The Ethiopian government has been blamed for being anti-democratic, corrupt and working to the repress the rights of the people to assemble, the right to justice and equal economic opportunity. The government has been blamed for acts of torture and arbitrary detention, denying citizen’s freedom of expression and association, freedom of assembly, the coalition acting

Unlike a dictatorship, a democratic government exists to serve the people, but citizens in democracies must also agree to abide by the rules and obligations by which they are governed. Democracies grant many freedoms to their citizens including the freedom to dissent and criticize the government. Citizenship in a democracy requires participation, civility, and even patience.