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 
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•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; 
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•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-
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•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) stands by the people of Ethiopia and sup-
ports their peaceful efforts to advance democratic re-
forms and to exercise the rights guaranteed by the 
Constitution of Ethiopia; 
(2) strongly supports the historic reform meas-
ures undertaken by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed 
since 2018, including efforts to promote human 
rights, privatize the economy, repeal restrictions on 
freedoms of expression, organize the first ever multi- 
party Presidential elections, and resolve regional 
conflicts; 
(3) condemns— 
(A) the targeted violence and destruction 
of property directed against ethnic and religious 
minorities; 
(B) the excessive use of force by Ethiopian 
security forces against peaceful protesters; 
(C) the arrest and detention of journalists 
and peaceful protesters who exercised their con-
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•HRES 1183 IH 
stitutional rights to freedom of assembly and 
expression; and 
(D) hate speech and disinformation that 
fuel ethnic and political violence, propagated by 
individuals and organized groups based in Ethi-
opia and in the diaspora; 
(4) urges protesters in Ethiopia to refrain from 
violence and to refrain from incitement or accept-
ance of violence in demonstrations; 
(5) urges all political, religious, and community 
leaders to call for calm and encourage their sup-
porters to reject violence; 
(6) urges all armed factions to cease their con-
flict with the Government of Ethiopia and engage in 
peaceful negotiations directly or through inter-
mediaries; 
(7) welcomes efforts by reformed national insti-
tutions such as the Ethiopian Human Rights Com-
mission to foster respect for human rights and the 
rule of law; 
(8) calls on the Government of Ethiopia to— 
(A) conduct full, credible, and transparent 
investigations into the killings that took place 
in Oromia, Addis Ababa, and the Southern Na-
tions, Nationalities, and People’s Region amid 
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•HRES 1183 IH 
the recent protests and unrest, including an in-
vestigation into the assassination of Haacaaluu 
Hundeessaa; 
(B) take immediate steps to prevent the 
use of excessive force by security forces and en-
sure accountability for security forces found re-
sponsible; 
(C) demonstrate respect for due process 
and ensure fair, transparent, and expeditious 
trials of journalists, activists, and opposition 
politicians arrested during the recent unrest; 
(D) respect the right to freedom of peace-
ful assembly and guarantee the freedom of the 
press and mass media, in keeping with Articles 
29 and 30 of the Constitution of Ethiopia; 
(E) resume dialogue with opposition par-
ties on outstanding issues regarding democratic 
transformation, 
including 
determining 
a 
timeline for national elections; and 
(F) consider employing transitional justice 
approaches, mechanisms, and measures to ad-
dress grievances in order to contribute to a 
democratic, peaceful, and prosperous future for 
Ethiopia; 
(9) calls on the United States Government to— 
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•HRES 1183 IH 
(A) play a more active and vocal role in 
encouraging and supporting an inclusive, intra- 
Ethiopian dialogue on democratic reforms, elec-
tions, ethnic violence, and accountability for se-
rious human rights abuses; 
(B) immediately allow all obligated and 
planned bilateral foreign assistance to Ethiopia 
to continue, including critical funding for global 
health security, civil society and election pre-
paredness, economic growth, food security, and 
counterterrorism; and 
(C) consider application of existing United 
States sanctions authority, including as pro-
vided for in the Global Magnitsky Human 
Rights Accountability Act, for gross violations 
of internationally recognized human rights; 
(10) supports the African Union-led GERD ne-
gotiations among Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, and 
support an equitable outcome fair to all parties; and 
(11) supports increased United States private 
sector investment in Ethiopia, including in key sec-
tors such as telecommunications, energy, and agri-
culture, and encourages continued efforts to spur 
economic growth and privatize the economy. 
Æ 
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