Tuesday, November 13, 2012

German NGO pulls out of Ethiopia

(Nov 13, 2012, Deutsche Welle)--Named after the German Nobel Prize winner for Literature, the Heinrich Böll Foundation is an NGO promoting democracy and human rights. It is leaving Ethiopia in protest against restrictions on its activities.

"The closure of the office in Ethiopia is a sign of protest by the foundation against the ongoing restrictions on civil rights and freedom of speech" said a statement released by the Heinrich Böll Foundation explaining why they had closed their office in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

200 people were killed in Ethiopia while protesting against ballot-rigging in 2005 The organization's chairwoman Barbara Unmüßig and the country director Patrick Berg said it had become impossible for the organization to work for democracy, gender equality and sustainable development under existing circumstances. 

They were referring to the law on NGOs passed in 2009 which is known as the "Charities and Societies Proclamation" and restricts freedom of press, expression and assembly. Read more from Deutsche Welle »

No comments:

Post a Comment