Economic development in Ethiopia at risk due to political and social suppression

The UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, warned that the Ethiopian government could set back years of economic development in the country if they continue to suppress civil liberties. Nearly 700 people were killed in protests in a seven month period and thousands more have been detained. There is little political and social freedom – political opposition is banned, media is censored, and civil society is suppressed. Hussein called for an “open democratic space” for the Ethiopian people in order for the country to succeed long-term.