[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 432 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 432

     Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive 
                        governance in Ethiopia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 20, 2016

  Mr. Cardin (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
Coons, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Franken, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Klobuchar, 
Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Brown) submitted the following resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive 
                        governance in Ethiopia.

Whereas the first pillar of the 2012 United States Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan 
        Africa is to strengthen democratic institutions, and the United States 
        Agency for International Development Democracy, Human Rights, and 
        Governance Strategy states that strong democratic institutions, respect 
        for human rights, and participatory, accountable governance are crucial 
        elements for improving people's lives in a sustainable way;
Whereas the third pillar of the 2012 United States Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan 
        Africa is to advance peace and security, including supporting security 
        sector reform;
Whereas democratic space in Ethiopia has steadily diminished since the general 
        elections of 2005;
Whereas elections were held in 2015 in which the ruling Ethiopian People's 
        Revolutionary Democratic Front claimed 100 percent of parliamentary 
        seats;
Whereas the 2014 Department of State Human Rights Report on Ethiopia cited 
        serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, killings, 
        and torture committed by security forces as well as restrictions on 
        freedom of expression and freedom of association, politically motivated 
        trials, harassment, and intimidation of opposition members and 
        journalists;
Whereas the Government of Ethiopia has repeatedly abused laws such as the 2009 
        Anti-Terrorism Proclamation to limit press freedom, silence independent 
        journalists, and persecute members of the political opposition;
Whereas laws such as the 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation have been 
        used to restrict the operation of civil society and nongovernmental 
        organizations in Ethiopia across a range of purposes, particularly those 
        investigating alleged violations of human rights by governmental 
        authorities;
Whereas the case of the ``Zone 9 Bloggers'', whose arrest, detention, and trials 
        on terrorism charges brought international attention to the restrictions 
        on press freedom in Ethiopia, is indicative of the coercive environment 
        in which journalists operate;
Whereas the Ethiopian Human Rights Council reports at least 102 protestor 
        deaths, and according to Human Rights Watch, Ethiopian security forces 
        have killed at least 200 peaceful protestors in the Oromia region, and 
        that number is likely higher;
Whereas state-sponsored violence against those exercising their rights to 
        peaceful assembly in Oromia and elsewhere in the country, and the abuse 
        of laws to stifle journalistic freedoms, stand in direct contrast to 
        democratic principles and in violation of Ethiopia's constitution; and
Whereas, during President Barack Obama's historic visit to Addis Ababa in July 
        2015, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn expressed his government's 
        commitment to deepen the democratic process and work towards the respect 
        of human rights and improving governance, and noted the need to step up 
        efforts to strengthen institutions: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns--
                    (A) killings of peaceful protesters and excessive 
                use of force by Ethiopian security forces;
                    (B) arrest and detention of journalists, students, 
                activists and political leaders who exercise their 
                constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and 
                expression through peaceful protests; and
                    (C) abuse of the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation to 
                stifle political and civil dissent and journalistic 
                freedoms;
            (2) urges protesters in Ethiopia to refrain from violence;
            (3) calls on the Government of Ethiopia--
                    (A) to halt the use of excessive force by security 
                forces;
                    (B) to conduct a full, credible, and transparent 
                investigation into the killings and instances of 
                excessive use of force that took place as a result of 
                protests in the Oromia region and hold security forces 
                accountable for wrongdoing through public proceedings;
                    (C) to release dissidents, activists, and 
                journalists who have been jailed, including those 
                arrested for reporting about the protests, for 
                exercising constitutional rights;
                    (D) to respect the right to freedom of peaceful 
                assembly and guarantee freedom of the press and mass 
                media in keeping with Articles 30 and 29 of the 
                Ethiopian constitution;
                    (E) to engage in open and transparent consultations 
                relative to its development strategy, especially those 
                strategies that could result in people's displacement 
                from land; and
                    (F) to repeal proclamations that--
                            (i) can be used as a political tool to 
                        harass or prohibit funding for civil society 
                        organizations that investigate human rights 
                        violations, engage in peaceful political 
                        dissent, or advocate for greater political 
                        freedoms; or
                            (ii) prohibit or otherwise limit those 
                        displaced from their land from seeking remedy 
                        or redress in courts, or that do not provide a 
                        transparent, accessible means to access justice 
                        for those displaced;
            (4) calls on the Secretary of State to conduct a review of 
        security assistance to Ethiopia in light of recent developments 
        and to improve transparency with respect to the purposes of 
        such assistance to the people of Ethiopia;
            (5) calls on the Administrator of the United States Agency 
        for International Development to immediately lead efforts to 
        develop a comprehensive strategy to support improved democracy 
        and governance in Ethiopia;
            (6) calls on the Secretary of State, in conjunction with 
        the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
        Development, to improve oversight and accountability of United 
        States assistance to Ethiopia pursuant to expectations 
        established in the President's 2012 Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan 
        Africa; and
            (7) stands by the people of Ethiopia, and supports their 
        peaceful efforts to increase democratic space and to exercise 
        the rights guaranteed by the Ethiopian constitution.
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