs are in amharic and afaan oromoo, the two widely spoken languages in ethiopia. Proclamation into conformity with international human rights standards and narrow the definition of terrorism used. A prominent ethiopian political opposition member sits in prison on charges of terrorism. Amendment the public servants pension proclamation no. Wazema radio, mapping the ethiopian media, may 2018. Instead, yonatan tesfaye, a former spokesman of the semayawi blue party, was detained in december 2015 on charges under article 4 of ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation. To date the draft anti terrorism legislation does not appear to have been publicly circulated or discussed, including with civil society, although a public debate took place in.
To date the draft antiterrorism legislation does not appear to have been publicly circulated or discussed, including with civil society, although a public debate took place in parliament on june 25. The identity of those suspected for terrorism and arrested based on the law also gave this institutions a reason to take ethiopia a regular destination for their condemnations. Ethiopia jails blogger, opposition party members addis. Regions have, therefore, a constitutional right to establish their own anti corruption institutions which are independent from the federal government. The antiterrorism proclamation continues to be the governments tool of choice for arbitrarily arresting people. Analysis of ethiopia s draft anti terrorism proclamation march 9, 2009 summary this paper analyses ethiopia s draft anti terrorism proclamation the draft proclamation and assesses to what extent the proposed law on its face conforms to international human rights standards. May 30, 2018 ethiopia s ruling coalition started talks with opposition groups on wednesday on amending provisions of an anti terrorism law that critics say has criminalised dissent, stateaffiliated media said. The parliament in its 8 th regular session endorsed the bill with majority vote and one abstention that was drafted by the attorney general and forwarded to it by the council of ministers in may 2019.
Council of ministers approves antiterrorism law ethiopian. It confirms that the law is designed and used by the ethiopian government as a tool of. This discussion of the antiterrorism proclamation may seem semantic, but the result. Ethiopian government and opposition start talks on amending antiterrorism law. Proclamation on antiterrorism, published in the federal negarit gazeta of the federal republic of ethiopia on 28 august 2009 proclamation against international standards on freedom of expression. The government of ethiopia routinely uses its vague and overly broad antiterrorism law to stifle freedom of expression and. Whereas, terrorism is a danger to the peace, security and development of the country and a serious threat to the peace and security of the world at large.
Analysis of ethiopias draft antiterrorism law human rights watch. The 20 edition of the human rights and democracy report of the government of the united kingdom uk severely criticized the government of ethiopia for its application of its anti terrorism proclamation and the charities and societies proclamation, which hampers the activity of the opposition camp of the country. Mesganaw, who reports for the privatelyowned ethiopia weekly, was arrested shortly after he interviewed a lawyer, henok aklilu, outside the arada first instance court in addis ababa, and is now facing allegations of contravening ethiopia s anti terrorism proclamation, henok and mesganaws editor, eskinder nega, told cpj. Observers say ethiopian courts frequently use the countrys anti terrorism laws to restrict activities of government critics. The ethiopian house of peoples representatives has voted into law a new amnesty law that grants amnesty to persons convicted of a number of political crimes including those found guilty of committing crimes punishable under the infamous anti terrorism proclamation as well as crimes punishable on the basis of various provisions of the criminal code of ethiopia. Democratic republic of ethiopia, it is hereby proclaimed as follows. Ethiopian government, opposition start talks on anti. Aug 30, 20 ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation and the right to freedom of expression. New antiterrorism proclamation jeopardizes freedom. Terrorism by antiterrorism law lately, meles zenawi, the dictator in ethiopia, has been rounding up dissidents, journalists, opposition party political leaders and members under a diktat known as antiterrorism proclamation no.
Ecadf ethiopian news ethiopian news, video and opinions. In principle, the anti terrorism proclamation and the existing. Proclamation no 4332005 the revised proclamation for the establishment of the federal ethics and anti corruption commission whereas, the government and the peoples of ethiopia recognize that corruption and impropriety are capable of hindering the social, economic and political development of any country. An examination of ethiopias anti terrorism proclamation. Federal ethics and anticorruption commission of ethiopia. This is the conclusion reached by the united nations, the worlds leading democracies, international human rights organizations, and numerous other groups. Addis ababa august 292018 successive public consultations aimed at gathering essential inputs in revising the anti terrorism, charities and societies proclamations will be held in regional capitals and the two city administrations starting from the coming friday. Washington voa from an internet shutdown to convictions of journalists and opposition members, ethiopia s civil society has felt like its under attack in recent weeks. The ethiopian press is both depended on and much maligned. Ethiopia s ruling coalition started talks with opposition groups on wednesday on amending provisions of an anti terrorism law that critics say has criminalized dissent, stateaffiliated media said. But, unlike other versions, ethiopia s law omits some key limitations on the definition of terrorism, and, as cpj wrote in a letter to prime minister hailemariam desalegn shortly after the law was passed, the ethiopian judiciary cannot be counted on to interpret the text fairly.
Antiterrorism legislation further restricts ethiopian press. The australian anti terrorism law, one of the legislation said to have been used as a basis for the ethiopian anti terrorism proclamation. United nations special rapporteur on the right to freedom. Draft investment proclamation ethiopia draft excise proclamation ethiopia draft state enterprises proclamation ethiopia volume 23 cassation decisions prosperity party program. An examination of ethiopias anti terrorism proclamation on. Ethiopian lawmakers have replaced anti terrorism legislation that had drawn criticism from rights activists, although amnesty international said the new version still had the potential to be used.
In a press conference he gave today, public relations and communication affairs director of federal attorney general, taye dendea. Comment on ethiopian anti terrorism proclamation article 19, london, 2010 law201003 ethiopia 1 about the article 19 law programme the article 19 law programme advocates for the development of progressive standards on freedom of expression and access to information at the international level, and their. The use of ethiopia s anti terrorism proclamation to arbitrarily arrest journalists is completely out of step with reforms witnessed in the country. The government is putting a lot of pressure to bear on dw and voa to have certain opposition people removed from the. Sep 03, 2012 in contrast, rule by law rule by diktat has made zenawis socalled antiterrorism law antiterrorism proclamation no. Ethiopian lawmakers have replaced antiterrorism legislation that had drawn criticism from rights activists, although amnesty international said. The refusal to accept this recommendation underlines the worsening climate for journalists in ethiopia since the government of former prime minister meles zenawi began using anti terrorism legislation against them. Old ethiopian newspapers berhanena selam proclamation no. The anti terrorism proclamation was commonly invoked in 2011 as the government launched a crackdown on scores of politicians, journalists, bloggers, and others among the oromo and other groups. Amnesty proclamation 10962018 ratified by the parliament of.
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