BOISE, IDAHO – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the State Department’s atrocities determination for Ethiopia, citing that war crimes and crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing, were committed in the course of the war in northern Ethiopia:
“The rhetoric of this administration’s supposed ‘human rights first foreign policy’ continues to lack the action that would demonstrate its reality. Just days after returning from Ethiopia, Secretary Blinken has finally made public a long-overdue determination on the horrific atrocities committed during the war in Northern Ethiopia. The administration’s inaction undermined the U.S. response to the world’s deadliest conflict in recent memory, particularly related to atrocities committed in Tigray.
“Unfortunately, under this administration’s watch, the United States has yet to take action to hold accountable the Ethiopians who committed these heinous acts against thousands of innocent civilians. The administration should now match its determination with action through a range of available accountability tools.
“As Ethiopia's justice and peace processes play out, the United States is not absolved from pursuing accountability. Preventing further atrocities in Ethiopia requires strong U.S. action to signal that future perpetrators of atrocities will be held to account.”
###