INTRODUCTION TO SYMPOSIUM, "HUMAN RIGHTS AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN ETHIOPIA"

Ethiopia has a proud and complex history. It is a story of great accomplishments and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. It has prevailed against foreign invasions. It has faced famine and extreme poverty. It has been governed by a repressive monarchy, by a brutal military dictatorship, and by a repressive civilian regime. Throughout its history, tensions and conflicts between its nationalities have been prevalent. Needless to say, these historical facts made enforcement of human rights and access to justice very difficult to achieve. With Ethiopia's recent change of government in 2018 under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a new human rights environment has been promised, and, to an extent, delivered. However, the course of progress is not always a straight line. Very recent developments in Ethiopia, including the outbreak of a civil war between Ethiopia's central government and the forces in Ethiopia's Tigray region threaten the stability in which progress on human rights and access to justice can be sustained.2The articles authored by leading Ethiopian academics, practitioners and advocates document the long journey that has resulted in an improved environment for progress in human rights and access to justice, as well as the continuing challenge of realizing meaningful change.