IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 861 
Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive governance 
in Ethiopia. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. AL GREEN of 
Texas, Mr. COFFMAN, and Mr. ENGEL) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging 
inclusive governance in Ethiopia. 
Whereas the first pillar of the United States Strategy Toward 
Sub-Saharan Africa, announced in 2012, is to strengthen 
democratic institutions, and the Democracy, Human 
Rights, and Governance Strategy of the United States 
Agency for International Development states that ‘‘strong 
democratic institutions, respect for human rights, and 
participatory, accountable governance are crucial ele-
ments for improving people’s lives in a sustainable way’’; 
Whereas the third pillar of the United States Strategy To-
ward Sub-Saharan Africa is to advance peace and secu-
rity, including supporting security sector reform; 
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Whereas democratic space in Ethiopia has steadily dimin-
ished since the general elections of 2005; 
Whereas elections were held in 2015 in which the ruling Ethi-
opian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front party 
claimed 100 percent of parliamentary seats; 
Whereas the 2015 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, restric-
tions on freedom of expression and freedom of associa-
tion, politically motivated trials, harassment, and intimi-
dation of opposition members and journalists; 
Whereas the Ethiopian Human Rights Council reports at 
least 102 protestor deaths, but according to Human 
Rights Watch, Ethiopian security forces have killed at 
least 400 peaceful protestors in the Oromia and Amhara 
regions, and the actual number is likely at the higher 
end; 
Whereas state-sponsored violence against those exercising 
their rights to peaceful assembly, in Oromia and else-
where in the country, and the abuse of laws to stifle jour-
nalistic freedoms stand in direct contrast to democratic 
principles and violate the constitution of Ethiopia; 
Whereas since protests started in Oromia in 2015, the Ethio-
pian government has charged 135 Oromo students, oppo-
sition leaders, and activists at the Federal High Court 
under the 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation (ATP) and 
repeatedly has abused such law to limit the freedom of 
the press, silence independent journalists, and persecute 
members of the political opposition, including by— 
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(1) charging 20 university students in March 2016 
under the criminal code for protesting in front of the 
United States Embassy in Addis Ababa, based only on a 
video of their protest and a list of demands; 
(2) charging Bekele Gerba, the deputy chairman of 
the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress party (the 
largest registered opposition political party in Oromia) 
and 21 others, including many senior members of that 
party, under counterterrorism laws for having links with 
the banned Oromo Liberation Front; 
(3) charging Yonatan Tesfaye Regassa, the former 
head of public relations for the opposition Semayawi 
Party (the Blue Party), with ‘‘planning, preparation, con-
spiracy, incitement and attempt’’ of a terrorist act, citing 
Facebook posts by Regassa about the protests as evi-
dence; 
(4) arresting Getachew Shiferaw (the editor-in-chief 
of the online newspaper ‘‘Negere Ethiopia’’), Fikadu 
Mirkana, (a news editor and reporter with the public 
‘‘Oromia 
Radio 
and 
TV’’), 
and 
blogger 
Zelalem 
Workagenehu (with an independent diaspora blog) under 
charges of conspiring to overthrow the government and 
supporting terrorism under the ATP; and 
(5) refusing to allow timely life-saving medical treat-
ment for Habtamu Ayalew, the former spokesman for the 
opposition Adenet (Unity) party, when he became uncon-
scious due to apparent ill treatment during imprison-
ment; 
Whereas, on April 25, 2016, the Federal High Court sen-
tenced the former governor of the Gambella region, 
Okello Akway Ochalla, to nine years imprisonment, and 
the trial of Ochalla and his co-defendants was marred by 
violations of fair trial guarantees and included the use of 
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witness testimonies in exchange for non-prosecution 
under the ATP; 
Whereas in August 2015, eighteen Ethiopian Muslim leaders 
received prison sentences ranging from seven to 22 years 
in prison for peacefully protesting against government in-
terference in the religious affairs of the Islamic commu-
nity; 
Whereas criminal courts in Ethiopia are weak, overburdened, 
subject to political influence, accept the use of forced con-
fessions, and allow detainees to be held for months with-
out charge; 
Whereas serious concerns have been raised regarding prison 
conditions in Ethiopia, including overcrowding, poor sani-
