HR 6600 Does Not Respect Ethiopia’s Sovereignty, Harm Country’s Interest

Addis Ababa, March 14/2022 /ENA/ The HR 6600 draft bill does not respect Ethiopia's sovereignty and will harm the country's interests, Boston-based lawyer in the United States, Dereje Demissie said.

It is to be recalled that the so-called Ethiopia Stabilization, Peace and Democracy Act (HR 6600), which aims at imposing sanctions against Ethiopia, was introduced by US Representatives Tom Malinowski and Young Kim last month.

Talked to ENA, Boston-based lawyer Dereje Demissie said the HR 6600 draft bill focuses on economic, military, legal and regulatory contents.

The draft bill proposes various forms of sanctions including the suspension of security and financial assistance to the Ethiopian government.

It also aims at preventing Ethiopia from getting loans and aids from international financial institutions, he stated.

Moreover, he stressed that some institutions in the US government are working in collaboration with various countries and international organizations to put pressure on Ethiopia.

HR 6600 will have a significant impact on the livelihoods and economic activities of the Ethiopian people, he said urging all Ethiopians and members of the Diaspora to continue their efforts to stop the draft bill from ratification.

Furthermore, Dejene stated that the draft bill has not been the interest of the US government but it is been lobbied by few US officials to harm Ethiopia.

He underlined that members of the Diaspora should understand the draft bill, explain about its impact on Ethiopia to US officials, write letters and speak on the phone in order to stop its ratification.

In this regard, Diaspora communities and diaspora organizations in the United States are working to prevent the endorsement of the bill, he said.

According to the lawyer, if the Ethiopian government exert efforts to brief the pertinent officials in the US government about the current situation in Ethiopia, especially on humanitarian issues, it would be easy to stop the ratification of draft bill.

He also urged the government of Ethiopia to appropriately explain its efforts being carried out to bring peace and stability in the country.

The Ethio-American Development Council, the Ethiopian American Council (EAC), the American-Ethiopia Public Affairs Committee-AEPAC, #NoMore Movement and other civic organizations have been campaigning against the bill.