Source description last updated: 27 January 2020

In brief: The Human Rights Council (Ethiopia) (HRCO) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organisation based in Addis Ababa that seeks to defend human rights and promote democracy and the rule of law.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Special Reports, Regular Reports, Annual Reports

Covered quarterly on ecoi.net, for Ethiopia

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“The Human Rights Council (HRCO) was initially established as ‘Ethiopian Human Rights Council’ (EHRCO) on October 10, 1991 […]. The HRCO is a membership-based, independent, non-partisan, non-profit organisation that has no affiliation to any political party, religious institution, ethnic group, or social class. Its sole objectives are the defense of human rights, and the promotion of democracy and rule of law.” (EHRCO, 142nd Special Report (Executive Summary); Human Rights Violations committed during the State of Emergency in Ethiopia, 28 May 2017, p. 3)

Funding:

No recent information found.

EHRCO “runs its activities with a budget close to four hundred thousand USD annually. A very negligible amount of this budget (less than two thousand USD) is raised locally from membership fees.” (EHRCO: Ethiopia’s draft CSO bill: A serious threat to human rights activism, September 2008, http://www.wmd.org/documents/EHRCO092008.pdf, accessed on 4 November 2008)

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: Ethiopia

Thematic focus: human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, bodily injuries, disappearances, unlawful detention, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and

Methodology:

HRCO staff conduct field investigations in relevant regions, gathering information from sources that may include “families of violation victims, eye witnesses, and residents of the places of violation”, as well as government authorities. Methods of investigation may include “collecting and analysing documents, on site collection of field data using audio-visual equipment from places of violation, interview of victims and witnesses, group discussions with relevant citizens and bodies.” (see, for example, HRCO: 142nd Special Report (Executive Summary); Human Rights Violations committed during the State of Emergency in Ethiopia, 28 May 2017, p. 6 and HRCO: 140th Special Report: Stop immediately the extra-judicial killings, illegal detentions, beatings, intimidation and harrasment committed by government security forces!!!, 14 March 2016, p. 4)

EHRCO has 12 branch offices in Ethiopia and about 60 staff members (cp. EHRCO: Ethiopia’s draft CSO bill: A serious threat to human rights activism, September 2008, http://www.wmd.org/documents/EHRCO092008.pdf, accessed on 4 November 2008)

Languages of publication:

English and Amharic

 

All links accessed 27 January 2020, except where otherwise noted.