Source: Addis Standard | May 14, 2025
Amnesty International has issued a strong condemnation of the Ethiopian government’s escalating repression against healthcare professionals engaged in a nationwide partial strike, now entering its third day.
In a statement to Addis Standard, Amnesty described the crackdown as a “systematic campaign of arbitrary detentions,” highlighting the May 4 arrest of Yonatan Dagnaw, president of the Ethiopian Healthcare Professionals’ Association, as a particularly alarming example. The organization called on Ethiopian authorities to “immediately release all detained healthcare workers” and respect their constitutional and international right to peaceful protest.
Reports from across the country reveal growing intimidation, disappearances, and forced detentions. In Leku, Sidama Region, security forces reportedly abducted Dr. Dereje, the only obstetrician-gynecologist at Leku General Hospital, from his residence on May 14—just hours after completing surgery. Family members said he was scheduled for another procedure that night. Authorities offered no justification other than that his arrest was “an order from above.”
This development comes amid a broader crisis in Ethiopia’s public healthcare system, where unpaid salaries, poor working conditions, and government neglect have sparked growing resistance by medical professionals. The regime’s response—threats, surveillance, abductions, and arrests—marks a dangerous descent into authoritarian control over a critical sector.
Amnesty’s call reflects mounting concern that the Ethiopian government is criminalizing professional advocacy and humanitarian service, in clear violation of:
- Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) Constitution (Article 30) – Right to Peaceful Assembly and Protest
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (Article 21 & 22) – Freedom of Assembly and Association
Observers warn that the continued repression of health workers will exacerbate Ethiopia’s humanitarian and public health emergencies, especially in underserved rural and conflict-affected areas.
