It is to be recalled that the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) had suspended the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), The Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) in November 2024. While the suspension of all three CSOs was lifted in December 2024, ACSO later suspended CARD, LHR as well as the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC).
In a press release issued on December 27, 2024, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) expressed its concern about the impact of the suspension on the civic space and the enjoyment of freedom of association in Ethiopia. EHRC also conducted an investigation into the suspension and shared its findings and recommendations with relevant stakeholders. In an effort spearheaded by its new Chief Commissioner Berhanu Adello, EHRC continued to engage ACSO, relevant government authorities and the four CSOs to advocate for the suspensions to be lifted and enable the CSOs to resume operations.
EHRC is pleased that its advocacy efforts were successful and the suspension of all four CSOs has been lifted by ACSO as of March 03, 2025. EHRC expresses its gratitude to ACSO, relevant government authorities and the concerned CSOs for their commitment to dialogue and for finding a resolution to the matter. On this occasion, EHRC calls for the development of a practice of resolving problems through dialogue, prioritizing human rights protection and national interests.
For the Amharic version of the press release click here (አማርኛ)
