The U.S. Congress puts Ethiopia's human rights abusers on notice

In the lore of the Wild West, cowboys would have quick-draw duels at noon when the sun is high in the sky. It is a do-or-die moment.
The U.S. Congress has set high noon on February 28, 2018, for the Ethiopian government to meet its demands for human rights accountability in H.Res.128 or face the music on the House floor.
At an impromptu press conference last week, Reps. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) and Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) delivered the showdown ultimatum:
“Should the Ethiopian government not announce by February 28th that it will allow the independent UN teams access, H.Res.128 would be sent to the floor irrespective of retaliatory threats by the Ethiopian government.”
The Ethiopian regime has long declined to undertake its own credible investigations of human rights violations and spurned investigative exhortations by Congress. Since 2007, the regime has denied entry to all UN special rapporteurs seeking to undertake independent investigations. […] CONTINUE READING