Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	The first assertion of the right to association in Ethiopia was in the 1955 revised Constitution, ratified on 24 Tekempt in the Ethiopian Calender, which is November 3rd. The assertion of the right is located in chapter 1, article 47 (“1955 revised constitution of Ethiopia”, 1948). “1955 Revised Constitution of Ethiopia.” 1948. European Legal Brief. November 3. https://chilot.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/1955-revised-constitution-of-ethiopia1.pdf.
Freedom of Expression	History	Chapter III, Article 41 of the 1955 Revised Constitution of the Empire of Ethiopia states: "Art. 41. Freedom of speech and of the press is guaranteed throughout the Empire in accordance with the law." References: 1955 Revised Constitution of the Empire of Ethiopia: Peaslee Amos J.; Xydis, Dorothy Peaslee. Constitutions of Nations. The Hague, M. Nijhoff. https://heinonline-org.proxygw.wrlc.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/conatio0001&id=192&men_tab=srchresults
Freedom of Religion	History	The 1955 Constitution of Ethiopia ensures the right to freedom of worship to its citizens in Article 40. The section states that “there shall be no interference with the exercise, in accordance with the law, of the rites of any religion or creed by residents of the Empire, provided that such rites are not utilized for political purposes or prejudicial to public order or morality” (“1955 Revised Constitution of Ethiopia” 1955). However, it is the 1994 Constitution that explicitly states that citizens in Ethiopia have the full legal right to freedom of religion (Ethiopia 1994). Articles 11, 21, 25, 27, and 38 of the 1994 Constitution grant religious freedom, equality, and prohibit religious discrimination, and Article 11 declares a separation of church and state. Ethiopia 1994. “Ethiopia 1994” Constitutenet.org https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Ethiopia_1994 “1955 Revised Constitution of Ethiopia” 1955. Chilot.me https://chilot.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/1955-revised-constitution-of-ethiopia1.pdf
Freedom of the Press	History	Freedom of the press was first protected under Article 41 of Ethiopia’s 1955 Constitution: “Freedom of speech and of the press is guaranteed throughout the Empire in accordance with the law.” Today, Article 29 of Ethiopia’s 1994 Constitution protects press freedom: “Freedom of the press and other mass media and freedom of artistic creativity is guaranteed. Freedom of the press shall specifically include the following elements: a. Prohibition of any form of censorship. b. Access to information of public interest.” (Constitute Project, “Ethiopia's Constitution of 1994” ).
Privacy Rights	History	The 1931 constitution protects correspondence privacy in Article 26 (Ethiopian Legal Brief, “Ethiopian Constitution of 1931” ). In Article 25, the home is claimed as private. Article 26 of the 1994 Constitution establishes the right to privacy, including in their home and communication: “Everyone has the right to privacy. This right shall include the right not to be subjected to searches of his home, person or property, or the seizure of any property under his personal possession. Everyone has the right to the inviolability of his notes and correspondence including postal letters, and communications made by means of telephone, telecommunications and electronic devices.” References: https://chilot.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/ethiopian-constitution-of-1931.pdf https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Ethiopia_1994
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	Article 38 of the Ethopian Constitution grants every Ethiopian national that is 18 years of age, without any discrimination, to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly and through freely chosen representatives through universal and equal suffrage (Constitute Project, “Ethiopia's Constitution of 1994” ).