Political prisoners on hunger strike in Ethiopia

That this House notes with concerns reports about the deteriorating health of Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Hamza Adane and Dejene Tafa, who are on hunger-strike in prison in Ethopia; notes that these men and sixteen others were arrested after unrest that broke out in the Oromo region following the killing of musician Hachalu Hundessa in June 2020; notes that former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Powell has said that the treatment of these prisoners by the Ethiopian government is exacerbating a serious crisis, especially as their health deteriorates; further notes findings by Amnesty International in 2020 that Ethiopian security forces committed grave human rights violations between December 2018 and December 2019 in the region, including burning homes to the ground, extrajudicial executions, rape, arbitrary arrests and detentions; and calls on the UK Government to make representations to counterparts in the United Nations, African Union and Government of Ethopia to secure appropriate medical treatment for the hunger strikers, the release of any prisoners detained arbitrarily on politcally-motivated charges, an end to political violence, steps to negotiate peaceful settlements of the conflicts affecting the country, and respect for freedom of speech, human rights and the rule of law.