| Payne Ethiopian Democracy Bill Passes House |
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| Written by Administrator | |
| Monday, 08 October 2007 | |
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The US House of Representatives passed HR 2003, the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007. The bill, which received strong bipartisan support, calls on the Ethiopian government to foster accountability, respect the rule of law, and release all political prisoners.
“I was cautiously optimistic in 2005 that political and human rights conditions would improve after the elections. I was wrong. In fact, conditions have gotten worse,” Congressman Donald M. Payne, chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, stated. The Ethiopian Parliament established an 11-member Commission to “investigate whether government security forces used excessive force, caused damage to life and property, or showed a lack of respect for human rights”. The Commission’s report concluded that government security forces did in fact use excessive force against civilians. It further detailed that 763 civilians were injured and 193 were murdered. The report also stated that 71 police officers were injured and 6 were killed. The Ethiopian government has released a number of high profile political prisoners in recent months. While some contend that this is progress, the fact remains that thousands of people remain in jail, no one has been held accountable for the violence in the wake of the 2005 elections, and the repression of opposition politicians, journalists and members of civil society continues unabated. HR 2003 attempts to put an end to these kinds of abuses and irresponsible acts by the Ethiopian government. “The government can no longer hide behind the ‘ally in the war on terrorism’ cloak,” Payne asserted yesterday in the hearing. “It cannot champion the rights of others while disrespecting those same rights of its own people. What type of government chokes off humanitarian aid to its citizens as a retaliatory tactic?”
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 08 October 2007 ) |
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Letter dated Nov. 30'07 from the Legal Adviser to the President of Eritrea to the president of the UNSC
From `legal nonsense´ to `legal fiction´.

With effect from midnight tonight (30.11.2007), the demarcation of Ethio-Eritrean boundary will be as complete as any demarcated interstate boundary would be, if not better defined.