Supporting Respect for Human Rights and Encouraging Inclusive Governance in Ethiopia

Floor Speech

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Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also thank Chairman Smith and the ranking member for standing together on this important House Resolution 128.

It is true that Minnesota is home to a large number of people who find their roots in Ethiopia and are of the Oromo background.

These Minnesotans have made it very clear by reaching out to their elected representatives that while their feet are firmly planted on American soil, they still, like so many other Americans, have a heart and a sentiment where they want to support justice in the homeland that they came from. As a result, I have been able to get an education from my constituents about circumstances in Ethiopia which make this resolution necessary.

So I do rise in support of House Resolution 128, which calls on the Government of Ethiopia to make clear, concrete steps toward becoming inclusive, more democratic, more respectful of human rights of all of its citizens.

I would like to note that this is a bipartisan resolution, proving that we can come together for critical issues like human rights in Ethiopia for Americans who find their roots in Ethiopia and for people all over the world.

In Minnesota, as I noted, we are fortunate to be home to one of the largest Oromo and Ogaden communities in North America, and it is because of the relentless work of these folks that these issues have come to light. I thank them. Many of them are here today. They have been working on this issue for many years, Mr. Speaker, because it is that vitally important.

Now, as my colleagues have noted, Ethiopia is an important ally of the United States, that is a fact, but even allies must be held accountable when they violate the human rights of their people. Status as an ally is not a license to abuse human rights.

The Ethiopian people desperately need their government to take action to secure their human rights and expand inclusive democracy.

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Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, the Ethiopian Government continues to detain journalists, bloggers, students, and political opposition leaders. Thousands remain in prison to this day.

In addition, the Ethiopian Government admits to killing over 500 of its citizens during the protests in an effort to suppress the people's freedom of speech. Most observers put this number far higher.

These abuses have created a serious instability in the country. While there have been some signs of progress, which must be noted, including the recent election of a prime minister from the Oromo region, we must continue to push for real, concrete changes. For example, the government should let the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights travel through the country to conduct an independent assessment of the human rights situation in the country.

By passing this resolution, Congress will be making clear that we will not remain silent on this important issue, we will stand together across the political divide in support of these human rights in Ethiopia.

By passing this resolution, we will speed up democratic change in Ethiopia.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important resolution.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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