Ethiopia holds elections amid deepening human rights crisis

Ethiopia will hold its seventh national election on June 1. The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has authorized the vote despite ongoing internal conflict and human rights violations. Many observers argue that current conditions do not guarantee a free, fair, and credible election.

When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, there were high hopes for a transition to constitutional democracy. Abiy introduced reforms including releasing political prisoners, journalists, and activists, and revising the notorious anti-terrorism law, media law, and electoral law. He also normalized relations with Eritrea and won the Nobel Peace Prize.

But those reforms were quickly overshadowed by internal conflict. In 2020, war erupted between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), killing hundreds of thousands. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International concluded that government forces were involved in serious human rights abuses. The UN-established International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia confirmed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including mass killings, sexual violence, and torture. The November 2022 Pretoria Peace Agreement ended the conflict, but fears of renewed violence increased after the TPLF ousted the federal government-appointed interim Tigray administration.

Conflict in the Amhara region in 2023 between federal forces and the Fano militia also caused numerous human rights violations, including war crimes. In January 2024, government soldiers reportedly massacred at least 89 civilians in the town of Merawi, Gojam zone. Drone strikes in several Amhara areas also caused civilian casualties. In the Oromia region, conflict between federal forces and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) continues. In April 2024, Bate Urgessa, an Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) leader and government critic, was killed in the town of Meki.

The ruling Prosperity Party has increasingly consolidated authoritarian power, rolling back earlier legal and political reforms. The state of emergency declared when the Amhara conflict erupted eroded fundamental freedoms. Reports document rising political repression targeting opposition members, including killings. The government is accused of using shadow security structures such as the “Security Committee” (Koree Nageenyaa) to commit serious human rights abuses, including extrajudicial executions, torture, and arbitrary detention.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says at least 54 journalists have been forced to leave the country since 2020 due to persecution. Several journalists, including Meskerem Abera, Dawit Begashaw, and Gobeze Sisay, have been arrested on unfounded charges and remain in detention. Many prominent human rights defenders, such as Yared Hailemariam (head of Human Rights Defenders Ethiopia) and Dan Yirga (head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council), have also been forced into exile.

The human rights crisis impacts electoral politics. In 2024, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights found numerous human rights violations in the context of Ethiopia's 2015 election, noting that laws protecting voting rights need more effective enforcement. On March 2, 41 countries issued a statement on the serious human rights situation in Ethiopia, calling for accountability and stressing a “stalled transitional justice process.”

Without respect for fundamental freedoms such as freedom of expression, assembly, and the right to participate in democratic processes, voting alone cannot guarantee a free, fair, and credible election. Ethiopia is Africa's second most populous country and the continent's ninth-largest economy. Instability and violence there could negatively affect the entire Horn of Africa. The international community must apply maximum pressure for the Ethiopian government to implement meaningful reforms, including ethnic reconciliation, political dialogue, release of political prisoners, and respect for fundamental freedoms.