Washington Update
November 30, 2016
Urgent Call For Action
1. A senior Senate staff member today reported that time is very short to get the full Senate to vote on Senate Resolution 432, a resolution supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive governance in Ethiopia. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee reported the resolution out of committee on June 23, meaning it could be considered by the full Senate at any time.
Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), a strong supporter of the Ethiopian regime, has blocked Senate consideration of the resolution. The only person who can break the logjam is Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). Everyone who cares about democracy, freedom, and human rights in Ethiopia should call McConnell’s offices in Washington, (202) 224-2541, and Louisville, (502) 582-6304, twice a day between now and December 9. Express support for SR 432, say why the United States needs to support human rights and democracy in Ethiopia.
It is also important to call Inhofe’s office and respectfully ask that he lift the hold on SR 432. Explain why the bill is important, that the Ethiopian regime is violating the human rights of Ethiopians, killing and imprisoning innocent people and suppressing democracy. Request meetings with him and his staff. His telephone number in Washington is (202) 224-4721.
It is imperative that this legislation be passed in the Senate to send a message to the Ethiopian people and all of Africa that the people of the United states will not tolerate torture, human rights abuses, and imprisoning people without due process.
2. Mesfin Mekonen recently met with congressional staff and requested that members of Congress make the following demands to representatives of the Ethiopian regime:
Immediate release of all those imprisoned without due process.
Individuals who are responsible for the death and torture of innocent civilians in Ethiopia must be brought to justice.
There must be an immediate stop to the beating and arrest of students and of the shooting of peaceful civilians.
All state-sponsored violence against peaceful demonstrators and civilians must cease immediately.
The state of emergency must be immediately rescinded.
3. The National Intelligence Council recently released a report on Global Trends 2030. This report highlights the opportunities and dangers in Ethiopia’s future. On the one hand it states that Ethiopia, along with Egypt and Nigeria, “have the potential to approach or surpass South Africa in overall national power.” It adds that “the key will be better governance to further economic growth and social and human development.” The report also ranks Ethiopia as 14th among nations at highest risk of “state failure” by 2030. Its scenario for 2030 predicts that unless urgent action is taken to improve governance — which means transitioning to a real democracy that adheres to the rule of law and respects human rights — Ethiopia could “fragment along sectarian, tribal, and ethnic lines” and become a safe haven for terrorists.
4. Senior staff from the House African subcommittee recently met with a representative of the Ethiopian Government to discuss the present situation in Ethiopia, including House Resolution 861, Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive governance in Ethiopia. The staff member noted the harassment, the killing and jailing of innocent civilians in Amara and Oromo regions continues, and the imposition the state of emergency has allowed the government to lock up anyone without due process. He also said that the judiciary, police, and army are not independent. The regime has suppressed all independent civil society organizations, and imprisoned independent journalists. The opposition has not been given any opportunity to participate in political life. All of these problems and more have prompted members of Congress to support House resolution 861.
5. On September 27, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), made the following speech on the floor of the Senate, which has been printed in the Congressional Record
6. MR. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to bring the Senate’s attention to the Ethiopian
government’s brutal crackdown on protestors over the past nine months. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 500 people have been killed by Ethiopian security forces in anti-government demonstrations since November 2015, including over 100 gunned down in early August of this year alone.
These protests by the country’s two largest ethnic groups, the Oromos and Amharas, reflect enduring tensions brought on by the Ethiopian government’s longstanding marginalization and persecution of these communities. But such grievances are shared by even broader segments of Ethiopian society, including from other communities that have been forcibly evicted from their land in the name of development, and the journalists, civil society activists, and countless other political prisoners sitting in Ethiopian jails for speaking out against the government’s repressive rule.
The international community, including the United States, has paid too little attention to the Ethiopian government’s repressive policies, focusing instead on the country’s rapid development gains and the government’s cooperation on regional security. But it is time for the Ethiopian government to acknowledge that grievances stemming from marginalization, abuse, and exclusive governance cannot be effectively addressed through the provision of basic services alone.
The United States should set an example by redefining its relationship with Ethiopia, starting with the recognition of this reality. In too many developing countries, legitimate concerns about unaccountable governance are given short shrift as aspirational and inconvenient tradeoffs for positive relations with host governments. But the quiet diplomacy of the past – backroom condemnation and public praise – has proven unable to ensure the sustainability of U.S. investments by failing to protect and promote stability, let alone encourage meaningful reform by the Ethiopian government.
It is precisely because Ethiopia is a strategic partner of the U.S. that we should encourage remedies to the underlying tensions in the country. That does not mean we walk away from our partnership, but we should examine the type of assistance we provide to the Ethiopian government to ensure it aligns with shared interests and activities that contribute to government capacity in a manner that addresses local concerns.
This is not without its challenges, and the only government that has the ability to successfully reform Ethiopia is its own. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and the rest of the Ethiopian leadership should begin by reassessing its crowd control tactics, and ensuring accountability for those who have committed abuses. I support the call by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for an independent, transparent, thorough and effective investigation into violations of human rights committed during the unrest, and if the Ethiopian government is interested in demonstrating its legitimacy it would welcome such an inquiry.
I look forward to working with other Members of Congress, the Obama Administration and their successors to determine how best we can ensure that the assistance U.S. taxpayers provide to Ethiopia serves our long-term interests in the region.
government’s brutal crackdown on protestors over the past nine months. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 500 people have been killed by Ethiopian security forces in anti-government demonstrations since November 2015, including over 100 gunned down in early August of this year alone.
These protests by the country’s two largest ethnic groups, the Oromos and Amharas, reflect enduring tensions brought on by the Ethiopian government’s longstanding marginalization and persecution of these communities. But such grievances are shared by even broader segments of Ethiopian society, including from other communities that have been forcibly evicted from their land in the name of development, and the journalists, civil society activists, and countless other political prisoners sitting in Ethiopian jails for speaking out against the government’s repressive rule.
The international community, including the United States, has paid too little attention to the Ethiopian government’s repressive policies, focusing instead on the country’s rapid development gains and the government’s cooperation on regional security. But it is time for the Ethiopian government to acknowledge that grievances stemming from marginalization, abuse, and exclusive governance cannot be effectively addressed through the provision of basic services alone.
The United States should set an example by redefining its relationship with Ethiopia, starting with the recognition of this reality. In too many developing countries, legitimate concerns about unaccountable governance are given short shrift as aspirational and inconvenient tradeoffs for positive relations with host governments. But the quiet diplomacy of the past – backroom condemnation and public praise – has proven unable to ensure the sustainability of U.S. investments by failing to protect and promote stability, let alone encourage meaningful reform by the Ethiopian government.
It is precisely because Ethiopia is a strategic partner of the U.S. that we should encourage remedies to the underlying tensions in the country. That does not mean we walk away from our partnership, but we should examine the type of assistance we provide to the Ethiopian government to ensure it aligns with shared interests and activities that contribute to government capacity in a manner that addresses local concerns.
This is not without its challenges, and the only government that has the ability to successfully reform Ethiopia is its own. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and the rest of the Ethiopian leadership should begin by reassessing its crowd control tactics, and ensuring accountability for those who have committed abuses. I support the call by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for an independent, transparent, thorough and effective investigation into violations of human rights committed during the unrest, and if the Ethiopian government is interested in demonstrating its legitimacy it would welcome such an inquiry.
I look forward to working with other Members of Congress, the Obama Administration and their successors to determine how best we can ensure that the assistance U.S. taxpayers provide to Ethiopia serves our long-term interests in the region.
Mesfin Mekonen