Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday that the ruling party in Ethiopia is using its control of the government to squash any opposition in advance of the May elections.

A report called 'One Hundred Ways of Putting Pressure': Violations of Freedom of Expression and Association in Ethiopia', was released by the group.

Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said, "Expressing dissent is very dangerous in Ethiopia. The ruling party and the state are becoming one, and the government is using the full weight of its power to eliminate opposition and intimidate people into silence."

HRW further said that the Ethiopian People's Ruling Democratic Front began punishing opponents soon after the most recent parliamentary election in 2005.

In 2008 the party claimed 99 percent of the vote in local elections, and residents described villages organized into cells with local officials and militia monitoring the population for signs of dissent and punishing malcontents by withholding services.

Leading opposition newspaper was closed by the government in December. It also began jamming the broadcasts from Voice of America, last month.