[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 16, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E809]]



                        TROUBLES IN ADDIS ABABA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 16, 2001

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise awareness and express 
my concern over the serious situation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. On 
April 11th while students at University College of Addis Ababa were 
peacefully protesting the fact that the government had disbanded the 
student council and closed the student newspaper, federal security 
police were sent in to crack down on the protests.
  In the wake of this crackdown over 50 students were seriously 
injured. Amnesty International reported that ``over 40 students 
required hospital treatment from head wounds or fractures'' and two 
students were killed. The crackdown continued through April 17th and 
there have been reports of more than 41 people, including university 
and secondary school students, being killed during this period.
  Since April 17th, Human Rights Watch reported, ``Students were 
dragged out of local churches and mosques, where they had sought 
refuge, and taken into detention [and] more than two thousand students 
were detained during these raids.'' The use of unprovoked and heavy 
violence inflicted by the federal police, who were armed with live 
ammunition, against peaceful student demonstrators and the public must 
not continue.
  I am also extremely concerned about the recent arrests of key 
Ethiopian human rights workers such as Dr. Mesfin Wolde-Mariam and Dr. 
Berhanu Nega for allegedly inciting students to protest. To my 
knowledge, formal charges have not been filed and these men's 
whereabouts are not known. These men should be accorded due process of 
the legal system and be provided adequate medical care if needed and 
they should be released if no charges are filed against them.
  I will be watching the events in Addis Ababa closely. I put those who 
would continue to harm innocent students and human rights advocates on 
notice that they are being monitored.

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