Human Rights Abuses In Ethiopia

That the Parliament notes with concern reports of the deteriorating health of Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, Hamza Adane and Dejene Tafa, who are reported to be on hunger strike in prison in Ethiopia; understands 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; further notes that the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Powell has said that the treatment of these prisoners by the Government of Ethiopia is exacerbating a serious crisis, especially as their health reportedly deteriorates; highlights findings by Amnesty International in 2020, suggesting 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 UN, the African Union and the Government of Ethiopia to secure appropriate medical treatment for the hunger strikers, the release of any prisoners detained arbitrarily on what are considered to be politically-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.