United States Congress (Washington, DC)
Chris Smith
3 October 2007
document
Washington, DC — The following text consists of excerpts from the floor statement of United States Congress Representative Chris Smith (Republican-New Jersey) on the Democracy and Accountability Act.
Thank you, Mister Speaker.
I rise in very, very, very strong support of the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act. I am very happy it has finally been brought to the floor. It will limit and condition U.S. government assistance to the Ethiopian Government, providing that the government meet a modest list of human rights benchmarks and provide financial support to human rights promoters in Ethiopia.
Mister Speaker, the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act is as timely now as it was last year--maybe even moreso, after the failure of so many attempts to promote human rights reform through dialogue and persuasion. It is clear that stronger measures are necessary and they must come now. Human rights abuses have to be penalized.
Recently, Human Rights Watch reported that the Ethiopian government, fighting an insurgency in the Ogaden region, had forcibly displaced thousands of civilians in that region, burned villages and food stocks, and imposed a trade blockade on the region. Just a few minutes ago in the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, we heard from a number of witnesses who told us very chilling tales—people who were there on the ground documenting the abuses that are being committed: rape and a whole host of other gross indignities being committed—crimes against humanity—committed by government forces.
Mister Speaker, even the U.S. Department of State's Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2006 points out that there were numerous credible reports that security officials often beat or mistreated detainees. Massive arrests and detentions are common, the report went on to say. Although the Ethiopian Constitution and law prohibits arbitrary arrests and detention, the government frequently did not observe these provisions in practice. Authorities regularly detained persons without warrants and denied access to counsel and family members, particularly from the outlying regions. The Independent Commission on Inquiry found that security officials held over 30,000 civilians incommunicado for up to 3 months in detention centers located in remote areas. Other estimates placed the number of such detainees as high as 50,000.
This is only part of a long series of human rights outrages committed by the government of Prime Minister Meles. In June 2005—after an election that displeased the Prime Minister—almost 200 pro-democracy demonstrators in Addis were slaughtered when they demanded that there be a true and accurate accounting of how people voted.
There was a magnificent outpouring of Ethiopians—85% of the eligible voters poured out to vote despite much intimidation. Despite the fact that many of the election official observers all of a sudden were thrown out of the country by the Meles government, including NDI and the International Republican Institute. Despite that they weren't there, people voted only to have, in many cases, their votes discounted by the government. Then, as people took to the streets to protest, like I said, almost 200 pro-democracy demonstrators were gunned down.
When I visited Ethiopia in August of that year and met with Prime Minister Meles, I urged him to investigate that atrocity, to punish those responsible, and to release political prisoners. Meles told me, "I have a file on all of them," that is to say the opposition leaders, and "they are all guilty of treason."
It is hard to put faith in the reformist intentions of a government official who says those kinds of things.
Mister Speaker, I believe that neither we nor the international community has pushed Meles hard enough on human rights and democracy issues because we have been satisfied that his government cooperates with us, to some extent, in the war on terror. I would point out that the war on terror is very important; but no regime that terrorizes its own citizens can be a reliable ally in the war on terror. Terrorism isn't just a military issue. It is also a human rights issue. Terrorists come from countries where their governments failed to respect their human rights. In promoting human rights in Ethiopia, we are attacking terrorism at its roots.
Mister Speaker, I have come to know and admire many people from Ethiopia's great and ancient civilization, and I assure my colleagues that democracy, human rights, and the rule of law are things they desperately want for their country. It should be our country's policy to promote these important things, which correspond to our own long-term interests.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
See also: U.S. Congress Acts on Human Rights
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