On February 4, 2016, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) jointly initiated legal proceedings against the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). The case was brought on behalf of the Ethiopian Human Rights Project (EHRP), a now dissolved predecessor organization to the Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD).

After an eight-year legal process, the ACHPR issued a landmark ruling finding the Government of Ethiopia culpable of infringing upon the rights of all Ethiopians to freely participate in the 2015 elections, which ended with a 100% of parliamentary seats victory by the then Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The Commission determined that the government's actions prior to the election violated Articles 1, 9, 10, 11, and 13(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

CARD extends its congratulations to the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Institute for Human Rights in Africa on this significant victory. 

We urge the Government of Ethiopia to fully comply with the Commission’s recommendations enlisted below:

1. Continue the reform of national laws that are perceived to curtail freedoms of expression, association, assembly, and political participation.

2. Fully implement the amended laws stemming from the 2018 political reforms to ensure the unrestricted enjoyment of rights to freedom of expression, access to information, association, assembly, and political participation, as enshrined in the African Charter and aligned with international standards, particularly in the context of elections.

3. Submit a written report to the Commission within 180 days of the notification of this decision detailing the steps taken to implement the aforementioned recommendations.

Read the full communication here.