Some individuals charged under ethiopia s anti terrorism law are. Peaceful protests and the rights to freedom of expression and assembly as a party to the international covenant on civil and political rights, ethiopia is obliged to. A tool to stifle dissent, authored by lawyers from leading international law firms, provides an indepth and damning analysis of ethiopia s anti terrorism proclamation. Ethiopia s anti terrorism proclamation was introduced in 2009. For example, under the anti terrorism proclamation of ethiopia, the provision directly copied from the western nations of counter terrorism act, especially that of germany, is article 6. The free press expanded under the ethiopian government when the ruling. This text may be used free of charge for the purposes of advocacy, campaigning, education. Human rights watch has repeatedly raised serious concerns about ethiopia s anti terrorism proclamation of 2009, including its overly broad definition of terrorist acts, which can. Jan 20, 2011 download antiterrorism proclamation no. This regulation is issued by the council of ministers pursuant to article 34 of the definition of powers and duties of the executive organs of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia proclamation no. A blog providing free access to ethiopian laws and court decisions with analysis and commentary. 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. Whereas, it has been found necessary to have a system, that enables to protect. Ethiopian anti terrorism law pdf free download as pdf file.
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. Before the csp, ewlas activities reached thousands of beneficiaries. I discuss how the anti terrorism proclamation of 2009 hereafter referred to as. 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. Recently, the ethiopian government has extensively used the provisions of the ethiopian antiterrorism proclamation eatp to prosecute. Ethiopian anti terrorism law, financing of terrorism, money laundering, terrorism. Based on earlier drafts of the law previously made available to amnesty international, acts of terrorism are vaguely defined and could encompass the legitimate expression of political dissent. The most recent basis for punishment of journalists and media are the anti terrorism proclamation, the freedom of the mass media and access to information proclamation no. We recently condemned the application of the anti terrorism proclamation. Draconian state of emergency measures executive summary halfway into the sixmonth state of emergency the ethiopian government declared on 9 october 2016, this is a commentary on the state of emergency declaration and the directive for the implementation of the declaration.
The government then made a bleak situation worse through the enactment of a draconian anti terrorism proclamation despite international condemnation, the government has not hesitated to deploy it to stifle popular publications. Ethiopias commitment and respect for african institutions and mechanisms is not in doubt. An examination of ethiopias anti terrorism proclamation. African commission on human and peoples rights, antiterrorism, antiterrorism proclamation, article 19 of the iccpr, convention on the prevention and combating of terrorism, eskinder nega, ethiopia, european parliament, human. Ethiopia recognized the right to freedom of expression and information by ratifying the international covenant on civil and political rights iccpr in 1993. The ethiopian constitution states that all persons have basic human rights including life, liberty. New antiterrorism proclamation jeopardizes freedom. Proclamation on anti terrorism, published in the federal negarit gazeta of the federal republic of ethiopia on 28 august 2009 proclamation against international standards on freedom of expression.
They say, you must have been involved in something that got you suspected of terrorism. Federal negarit gazeta establishment proclamation resources. Imprisoned under the ebook mpeg video compression standard pdf countrys anti terrorism proclamation no. Proclamation no 4332005 the revised proclamation for the. The charities and societies proclamation, the prevention and suppression of money laundering and the financing of terrorism proclamation and anti terrorism proclamation are among the laws that have key provisions that violates ethiopian. This violence in the name of delivering economic growth is built on the 2009 anti terrorism proclamation, which has allowed the ethiopian government secure complete hegemonic authority by suppressing any form of dissent. Ethiopian legal information portal find laws, cases, legal. There has been a proliferation of counter terrorism legislation globally following 911, which is considered a turning point in the history of counter terrorism. 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. Jun 30, 2009 human rights watch s detailed analysis of the draft antiterrorism proclamation concludes that the bill violates fundamental freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly, and strips defendants of. Aug 30, 20 ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation and the right to freedom of expression posted. Ethiopias highly controversial antiterrorism law, proclamation no. Intensified crackdown on free speech in ethiopia united.
Breaking ethiopia charges prominent opposition member. The conformity of ethiopian anti terrorism proclamation with the. Whereas, in order to adequately fight terrorism, it is necessary to cooperate with. The impact of ethiopias antiterrorism law on freedom of. English analysis on ethiopia about protection and human. Oct 15, 2014 by riva jalipa the author is legal officer for article 19eastern africa. Pdf this article analyses the impact of ethiopias antiterrorism law on the. Some roles of the media are to hold elected officials are accountable, ensure elections are free, fair and. Council arise to reform anti terrorism, media law ethiopia. Freedom of expression and its limits under the ethiopian constitution. 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.
In accordance with article 551 of the constitution of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia, it is hereby proclaimed as follows. Amnesty international believes that at least 108 journalists and opposition members were arrested in 2011 primarily because of their legitimate and peaceful criticism of. This article analyses the impact of ethiopias antiterrorism law on the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression and information. Ethiopia also promulgated the anti terrorism proclamation. Time to repeal antiterrorism law in ethiopia inter. Copy of the proclamation is attached to this comment, see appendix 1.
In addition to concerns over torture and degrading treatment, counter. Amendment the public servants pension proclamation no. A prominent ethiopian political opposition member sits in prison on charges of terrorism. This is a chapter in a recently issued state of right to information in africa report 2014 and is reprinted with permission. Examples of ethiopia s misuse of its anti terrorism law. Ethiopia uses antiterror laws to silence critical journalists. 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.
