Ethiopian authorities are waging an "escalating crackdown against civil society", Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, denouncing the suspension of two independent human rights NGOs in recent weeks.
In late December, a government body overseeing civil society groups suspended the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRC), the oldest independent rights group in the country, and the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Centre (EHRDC).
The suspensions were based on "allegations they lacked independence and were acting beyond their mandate," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.
"The Ethiopian authorities over the past year have waged a relentless assault against human rights groups," said Mausi Segun, HRW's Africa director.
"By suspending groups engaged in critical human rights documentation and advocacy, the government is showcasing its intolerance of independent scrutiny," she added.
Ethiopian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
It follows the suspension of three other rights groups in December, the Centre for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy, Lawyers for Human Rights and the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia.
Only the latter has since had its suspension lifted.
The country of around 120 million people in the Horn of Africa is facing several armed conflicts, particularly in the most populous regions of Amhara and Oromia where federal forces are fighting armed militias.
Both federal forces and militias have been accused of human rights violations.
AFP