[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 20, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 432--SUPPORTING RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND 
              ENCOURAGING INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE IN ETHIOPIA

  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:

                              S. Res. 432

       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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