H. Res. 128 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

April 10, 2018. 

Whereas the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has 

been an important partner of the United States and a regional leader in promoting economic growth, global 

health, and peace and security; 

Whereas Ethiopia has helped advance the national interests 

of the United States and regional partners, including 

through contributions to international peacekeeping, combating radical Islamist extremism and other forms of terrorism, and regional cooperation through the African 

Union; 

Whereas Ethiopia has made great strides in addressing significant challenges in global health, child survival, and 

food security; 

Whereas Ethiopia’s transition from authoritarian rule to 

participatory democracy has not kept pace with other reforms; 

Whereas the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) claimed to win 99.6 percent of 

the vote in elections that were deemed neither free nor 

fair in 2010 and all 546 parliamentary seats in 2015, 

thereby further consolidating the EPRDF’s single party 

rule; 
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Whereas the Charities and Societies Proclamation and AntiTerrorism Proclamation, both enacted in 2009, have accelerated the contraction of democratic space, severely 

limited the practice of fundamental human rights, enabled abuses by security forces, and impeded efforts to 

promote accountability for such abuses in Ethiopia; 

Whereas government forces launched a violent crackdown on 

protests by ethnic Oromo and Amhara over their perceived marginalization in 2015, resulting in hundreds of 

deaths and tens of thousands of arrests; 

Whereas the Government of Ethiopia has recently released 

hundreds of political prisoners, but has continued to periodically detain government critics and opposition figures; 

Whereas the Government of Ethiopia has periodically imposed a state of emergency that even further restricts 

freedoms of assembly, association, and expression, including through blockage of mobile internet access and social 

media communication; 

Whereas the 2017 Department of State Country Report on 

Human Rights Practices for Ethiopia cited serious 

human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, 

killings, and torture committed by security forces, restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of association, politically motivated trials, harassment, and intimidation of opposition members and journalists; and 

Whereas these persistent human right abuses, including 

state-sponsored violence against civilians in the Oromia, 

Amhara, and Somali regions of Ethiopia, as well as the 

abuse of laws to stifle journalistic freedoms, stand in direct contrast to democratic principles, violate the Constitution of Ethiopia, and undermine Ethiopia’s position 
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as a regional leader for economic growth, peace, and security: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) recognizes and commends Ethiopia’s efforts to 

promote regional peace and security, including through 

the contribution of peacekeeping forces to regional and 

United Nations peacekeeping operations; 

(2) recognizes the importance of continued United 

States and Ethiopian partnership in combating terrorism, promoting economic growth and opportunity, and 

addressing global health challenges; 

(3) notes with deep concern persistent reports of 

widespread human rights abuses and the contraction of 

democratic space in Ethiopia, which may threaten stability and reverse economic progress over the long term; 

(4) condemns the use of excessive force by Ethiopian security forces, including the killing of unarmed 

protesters, and the wrongful arrest and detention of 

journalists, students, activists, and political leaders exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of assembly, 

association, and expression; 

(5) recognizes and commends the recent peaceful 

and voluntary transfer of authority from Prime Minister 

Hailemariam to new Prime Minister Abiy and welcomes 

Prime Minister Abiy’s inaugural speech calling for open 
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political competition and the defense of fundamental 

human rights; 

(6) calls on the Government of Ethiopia to— 

(A) lift the state of emergency; 

(B) repeal or amend proclamations used as a 

tool to suppress human rights in Ethiopia, including 

the Charities and Societies Proclamation and AntiTerrorism Proclamation of 2009, and respect the 

rights of Ethiopian citizens to freedom of assembly 

and expression, in keeping with Articles 30 and 29 

of the Ethiopian Constitution; 

(C) end the use of excessive force by Ethiopian 

security forces and hold accountable those responsible for killing, torturing, or otherwise abusing the 

human rights of civilians exercising their constitutional rights through fair and public trials; 

(D) release all activists, journalists, and opposition figures who have been wrongfully imprisoned 

for exercising their constitutional rights, including 

those arrested for reporting about public protests; 

(E) improve transparency around development 

policies and activities that may infringe upon the 

human rights of local communities; and 
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(F) allow for an independent examination of 

the state of human rights in Ethiopia by a 

rapporteur appointed by the United Nations; 

(7) urges protesters in Ethiopia to refrain from the 

use or incitement of violence in demonstrations; 

(8) urges opposition groups and the Government of 

Ethiopia to directly engage in peaceful discussions to air 

grievances and broaden political discourse; 

(9) calls on the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development— 

(A) to engage in a cooperative effort with the 

Government of Ethiopia in the formulation of a 

comprehensive strategy, in coordination with other 

donors, to help advance democracy, rule of law, 

human rights, economic growth, and peace and security in Ethiopia; 

(B) continue to strengthen ties with Ethiopia, 

including through the provision of appropriate levels 

and forms of security assistance, in correlation to 

the Ethiopian Government’s own demonstrated 

commitment to democracy, rule of law, human 

rights, economic growth, and peace and security in 

the region; 

(C) condemn human rights abuses and the excessive use of force by Ethiopian security forces 
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while pressing for the release of individuals wrongfully detained; and 

(D) hold accountable individuals responsible 

for gross human rights violations in Ethiopia 

through appropriate mechanisms, which may include the imposition of targeted sanctions pursuant 

to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Public Law 114–328); and 

(10) 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. 

Attest: 

Clerk.