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Rights groups
warn gove't of repurcusions of assault on civil society
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ADDIS
ABEBA(July 2,2008)
- Ethiopia should immediately abandon plans to impose strict government
controls and "draconian" criminal penalties on nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), rights groups said on Tuesday, calling on donor
governments to speak out publicly against the "de facto criminalization"
of most of activities in the country.
The government claims that its draft Charities and Societies Proclamation
(draft law) is a benign attempt to promote financial transparency
among NGOs and enhance their accountability to stakeholders.
But the rights groups think that is not the case.
"In fact, the law's key provisions are blunt and heavy-handed
mechanisms to control and monitor civil society groups while punishing
those whose work displeases the government," Human Rights Watch
and Amnesty International said in a joint statement Tuesday.
The two groups said the upcoming aid law would affect most of the
human rights, rule of law and peace-building work currently being
carried out in Ethiopia.
It could also seriously restrict much of the development-related work
currently being carried out by some of Ethiopia's key international
partners.
"Ethiopia's government has already made meaningful public engagement
in governance impossible in many areas by persecuting its critics
and cracking down on freedom of expression and assembly," the
joint statement quoted Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human
Rights Watch.
"The clear intention of this legislation is to consolidate that
trend by taking the 'none' out of 'nongovernmental' and putting civil
society under government control."
The law would apply to every NGO operating in Ethiopia except religious
organizations and those foreign NGOs that the government agrees to
exempt.
Many of the key provisions of the draft law would violate Ethiopia's
obligations under international human rights law and fundamental rights
guaranteed in its own constitution, including the right to freedom
of association and freedom of expression, the groups underscored in
the statement.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said they have both produced
separate detailed analyses of the draft law.
"This law is not just an assault on independent civil society
organizations," said Michelle Kagari, deputy Africa director
at Amnesty International.
"It's part of a broader effort to silence the few independent
voices that have managed to make their criticisms of the government
heard in an increasingly repressive climate."
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