“Such a Brutal Crackdown”

VI. International Response
Public criticism by donor governments and allies of Ethiopia’s worsening human rights
situation has been minimal. Bilateral and multilateral donors have instead given priority to
the government’s record on development and economic progress, perception of relatively
low corruption, its hosting of the African Union, its security and counterterrorism
partnerships, and its contributions to regional peacekeeping operations. Governments
have at times criticized specific human rights violations, such as the prosecution of
journalists, but invariably the critiques are issued along with strong statements of support
for Ethiopia’s overall trajectory and increased programming, which undercuts their impact.
Foreign government officials say that human rights issues in Ethiopia are best raised by
quiet diplomacy, and that public condemnations are counter-productive. While private
interventions have their place in promoting human rights, the downward trajectory of
Ethiopia’s rights record over the past decade suggests that quiet diplomacy alone has not
been effective.
With a few exceptions, Ethiopia’s key partners have responded with near silence to the
violent crackdown in Oromia. The European parliament and United States Senate have
produced the strongest statements, not only condemning the Ethiopian government’s
response to the protests but also trying to push their own governments to take stronger
stances.
On January 21, 2016 the European parliament unanimously passed a strongly worded but
non-binding resolution that condemned Ethiopia’s use of excessive force, called for a
credible investigation into the killings of protesters, and said the European Union “should
measure its financial support according to the country’s human rights record and the
degree to which the Ethiopian Government promotes reforms towards democratization.” 138
Since that time, there has been no evidence of a shift in policy from the EU and its member
countries or evidence of any significant pressure being exerted on the Ethiopian
government.
138 See European Parliament resolution of 21 January 2016 on the situation in Ethiopia (2016/2520(RSP) available at,
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P8-TA-2016-
0023+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN (accessed May 19, 2016).
“SUCH A BRUTAL CRACKDOWN” 58