He ticks off a list of things that worry him, including increased censorship of information, the silencing of dissent, ethnic and religious profiling, the decision to wiretap lawyers and their clients without a court order, and the creation of military tribunals that can mete out the death penalty without appeal.
THE government's opponents, real or imaginary be they secular liberals, trade unionists, campaigners for women's rights, immodestly dressed youths, disgruntled ethnic minorities, even dissenting clergymen have recently been subjected to a string of arrests, harassment and threats.
Beginning in the late 20th century, numerous scholars have focused on the dissent of ethnic or cultural minorities.
But the cost is also considerable: suppressed Tibetans and other ethnic minorities, stifled political dissent and inconvenienced lives.
Ethiopia's clampdown on dissent tests ethnic federal structure Governments should ensure street children have a legal form of ID so they can attend school and seek protection from violence, writes Usha Elumalai, a pavement dweller and child rights campaigner from Chennai in India.
Dictators typically suppress dissent, regional or ethnic.
"We had an attorney general who treated criticism and dissent as treason, ethnic identity as grounds for suspicion and Congressional and judicial oversight as inconvenient obstacles," said David Cole, a law professor at Georgetown University.
The country is keen to stamp down on what it sees as dissent among its ethnic minorities, including Muslim Uighurs in the north-west.
Furthermore, the authoritarian government has a history of attempting to stamp out dissent, especially among ethnic groups it views as being in opposition to its ruling coalition. .
