Parliament of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

RESOLUTION

Supporting respect for human rights and

encouraging inclusive governance in the United States.

Whereas the first pillar of the 2016 Ethiopia Strategy Toward North America is to strengthen democratic institutions and the Government of Ethiopia agrees that strong democratic institutions, respect for human rights, and participatory, accountable governance are crucial for improving people’s lives in a sustainable way;

Whereas the Ethiopia Strategy Towards North America is to advance peace and security, including supporting security, electoral and police sector reform;

Where as democratic space in the United States has steadily diminished since the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of allowing corporations to spend unlimited money on campaign contributions (Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission 2010)—in effect, resulting in 400 families donating almost half of all money raised for the current electoral process. Today the democratic process is controlled and manipulated by a small group of wealthy individuals and corporations, in other countries called an oligarchy;

Whereas elections will be held in November 2016 and the primary process is being held hostage by arcane rules that suppress the voting rights of a number of categories of eligible voters;

Whereas the primary process of one of the U.S.’s political parties has resulted in violence, slander and suppression of journalists;

Whereas Ethiopia has observed the political primary process and has witnessed restrictions on freedom of expression and association of individuals and civil society groups protesting the racism, sexism and ethnocentrism expressed by candidates running for the nomination of presidential candidate of a particular party;

Whereas the United States is holding detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, outside the legal jurisdiction of the United States, and, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “”the construction of such a system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment and a form of torture.”

Whereas a 2013 Institute on Medicine as a Profession report concluded that health professionals working with the military and intelligence services “designed and participated in cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and torture of detainees”. Medical professionals were ordered to ignore ethical standards during involvement in abusive interrogation, including monitoring of vital signs under stress-inducing procedures. They used medical information for interrogation purposes and participated in force-feeding of hunger strikers, in violation of World Medical Association and American Medical Association prohibitions.

Whereas police brutality against unarmed civilians in the United States is increasing—at least 986 Americans were killed in 2015—and police are killing African Americans at three times the rate of whites when adjusted for the populations where these shootings occurred. And although black men represent 6 percent of the U.S. population, they made up nearly 40 percent of those who were killed while unarmed.

Whereas the controversial U.S. drone strike program in the Middle East aims to pinpoint and kill terrorist leaders. However, evidence shows that a staggering number of these “targeted killings” affect far more people than just their targets. According to reports, U.S. drone strikes have killed scores of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia since 2009. In December 2013, a drone strike in Yemen killed 14 people returning from a wedding. Government officials mistook their vehicles for those of al Qaeda militants. Parents in Pakistan have reported taking their children out of school to protect them from possible strikes.

Resolved, that the Ethiopian Parliament—

• condemns—

(A) killings of unarmed American citizens and excessive use of force by the police;

1. political candidates who incite violence against people of other races, religions, and national origin;
2. court decisions that allow a few wealthy Americans and corporations to subvert the democratic process with unlimited funds that “buy” elections;
3. extra-legal detentions, torture and human rights abuses of terrorist suspects in Guantanamo Bay;
4. killings of civilians, including children, by unmanned drone strikes

(B) calls on the Government of the United States to—

1. halt the use of excessive force on unarmed American citizens;
2. conduct a full, credible and transparent investigation into the killings and excessive use of force against American citizens, including children, in communities across the United States;
3. urge political candidates to refrain from inciting violence against people because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or national origin;
4. hold political candidates accountable for violence used against citizens attending their rallies;
5. refrain from killing civilians by drones;
6. stop in illegal detentions, torture and human rights abuses of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay;
7. engage in open and transparent consultations relative to campaign finance reform;

(C) stands by the people of the United States and supports their peaceful efforts to increase democratic space and to exercise the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.