This practice raises serious concerns about the extent to which ethiopians can rely upon their constitutionally guaranteed rights to afford the protection that. Since its enactment on july 2009, ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation is at the very center of every political discourse in the almost nation. This is the conclusion reached by the united nations, the worlds leading democracies, international. Pdf the impact of ethiopias antiterrorism law on freedom of. 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. This paper analyses ethiopias draft antiterrorism proclamation the draft proclamation. A tool to stifle dissent, authored by lawyers from leading international law firms, provides an indepth and damning analysis of ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation. Legislative proposals and application of human right. The government of ethiopia routinely uses its vague and overly broad anti terrorism law to stifle freedom of expression and political opposition. A proclamation for antiterrorism awareness month whereas. 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 s anti terrorism proclamation wasis at the very center of almost every political discourse in the nation. This diktat approved on a 28691 vote of the rubberstamp parliament is so arbitrary and. A major concern articulated about the antiterrorism law is the vague nature of its provisions.
All published decisions of the cassation bench of the federal supreme court cases are included in the website. An examination of ethiopias anti terrorism proclamation on. Time to repeal antiterrorism law in ethiopia inter press. The court decisions are organized either in volumes exactly as they are published by the supreme court or separated by case number. A discussion on the revision of the anti terrorism proclamation has been held. 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. 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. Your use of this heinonline pdf indicates your acceptance of. Freedominfo ethiopia criminalizes free flow of information. Whereas, money laundering and the financing of terrorism as it not only threaten security, but also compromise the stability, transparency, soundness and efficiency of the financial. Dismantling dissent intensified crackdown on free speech in ethiopia. Yonatan tesfaye, formerly of the blue party, was arrested and charged.
Mahlet fasil addis abeba, march 62017 as fresh terrorism charges against several individuals surge following the yearlong public protests that led to the current state of emergency, prosecutors in ethiopia have today charged a group of 76 individuals with various articles of ethiopia s infamous anti terrorism proclamation atp. In practice, however, ethiopian judges have leniently interpreted these requirements, giving them little or no consideration. Amnesty international, human rights watch, committee to protect journalists cpj, all have openly criticized ethiopia for adopting the anti terrorism proclamation. One of them, for example, makes encouragement of terrorism an offense punishable with imprisonment of up to 20 years. Download sodere app and watch new full movies for free. The proclamation was adopted on 7 july 2009 and came into force upon its publication in the federal negarit gazeta of the federal. Article 19 comments on anti terrorism proclamation article 19 today issues its analysis of the ethiopian anti terrorism proclamation 2009 and calls for the government to fully recognise the right to freedom of expression under international and regional human rights law. Ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation and the right to freedom of expression. Pdf the impact of ethiopias antiterrorism law on freedom. Of the federal democratic republic of ethiopia bxte. Establishment of the secretariat of the house of peoples representatives and of the house of the federation proclamation. Many dissidents fall into its trap and by day its effect is becoming more farreaching and resonating. Article 19 has extensive experience of working on freedom of expression and information issues in ethiopia. Aug 30, 20 ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation and the right to freedom of expression.
The australian anti terrorism law, one of the legislation said to have been used as a basis for the ethiopian anti terrorism proclamation. Wazema radio, mapping the ethiopian media, may 2018. How much do you know about misuse of ethiopias anti. 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. Sep 15, 2015 this article analyses the impact of ethiopias antiterrorism law on the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression and information. Pdf the purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the oau convention in. Sep 29, 2011 press freedom under pressure with six journalists in jail. By sasahulh yalew, lecturer in law tigrai online, october 14, 20. Part one general part two terrorism and related crimes part three preventive and investigative measures part four evidentiary and procedural rules part five measures to control terrorist organizations and property. Donors should condemn verdicts, demand legal reforms. Antiterrorism legislation further restricts ethiopian press. The ethiopian government should mark world press freedom day, on may 3, 20, by immediately releasing all journalists jailed under the countrys deeply flawed anti terrorism law. Ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation and the right to. May, 2012 this is because, based on the definition of counter terrorism laws, it is possible to interpret many actions and incidents as terrorism.
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 anti terrorism proclamation no. The broad provisions of the anti terrorism proclamation allow the authorities to criminalize the exercise of freedom of expression. Even though the proclamation was intended to provide adequate legal. Recent laws all of which were prepared by selected from different civil service working groups such as.
Ever since its promulgation in august 2009, ethiopias anti terrorism proclamation has been a subject of criticisms from western activists. A person commits an offense under this provision if she. The government of ethiopia routinely uses its vague and overly broad antiterrorism law to stifle freedom of expression and political opposition. 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.
Whereas, money laundering and the financing of terrorism as it not only threaten security, but also compromise the stability, transparency, soundness and efficiency of the financial system. 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. European scientific journal january 2016 edition vol. Analysis of ethiopias draft antiterrorism proclamation. Administrative procedure proclamation ethiopia covid19 workplace response protocol ministry of labor ethiopia. Ethiopian anti terrorism law pdf counter terrorism. The paper assesses ethiopias antiterrorism proclamation and argues that, not only is the definition of terrorism problematic, but also the implementation of the law continues from the weak ends of the law, and makes the ethiopian situation rife for the violation of the right of thought, opinion and expression. Ethiopian antiterrorism law archives ethiopian legal brief. Mahlet fasil prosecutors have today charged 22 individuals, including prominent opposition member bekele gerba pictured, first secretary general of the opposition oromo federalist congress ofc, with various articles of ethiopia s much criticized anti terrorism proclamation atp. The law defines acts of terrorism as including damage to property and disruption to any public service, for which an individual could be. 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. The proclamation also extends aspects of the anti terrorism proclamation and the criminal code to electronic communications. Since 2008, the government of ethiopia has implemented a proselytization project aimed at establishing ahbash as the one statesanctioned sect of islam.