Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has criticized the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), accusing the state-appointed but legally autonomous body of presenting unbalanced facts and perspectives.

In an interview with Ethiopian Television, Abiy remarked that over the past three or four years, the Commission has consistently published reports against the Ethiopian government in a distorted manner.

“The government is committed to human rights,” he said, “but the Commission, based in the capital, has been releasing biased reports about alleged incidents in various parts of the country. The government’s decision not to respond to these reports reflects its restraint — a significant achievement in itself.”

This is not the first time the Prime Minister has taken aim at the EHRC. In July 2024, he accused the institution of being “hostage to foreigners,” although he did not mention the Commission directly. Following that remark, Daniel Bekele stepped down as head of the EHRC and was replaced by Berhanu Adelo, whose neutrality has been questioned by some observers.

The Prime Minister did not specify which reports by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission contained distorted information.

The Commission has published several critical reports, especially following multiple states of emergency declared over the past few years in the Amhara and Oromia regions, highlighting issues such as arbitrary arrests and civilian killings by drone strikes.