The Ethiopian Human Rights Council and other human rights groups are active, but the government has closed numerous nongovernmental organizations for failing to comply with new registration requirements. Thirty UN workers were forced to leave in September after being accused of spying. The mass expulsion of Eritreans and the detention of an unknown number without charges have been condemned by local and international rights groups. Ethiopia is one of only two African states that has not ratified the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. The government launched an official Human Rights Commission and an Ombudsman s office in May, but it is unclear whether these will operate autonomously.
Broadcast media remain firmly under government control.
Harassment and intimidation of the independent print media have led to significant self-censorship. Prohibitively high bail is set for detained journalists, and severe fines effectively close publications. In January, the offices of the Tobiya newspaper were burned soon after the arrests of four employees. In February, Abay Hailu, the editor of the Wolafen, died of lung disease soon after he had served a two-year jail sentence for writing about the alleged threat of Islamic fundamentalism. Today, approximately 20 journalists, the most in any African country, remain jailed.