Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging continued democratic progress in Ethiopia, and for other purposes.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1183 Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging continued democratic progress in Ethiopia, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 9, 2020 Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. WILSON of South Caro- lina, Mr. GARAMENDI, and Mr. WRIGHT) submitted the following resolu- tion; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging contin- ued democratic progress in Ethiopia, and for other pur- poses. Whereas the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has been a key ally of the United States and an important economic and security partner, as well as a major troop contributor to international peacekeeping; Whereas, in January 2018, the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front declared that it would pursue reforms in response to intensifying antigovernment protests that began in late 2015; Whereas Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spearheaded significant and commendable reform measures following his selection in April 2018, including releasing thousands of political VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:56 Oct 10, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1183.IH HR1183 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1183 IH prisoners, inviting exiled political opposition back to Ethi- opia, negotiating a peace agreement with Eritrea, lifting bans on over 200 websites and improving media freedom, closing the notorious Maikelawi prison, repealing the dra- conian Charities and Societies Proclamation and the Antiterrorism Proclamation, appointing a gender-bal- anced cabinet, reforming electoral laws and the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, taking steps to privatize the economy, and promoting private sector investment; Whereas key challenges, including recurring ethnic and inter- communal clashes and increasingly polarized political views that have spurred violence, threaten to impede Ethiopia’s democratic progress; Whereas ethnic, intercommunal, and intracommunal violence since 2017 caused the death of hundreds and displaced more than 3,000,000 Ethiopians, including over a million people displaced by conflict and violence in 2019 alone, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Cen- ter; Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic led the Government of Ethiopia to declare a state of emergency and indefinitely postpone elections originally scheduled for August 2020; Whereas the killing of prominent Oromo musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa on June 29, 2020, sparked more than a week of violence and arrests, contributing to growing con- cerns about instability; Whereas ethnic and religious minorities were targeted in vio- lent attacks, and homes, businesses, and religious institu- tions were looted or destroyed; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:56 Oct 10, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1183.IH HR1183 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1183 IH Whereas hundreds of people have been killed in the recent ethnic violence and unrest, some of them by Ethiopian security forces; Whereas Ethiopian security forces have arrested more than 7,000 people since the unrest began, including several journalists and prominent opposition politicians, and their continued detention has spurred further protests and violence; Whereas the Government of Ethiopia has employed tactics, such as mass arrests, internet shutdowns, and prolonged detention without charge, that echo practices used before the opening of political space in 2018, threatening the democratic progress made over the last 2 years; Whereas polarizing narratives and threats of violence en- dorsed by some members of the opposition and parts of the diaspora also jeopardize Ethiopia’s transition to de- mocracy by raising tensions and increasing the prospects for interethnic and interreligious violence; Whereas dialogue among the ruling and opposition parties on elections and the democratic transition appears to have stalled; Whereas transitional justice processes and mechanisms can help address legitimate grievances, and strengthen secu- rity, development, reconciliation, and good governance; Whereas the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is nearing completion, and is expected to significantly in- crease Ethiopia’s electricity generation capacity and gen- erate billions of dollars from energy exports; Whereas negotiations surrounding Nile River water rights have a long, complex history involving regional and do- VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:54 Oct 11, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1183.IH HR1183 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1183 IH mestic considerations by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan; and Whereas a mutually acceptable agreement is critical for fu- ture regional stability and economic growth: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) stands by the people of Ethiopia and sup- 2 ports their peaceful efforts to advance democratic re- 3 forms and to exercise the rights guaranteed by the 4 Constitution of Ethiopia; 5 (2) strongly supports the historic reform meas- 6 ures undertaken by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed 7 since 2018, including efforts to promote human 8 rights, privatize the economy, repeal restrictions on 9 freedoms of expression, organize the first ever multi- 10 party Presidential elections, and resolve regional 11 conflicts; 12 (3) condemns— 13 (A) the targeted violence and destruction 14 of property directed against ethnic and religious 15 minorities; 16 (B) the excessive use of force by Ethiopian 17 security forces against peaceful protesters; 18 (C) the arrest and detention of journalists 19 and peaceful protesters who exercised their con- 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:56 Oct 10, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1183.IH HR1183 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 1183 IH stitutional rights to freedom of assembly and 1 expression; and 2 (D) hate speech and disinformation that 3 fuel ethnic and political violence, propagated by 4 individuals and organized groups based in Ethi- 5 opia and in the diaspora; 6 (4) urges protesters in Ethiopia to refrain from 7 violence and to refrain from incitement or accept- 8 ance of violence in demonstrations; 9 (5) urges all political, religious, and community 10 leaders to call for calm and encourage their sup- 11 porters to reject violence; 12 (6) urges all armed factions to cease their con- 13 flict with the Government of Ethiopia and engage in 14 peaceful negotiations directly or through inter- 15 mediaries; 16 (7) welcomes efforts by reformed national insti- 17 tutions such as the Ethiopian Human Rights Com- 18 mission to foster respect for human rights and the 19 rule of law; 20 (8) calls on the Government of Ethiopia to— 21 (A) conduct full, credible, and transparent 22 investigations into the killings that took place 23 in Oromia, Addis Ababa, and the Southern Na- 24 tions, Nationalities, and People’s Region amid 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:56 Oct 10, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1183.IH HR1183 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 1183 IH the recent protests and unrest, including an in- 1 vestigation into the assassination of Haacaaluu 2 Hundeessaa; 3 (B) take immediate steps to prevent the 4 use of excessive force by security forces and en- 5 sure accountability for security forces found re- 6 sponsible; 7 (C) demonstrate respect for due process 8 and ensure fair, transparent, and expeditious 9 trials of journalists, activists, and opposition 10 politicians arrested during the recent unrest; 11 (D) respect the right to freedom of peace- 12 ful assembly and guarantee the freedom of the 13 press and mass media, in keeping with Articles 14 29 and 30 of the Constitution of Ethiopia; 15 (E) resume dialogue with opposition par- 16 ties on outstanding issues regarding democratic 17 transformation, including determining a 18 timeline for national elections; and 19 (F) consider employing transitional justice 20 approaches, mechanisms, and measures to ad- 21 dress grievances in order to contribute to a 22 democratic, peaceful, and prosperous future for 23 Ethiopia; 24 (9) calls on the United States Government to— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:56 Oct 10, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1183.IH HR1183 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HRES 1183 IH (A) play a more active and vocal role in 1 encouraging and supporting an inclusive, intra- 2 Ethiopian dialogue on democratic reforms, elec- 3 tions, ethnic violence, and accountability for se- 4 rious human rights abuses; 5 (B) immediately allow all obligated and 6 planned bilateral foreign assistance to Ethiopia 7 to continue, including critical funding for global 8 health security, civil society and election pre- 9 paredness, economic growth, food security, and 10 counterterrorism; and 11 (C) consider application of existing United 12 States sanctions authority, including as pro- 13 vided for in the Global Magnitsky Human 14 Rights Accountability Act, for gross violations 15 of internationally recognized human rights; 16 (10) supports the African Union-led GERD ne- 17 gotiations among Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, and 18 support an equitable outcome fair to all parties; and 19 (11) supports increased United States private 20 sector investment in Ethiopia, including in key sec- 21 tors such as telecommunications, energy, and agri- 22 culture, and encourages continued efforts to spur 23 economic growth and privatize the economy. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:54 Oct 11, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1183.IH HR1183 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS