Civil rights

Ethiopia lifts state of emergency

04 Aug, 2017

Emergency measures had been in effect since last October.

Ethiopia has lifted the country's state of emergency which had been in place since last October 2016, following a parliament session on 4 August, according to reports in local media.

The state of emergency had been declared in an attempt to curb violent demonstrations by two of Ethiopia's largest ethnic groups, the Oromo and Amhara, whose members began protesting sustained marginalisation in late 2015.

The emergency measures involved a curfew and social media ban and entitled government forces to arrest and detain people without warrants.

In March this year the government extended the original six-month state of emergency. However it lifted several of the original restrictions including spot-check searches by security forces, a dawn-to-dusk curfew, and a ban on diplomats from travelling within 40 km of Addis Ababa without advance permission.

Since the state of emergency was introduced in October, more than 29,000 people were arrested and almost 8,000 now face trial for their part in the country's violent demonstrations.