tation, lack of access to potable water, excessive use of 
solitary confinement, withholding access to medical treat-
ment, and denial of access to proper legal counsel or to 
visitors; 
Whereas laws such as the 2009 Charities and Societies Proc-
lamation have been used to restrict the operation of civil 
society organizations in Ethiopia, especially those inves-
tigating alleged violations of human rights by govern-
mental authorities; 
Whereas in June 2016, the government of Ethiopia an-
nounced that it closed down more than 200 nongovern-
mental organizations within the past nine months for 
failing to comply with the restrictive provisions of the 
2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation; 
Whereas the development strategy of the Government of 
Ethiopia has targeted the relocation of over 1,500,000 
people, including indigenous Anuaks in the Gambella re-
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gion, from their ancestral lands for large-scale land devel-
opment under the ‘‘villagization’’ program; 
Whereas the case of the ‘‘Zone 9 Bloggers’’, whose arrest, de-
tention, and trials on terrorism charges brought inter-
national attention to the restrictions on the freedom of 
the press in Ethiopia, is indicative of the coercive envi-
ronment in which Ethiopian journalists operate; and 
Whereas during President Barack Obama’s historic visit to 
Addis Ababa in July 2015, Prime Minister Hailemariam 
Desalegn expressed the commitment of his government to 
deepen the democratic process and work towards improv-
ing governance and respect for human rights, and noted 
the need to step up efforts to strengthen institutions: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns the— 
(A) killing of peaceful protesters and ex-
cessive use of force by Ethiopian security 
forces; 
(B) arrest and detention of journalists, 
students, activists, and political leaders who ex-
ercise their constitutional rights to freedom of 
assembly and expression through peaceful pro-
tests; and 
(C) abuse of the Anti-Terrorism Proclama-
tion to stifle political and civil dissent and jour-
nalistic freedoms; 
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(2) urges protesters in Ethiopia to refrain from 
violence; 
(3) calls on the Government of Ethiopia to— 
(A) end the use of excessive force by secu-
rity forces; 
(B) conduct a full, credible, and trans-
parent investigation into the killings and in-
stances of excessive use of force that took place 
as a result of protests in the Oromia and Am-
hara regions and hold security forces account-
able for wrongdoing through public proceedings; 
(C) release dissidents, activists, and jour-
nalists who have been imprisoned, including 
those arrested for reporting about the protests, 
for exercising constitutional rights; 
(D) respect the right to freedom of peace-
ful assembly and guarantee the freedom of the 
press and mass media, in keeping with Articles 
30 and 29 of the Ethiopian constitution; 
(E) engage in open and transparent con-
sultations with citizens regarding its develop-
ment strategy, especially those strategies that 
could result in the displacement of people from 
their land; 
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(F) allow a rapporteur appointed by the 
United Nations to conduct an independent ex-
amination of the state of human rights in Ethi-
opia; 
(G) 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 polit-
ical dissent, or advocate for greater polit-
ical freedoms; 
(ii) prohibit or otherwise limit those 
displaced from their land from seeking 
remedy or redress in courts, or do not pro-
vide a transparent, accessible means to ac-
cess justice for those so displaced; 
(iii) allow for the arrest and detention 
of peaceful protesters and political oppo-
nents who legally exercise their rights to 
freedom of expression and association; and 
(iv) prohibit or otherwise limit peace-
ful nonprofit operations in Ethiopia; and 
(H) investigate the circumstances sur-
rounding the September 3, 2016, shootings and 
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fire at Qilinto Prison and publically release the 
report in an expedient manner; 
(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 im-
mediately lead efforts to develop a comprehensive 
strategy to support improved democracy and govern-
ance in Ethiopia; 
(6) calls on the Secretary of State, in conjunc-
tion with the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, to improve 
oversight and accountability of United States assist-
ance to Ethiopia, pursuant to the expectations estab-
lished in the United States Strategy Toward Sub- 
Saharan Africa; and 
(7) stands by the people of Ethiopia and sup-
ports their peaceful efforts to increase democratic 
space and to exercise the rights guaranteed by the 
Ethiopian constitution. 
Æ 
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