Civil society under assault in Ethiopia

Since the enactment of the Charities and Societies Proclamation 621/2009 in Ethiopia, civil societies were not performing their proper role for the advancement of the country’s democracy. The proclamation places excessive restrictions on the work of civil society organizations in the country. This, in turn, makes the public passive to engage in the politics of the country, rather the law gives ultimate power for the government to control the activities of the civil society organizations (CSOs). Furthermore, the law has a devastating impact on the CSOs activities, both in practical sense, it creates restriction on their area of engagement, and exacerbating climate of fear in which they operate. In the nutshell, the proclamation risks the observance and protection of the democratic rights of every person in Ethiopia.   Key words: Civil society, democracy, human right, proclamation.