Amnesty International, on Thursday, appealed to Ethiopian authorities to restore access to social media networks including Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube in the country reported The Alarabiya News.
In a statement, Amnesty said the blockade of social media networks clearly violated the rights to freedom of expression of the people and access to information. The group added that the blockade also stains the country’s already dismal record on media freedom.
“Amnesty International urges the Ethiopian authorities to lift this blockade without delay and to end this culture of interfering with people’s right to express themselves and to seek and receive information,” said Flavia Mwangovya, deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa, in a statement.
Several internet censorship watchdogs including the Open Observatory of Network Interference and Access Now have also pointed out the blockade on social media networks in Ethiopia since February 9.
Amnesty said the blockage was imposed when leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church called for street protests after a group of rebel archbishops created a dissident synod.
The Tewadeho Church, which represents 40 percent of Ethiopia’s 120 million people, accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of offering a form of recognition to the rebel bishops and interfering in its religious affairs.
The church leaders, however, canceled the demonstrations after a meeting with President Abiy.
The Ethiopian authorities have blocked access to the internet and social media platforms several times in recent years.
The previous government interrupted connectivity on a number of occasions between 2015 and 2017 as it faced the largest street protest movement in 25 years.
Under Abiy’s leadership, the internet outage tendency has continued.
The war-hit Tigray region was largely deprived of telecommunications for the two-year duration of the war with the federal government. Networks have been partially restored since a peace agreement was signed in November.
