Ethiopia: Amnesty Raises Concern Over 'Crackdown' On Health Workers

Amnesty International Reports Arrests of Healthcare Workers in Ethiopia

Amnesty International reports that security forces are "arbitrarily rounding up" healthcare workers in Ethiopia. This is happening during a partial nationwide strike by health professionals. The strike has now entered its third day.

In a statement to Addis Standard, Amnesty's East and Southern Africa office expressed concern. They described the situation as a "crackdown" on healthcare professionals. This trend includes targeting human rights defenders and journalists.

Amnesty also mentioned an alert from the healthcare professionals' association. Their president, Yonatan Dagnaw, was arrested on May 4, 2025, and remains detained. The organization urged authorities to stop harassing healthcare workers for exercising their rights.

Healthcare professionals are currently holding a "partial, peaceful strike." They demand better pay and working conditions. Amnesty called on authorities to respect this right and protect the protesters.

The statement comes amid reports of detentions and intimidation during the strike. In Sidama Region's Leku town, Dr. Dereje was taken by security forces on May 14. He had just performed surgery earlier that day when armed personnel took him away.

A family member described the incident as unexpected and frightening. Dr. Dereje is the only obstetrician at Leku General Hospital. He had a scheduled surgery later that evening.

When family members asked about his whereabouts, police said they did not know anything about it. On the second day of the strike, several health professionals were detained across various hospitals.

At St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, three trainees were arrested during this time. This followed intimidation faced by health professionals on the first day of the strike.

The strike follows a month-long online mobilization under hashtags like #HealthWorkersMatter and #PayHealthWorkersFairly. It was preceded by protests calling for reforms in healthcare across several regions.

Efforts by Addis Standard to reach the Ministry of Health for comments were unsuccessful.