Ethiopia’s draft Proclamation on Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention and Suppression can significantly curtail freedom of expression if approved, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has cautioned.
HRW said Ethiopia’s track record of using vague laws, such as the anti-terrorism law to crack down on ‘peaceful expressions of dissident’, offers reason for alarm.
‘’Any law that limits freedom of expression by punishing hate speech must be narrowly drawn and enforced with restraint,’‘HRW cautioned in a report released on Friday.
The anti-terrorism law is currently being reviewed as part of an effort by the Abiy Ahmed-led government to open the political and democratic space in the country.
Since the mid-2018, Ethiopia has experienced serious communal violence. According to the government, some of that may have been provoked or exacerbated by online speech that fomented ethnic tension and violence. In late 2018, the government announced it was preparing a bill to tackle hate speech, the report said.
On November 9, 2019, following a wave of protests in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and in the Oromia region, which led to communal violence in a number of locations and the deaths of 86 people, the government promptly approved the proclamation.
“The Ethiopian government is under increasing pressure to respond to rising communal violence that has at times been exacerbated by speeches and statements shared online,” said Laetitia Bader, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “But an ill-construed law that opens the door for law enforcement officials to violate rights to free expression is no solution.”
The use of hate speech laws around the world shows that authorities have often abused them for political purposes, the Human Rights Watch said.
“The government should instead adopt a comprehensive strategy to address incitement to violence, discrimination, and hostility, and invoke non-punitive measures to address hate speech, Human Rights Watch said.
This should include regular public messaging from the prime minister and other public figures about the dangers of hate speech, programs to improve digital literacy, and efforts to encourage self-regulation within and between communities,” the report noted.
MG/abj/APA