London Fano A voice for the voiceless Amhara community in Ethiopia
From London: For Amhara Freedom! Stop Killing Amharas!
FACT SHEET: The Erosion of Rule of Law in Ethiopia (2025)
Source: World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2025
Purpose: To demonstrate the systemic breakdown of legal and political systems under the Abiy Ahmed regime, directly correlating the decline with the ongoing human rights crisis and violence against the Amhara people.
🛑 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For the fifth consecutive year, Ethiopia’s adherence to the Rule of Law has declined, solidifying its position among the world's weakest legal systems. The WJP Rule of Law Index 2025 confirms that the state has lost fundamental constraints on its power, leading to a near-total collapse in Fundamental Rights and Constraints on Government Powers.
This consistent deterioration directly coincides with the outbreak of civil war (2020-2022) and the ongoing war in the Amhara region (since April 2023), highlighting how conflict, gross human rights violations, and a disregard for the law are destroying governance and security.
📊 KEY STATISTICS
The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2025 confirms Ethiopia's severe institutional failure, assigning the country an overall score of just 0.36 out of a possible 1.0, which signifies an extremely weak adherence to the rule of law.
Globally Ethiopia ranks 132nd out of 143 countries.
In a regional context, Ethiopia is ranked 30th out of 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, placing it near the very bottom of its regional peers. Among low-income countries, the situation is similarly dire, with Ethiopia ranking 13th out of 16, a statistic that collectively signifies a deep and pervasive institutional failure across its governance systems.
The five-year decline of Ethiopia's Rule of Law score is not accidental; it is a direct reflection of the regime's descent into conflict and authoritarianism. The score has plummeted from a high of 0.41 in 2020 to its lowest point of 0.36 in 2025. This stark decline directly correlates with the increase in state-sponsored conflict, violence, and the wholesale abandonment of legal constraints on government power.
📉 FACTORS OF WORST PERFORMANCE: Evidence of Systemic Collapse
Ethiopia did not show improvement in any of the 8 factors of the Rule of Law Index in 2025. It performs particularly poorly in the areas most relevant to the Amhara crisis:
A granular look at the WJP sub-factors reveals that the government's abandonment of the rule of law is systematic, affecting every core function of governance and justice.
Ethiopia is ranked a dismal 138th in the world for Fundamental Rights, signifying the near total suppression of civil liberties, freedom of speech, assembly, and due process for its citizens. This failure is compounded by the country's ranking of 137th for Regulatory Enforcement, where laws are not applied fairly or predictably, fostering an environment of impunity. The ranking of 135th for Open Government confirms a deliberate policy of official secrecy, lack of transparency and suppressed public information access.
Crucially, the country ranks 134th in Constraints on Government Powers, demonstrating that the executive and military branches operate entirely without effective checks and balances. Finally, Ethiopia ranks only 131st in Order and Security, illustrating a systemic failure to guarantee the safety of its citizens or control widespread violence.
Collectively, these rankings paint a comprehensive picture of a state where government power is unrestrained, and the core rights and physical security of its people have been functionally eliminated.
📢 CALL TO ACTION: JUSTICE DEMANDS RULE OF LAW
The objective evidence from the World Justice Project confirms London Fano’s stance: the Ethiopian government is operating with total disregard for the Rule of Law.
This institutional failure is the engine of the Amhara genocide and the arbitrary detention of political prisoners.
We demand that the international community, including the UN and the FCDO, use this irrefutable data to Cease all non-humanitarian fundinguntil a measurable improvement in the Rule of Law, particularly in Fundamental Rights, is demonstrated; Impose sanctions on officials responsible for the violations in Constraints on Government Powers and Order and Security; Support an independent international investigation into war crimes.
You cannot build peace on a foundation of legal impunity.
U.S. State Department 2024 Report: Ethiopia
2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Ethiopia
The U.S. Department of State's 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Ethiopia reveals a deeply concerning human rights landscape, particularly highlighting the escalating crisis in the Amhara and Oromia regions.