[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 127 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H6469-H6470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE PLIGHT OF THE OROMO PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the plight of the 
Oromo people of Ethiopia. The Oromo are Ethiopia's largest ethnic 
group, with a population of more than 25 million, or 35 percent of 
Ethiopia's total population.
  I speak here on behalf of one of my constituents, Ms. Seenaa Jimjimo, 
who is of Oromo descent. Ms. Jimjimo is the president of the Coalition 
for Oromo Human Rights and Democracy. The coalition is dedicated to 
bringing the suffering of the Oromo people and other Ethiopians to the 
attention of Americans and the world.
  She impressed me with her passion for defending the rights of her 
people, and that is why I bring this issue to the floor. Human rights 
in Ethiopia have been subject to deteriorating conditions for over a 
decade, with a sharp decline since 2014, making an already difficult 
situation even worse.
  The Ethiopian Government has adopted laws restricting freedom of 
expression, association, and assembly, including rights enshrined in 
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the Ethiopian 
constitution. These violations have been widely decried by numerous 
international bodies and nongovernmental organizations. Our own State 
Department has said the following about Ethiopia: ``The most 
significant human rights problems included harassment and intimidation 
of opposition members and supporters and journalists; alleged torture, 
beating, abuse, mistreatment of detainees by security forces and 
politically motivated trials.''
  Free expression is curtailed by laws permitting the government to 
punish speech it disagrees with up to 5 years in prison.
  In just 2016, security forces killed at least 1,000 and held more 
than 28,000 newly arrested persons in detention centers.
  In the midst of the difficult situation for all Ethiopians, the 
situation for the Oromo people is particularly dire. The Ethiopian 
Government released the Addis Ababa Master Plan, which sought to expand 
the capital into the Oromia region. The plan would displace millions of 
farmers, carve Oromia into two regions, changing the livelihood of 36 
Oromia towns and 17 districts by hurting the livelihoods and lives of 
the Oromo without consulting the Oromo.
  The Oromo protests erupted in November 2015 in response. The 
Ethiopian Government admitted the use of excessive force. A Human 
Rights Watch report described interviews of hundreds of people who 
survived gruesome and inhumane acts by security forces. Even so, no one 
has been brought to justice.
  According to the State Department report, the government also 
recently won what appears to have been a rigged election. The deaths of 
thousands of Oromos and other Ethiopians cannot bring a lasting 
solution to the country's mounting problems, yet the Ethiopian 
Government continues to receive money for its role in the Somalia and 
Sudan peacekeeping missions.
  We must ask how long the United States should keep financing a regime 
that has received $30 billion in foreign assistance since it came into 
power in 1991, and reportedly has stolen virtually all of it.
  In honor of thousands of Oromo people who have been savagely 
murdered, injured, arrested, and have been victims of enforced 
disappearance, I now join my colleagues in cosponsoring House 
Resolution 128, which calls for supporting respect for human rights and 
encouraging inclusive governance in Ethiopia. This resolution sends a 
clear and strong message to the Ethiopian movement and government by 
letting them know that we keep a vigilant eye on the suffering that 
some minorities have been going through in recent years and the 
offenses that caused these sufferings.
  Many Ethiopians who dare to speak up against the current government 
are being treated badly all across Ethiopia. Oromos are being singled 
out.
  Consider the case of Bekele Gerba. He was arrested upon his return 
from the United States, where he spoke to several Members of Congress. 
Now he stands charged with terrorism, although after a year and a half, 
the government has been unable to produce a

[[Page H6470]]

single document to back up their accusation.
  Even as the Ethiopian Government has admitted to arresting 28,000 
people, there is reason to believe the number is closer to 80,000.
  We must condemn violence against peaceful protestors, unlawful 
arrests, inhumane treatment, and the withholding of key human rights.
  The Government of Ethiopia has an obligation to care for all its 
people, including the Oromo. As the United States, we should stand with 
the people of Ethiopia and help the Ethiopian Government return to the 
path of peace and democracy.

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