A seperate letter was sent to several members of the diplomatic community in which they are encouraged to continue to monitor the implementation of the new law. Earlier this month, the Ambassador’s Group (EPG) and the Heads of Development Group (DAG) issued a statement in which it was stated that a majority of them are concerned about the possible impact of the law.

Background
Ethiopia has received massive criticism from human rights organisations from around the world for the CSO law.The law violates the country’s own constitution and international law and standards:

  • Organisations can only operate when registered. The grounds upon which organisations will not be registered, or may lose their registration are very broad
  • Violations of the CSO law can result in many years’ imprisonment and heavy fines
  • Foreign organisations that work on issues such as human rights, governance and gender are not allowed anymore to operate in Ethiopia
  • The same goes for Ethiopian organisations that receive more than 10% of their funding from abroad
  • Hardly any possibility to appeal against decisions of the Charities and Societies Agency (CSA), which will oversee all CSOs in Ethiopia

Documents: