New Ethiopia rights bill introduced in US Senate Andrew Gilmore at 10:55 AM ET
Friday, September 12, 2008
[JURIST] US Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) [official website] introduced a new bill entitled the “Support for Democracy and Human Rights in Ethiopia Act of 2008″ [S. 3427 text, PDF] in the Senate on Tuesday, calling for greater support for individual and political rights in Ethiopia [JURIST news archive]. The bill is meant to “build on successful diplomatic efforts that contributed to the October 2007 release of political prisoners in Addis” to help resolve internal conflicts over human rights and political participation. Co-sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) [JURIST news archive], the bill also is also aimed at negotiations to settle the ongoing conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea [JURIST news archive]. Specifically, S. 3427 calls on the President to support democracy, promote and bolster the independence of the Ethiopian judiciary, ensure the protection of women and minorities, and “support efforts of the international community to gain full access” to Ethiopia’s Ogaden region to “provide humanitarian and development assistance.” In order to fund these efforts, the bill seeks to carve out $20 million from the 2009 budget of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) [official website]. Senator Feingold stated:
As many in this body know, I have spoken numerous times in recent months about the situation in Ethiopia and I continue to believe that the U.S.-Ethiopian partnership is very important–one of the more critical ones given not only our historic relationship but also Ethiopia’s location in an increasingly strategic region. … As we turn a blind eye to the escalating political tensions, people are being thrown in jail without justification and non-government organizations are being restricted, while civilians are dying unnecessarily in the Ogaden region–just like so many before them in Oromiya, Amhara, and Gambella. Furthermore, the Ethiopian military has come under increasing scrutiny for its conduct in the Ogaden as well as Somalia, with credible reports from non-governmental organizations of torture, rape and indiscriminate attacks. By providing unconditioned security assistance we are also sowing the seeds of insecurity and creating new grievances both in Ethiopia and in its neighboring countries.
Ethiopia has recently come under increasingly-intense international scrutiny concerning its poor human rights record. In June, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] released a report [text, PDF] attacking Ethiopian human rights practices in the Ogaden region [JURIST report]. In October 2007, the US House of Representatives passed the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007 (H.R. 2003) [text; JURIST commentary], aimed in part at encouraging the human rights situation in Ethiopia. The bill is currently before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. In July 2007, HRW accused Ethiopian troops of violating international humanitarian law [JURIST report] by burning homes and forcibly relocating civilians in Ogaden. In March 2007, HRW also accused Ethiopia of complicity with the US and Kenya in secretly detaining Somalis [JURIST report] accused of being Islamic militants. Ethiopia had admitted [JURIST report] in April 2007 that it detained terror suspects but denied that the detentions were secret.
Demonym Eritrean Government Provisional government
- President Isaias Afewerki
Independence
- From Italy November 1941
- From United Kingdom under UN Mandate 1951
- from Ethiopia de facto 24 May 1991
- From Ethiopia de jure 24 May 1993
Area
- Total 117,600 km2 (100th)
45,405 sq mi - Water (%) 0.14%
Population
- 2009 estimate 5,224,000[4] (109th)
- 2008 census 5,291,370
- Density 43.1/km2 (165th)
111.7/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate
- Total $3.625 billion[5]
- Per capita $681[5]
GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate
- Total $2.117 billion[5]
- Per capita $397[5]
HDI (2007) steady 0.472 (low) (165th)
Currency Nakfa (ERN)
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)
- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on the right
ISO 3166 code ER
Internet TLD .er
Calling code 291
1 ,. National TV: Eritrea Television (ERI-TV)
Eritrea (play /ˌɛrɨˈtreɪ.ə/ or /ˌɛrɨˈtriːə/;[6] Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾErtrā, Arabic: إرتريا Iritrīyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast. The northeast and east of the country has an extensive coastline on the Red Sea, directly across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands are part of Eritrea. Eritrea's size is approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi) with an estimated population of 6 million...
Source: Wikipedia
