Washington, D.C. — The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill supporting human rights and democracy in Ethiopia.
Lawmakers passed the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007 on Tuesday. In order to become a law, the bill must now be passed in the Senate and then signed by President George W. Bush.
The bill seeks to restrict U.S. military aid, stipulating that it can be used only for counter-terrorism and peacekeeping purposes unless Ethiopia improves its human rights record.
But it provides that full, normal military aid can resume if the President certifies that all political prisoners have been released and independent media can function without excessive interference. Ethiopia is one of the United States's staunchest allies in its war on terrorism.
The measure also provides $20 million for the next two years to promote human rights, democracy, and economic development in Ethiopia.
"I believe that our government has not pushed Prime Minister Meles [Zenawi] hard enough on human rights issues because it is satisfied that his government is cooperating with us on the war on terror," Representative Chris Smith (Republican-New Jersey), the ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, said at a Tuesday morning subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill.
The hearing focused on the current humanitarian crisis in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, but panelists also addressed the state of Ethiopian democracy.
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The Bush administration has hinted that it objects to the bill. In testimony before the subcommittee, assistant secretary of state for African affairs Jendayi Frazer explained the administration's reservations: "We support the spirit of the legislation in terms of trying to promote democracy and human rights in Ethiopia ... Where we differ... is that it directs us to activities we are already doing and therefore could reduce the flexibility of USAID in types of democracy and human rights promotion they already have underway."
The legislation has its origins in the Ethiopian government's crackdown on the opposition after the parliamentary elections of 2005, in which about 200 people died and many opposition leaders were arrested and jailed.
In July this year, more than 70 political prisoners were released. Subcommittee chair and bill sponsor Donald Payne (Democrat-New Jersey), however, said in his opening statement that "thousands of other people remain in jail." He added, "Repression of opposition politicians, journalists and members of civil society continues."
