ETHIOPIA: Human Rights Violations & more – 8th May 2025

Salaam salaam from BA! This is the Rorshok Ethiopia Update from the 8th of May twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Ethiopia.

The assembly of the African Human Rights Commission is being held in Banjul, Gambia.

Speaking at the assembly, a commissioner from the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said the government continues to violate human rights, especially in the Amhara region, in central Ethiopia.

He specifically mentioned arbitrary arrests in the region, recalling that these arrests are being made even after the expiry of a year-long state of emergency in Amhara. During this period, the government was able to bypass extensive legal requirements to make arrests.

He also said that about seven million children are not attending schools, conflicts rage on, and the government has continued to issue laws that are increasingly repressive, for instance the new mass media proclamation, which allows the government direct control over licensing and suspending media outlets.

The Commissioner wasn’t the only one critical of how the executive has been handling human rights issues. Amnesty International said the Ethiopian government wasn’t willing to take measures against human rights violators and doesn’t admit to extra-judicial killings that government forces carried out.

According to a report that the organization released this past week, Ethiopia is at the bottom of the list in terms of upholding human rights, among Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine. Amnesty, like the commissioner, focused on the Amhara region, where government forces are still fighting with Fano, a popular youth movement.

Next up, Prime Minister Abiy congratulated Friederich Merz, Germany’s new Chancellor, who was officially appointed on Tuesday the 6th.

He also highlighted the two countries’ diplomatic relations, which span over a century. They will celebrate a hundred and twenty years of official diplomatic relations this year. PM Abiy said he hopes their strong partnership will benefit the two countries and also advance the global good.

A day before his congratulatory tweet to Germany’s new chancellor, the PM met with Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister.

Afterwards, the PM said he had a productive meeting, noting that the strong relations between Israel and Ethiopia span across multiple spheres.

On Wednesday the 6th, the Ethiopia-Israel business forum was held in Addis, where Israel’s foreign minister acknowledged Ethiopia’s promising future, saying Israel wants to be part of Ethiopia’s success.

Meanwhile, The House of Peoples’ Representatives grilled officials from the Ministry of Revenues on Tuesday the 6th and found that contraband trade of stimulating plant chat has decreased the amount of foreign currency Ethiopia should have gotten from exporting it.

A member of the House’s plan, budget and finance affairs standing committee noted that although almost all other products’ exports have increased, revenue from chat has declined. This time last year, the country got almost a hundred and forty million US dollars, but in twenty twenty-five that number has fallen to only ninety million.

The Minister of Revenues admitted that contraband is costing the country millions of dollars but explained that her office, along with the Customs Commission, has amped up efforts to combat contraband. The Minister also said that it has increased the estimated amount of contraband goods it has seized by about twenty percent compared to last year, meaning by about three billion birr, which is around twenty million US dollars.

From revenues to transport, the Ministry of Transport announced that it is preparing to replace region-identifying markers on vehicle license plates across the country with a uniform ET, which stands for Ethiopia.

The Ministry explained that vehicles with regional markers are being used to destabilize and discriminate. Even though regional governments still have the right to place these markers, the ministry advised against it.

The Ministry also plans to change all license plates and the current vehicle owners will have to return the old ones to get a new one. Additionally, plates for electric vehicles will indicate that they are electric.

More news on transportation as the Addis Ababa Transport Bureau announced that starting next week it will give five operators preliminary permits to provide rent-a-bike services, although about eighteen operators had submitted permit requests.

These five operators will have to fulfill additional requirements and enter into a contract with the city to obtain full permits. These operators are required to provide three hundred bikes and at least a hundred electric scooters to provide services.

The Bureau said it believes about two or three operators will be enough, although there’s no cap yet. Still, operators might merge. This service has been newly introduced mainly because of the Corridor Development Project, which aimed at improving cities’ aesthetics and living standards, and rolled out hundreds of kilometers of lanes only for bikes.

A few years ago, The Ethiopian Railway Corporation contracted Yapi Merkezi, a Turkish construction company, to build railway infrastructure along the eastern parts of the country. However, after the war in Tigray erupted in twenty twenty, the company couldn’t finish and said it suffered losses.

The company sued the Corporation for a billion US dollars at the London International Court of Arbitration and after litigating for three years, reports have come out this week that the Court has decided in favor of the Ethiopian Railway Corporation. Details have been kept under wraps because the proceedings aren’t complete yet. According to reports that have come out so far, most of the compensation claims have been ruled against Yapi Merkezi.

The amount the Turkish company asked is the highest ever among cases filed with international courts against Ethiopia.

On another note, medical professionals in Ethiopia say they have had enough. Some associations, including the Ethiopian Medical Professionals Association, urged the government to respond to their demands, including better pay, overtime pay, improved healthcare and housing, and free transport.

The associations’ heads told the media that they’ve repeatedly requested the Abiy administration for changes but that there’s been little to no improvement so far. Less than a month ago, the Minister of Health had sat down with representatives of medical professionals and promised that there were plans to fulfil their demands, but nothing concrete has come of it.

The media asked these representatives if they plan on calling a strike, but they said no because they believe the government will take positive measures before things reach that level of escalation.

On Wednesday the 7th, The Ethiopian Capital Market Authority said that it is investigating renowned businessman Ermias Amelga and his investment firm Genesis for reportedly offering securities without the Authority’s approval.

It said its prior registration and approval were required before firms could offer securities. It also said that it has launched this investigation because it has a duty to protect investors.

Ermias Amelga has had a tumultuous but extensive business career. His previous venture, Access Real Estate, was involved in a corruption case.

Meanwhile, in south central Ethiopia, the water supplier and sewerage enterprise of the city of Hawassa in the Sidama region told media outlets on Wednesday the 7th that it will increase water bills.

According to them, they decided to raise prices to keep up with inflation, and increased gas prices.

The enterprise also explained that price hikes were necessary to increase its pay to its employees and to cover its debt.

And to wrap up this edition, Monday the 5th Patriots Day, an official holiday in the Ethiopian calendar, was celebrated. This marks the day when Emperor Haile Selassie was reinstated to the throne after patriots defeated and kicked out the occupying Italian fascist forces.

This year, among other ceremonies, the day was celebrated at the victory monument in Addis in the presence of patriots who fought against fascist forces. They used the occasion to urge the government to negotiate with armed groups to bring lasting peace to the country.

President Taye Atske-Selassie also attended the ceremony. He said the occasion not only marks a victory but was a significantly meaningful symbol in the fight against fascism and colonialism in the mid-twentieth century.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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