text: [{"text_idx": "#000004", "text": "The group is demanding U.S. help in bringing justice to their friends and families living in Ethiopia, where government forces have killed hundreds of peaceful protesters opposing the annexation of the country\u2019s capital Addis Abada into surrounding towns."}, {"text_idx": "#000005", "text": "\u201cWe\u2019re here today to protest the killings taking place in every corner of Oromia and to bring that violation of human rights to the government of the United States so that the United States can make some pressure to stop the killing,\u201d said Geleta Fite, who came to the U.S. in 2013. But his family, he said, remains in Ethiopia."}, {"text_idx": "#000007", "text": "Fite joined several dozen other Oromo community members to deliver letters to Utah\u2019s U.S. senators, demanding that the United States \u201ccondemn the brutal acts of the Ethiopian government and ensure these acts stop immediately,\u201d the letter states."}, {"text_idx": "#000008", "text": "Among its requests, the group urged the U.S. to advise its business community to limit spending in Ethiopia until the violence ends and pressure the Ethiopian government to establish an independent investigation into the killings."}, {"text_idx": "#000010", "text": "The Associated Press has reported that the protests were led by students who opposed what they believed to be a government plan to expand the capital, which would ultimately lead to the displacement of thousands of families and farmers. The Ethiopian government has denied the protestors\u2019 claims, saying it only seeks to link Addis Ababa with nearby towns."}, {"text_idx": "#000011", "text": "In January, after the deadly protests erupted, the AP reported Ethiopian officials canceled plans to integrate the capital with surrounding communities. However, the Human Rights Watch has said the bloody crackdown has continued, after the plan\u2019s cancellation did not halt protests."}, {"text_idx": "#000012", "text": "\u201cThis is genocide,\u201d said Genemo Bedaso, chairman of the Utah Oromo Community. \u201cWe appeal for America to stop it. They have the power.\u201d"}, {"text_idx": "#000015", "text": "The European Parliament adopted a resolution in January to condemn the peaceful protest killings, call for an investigation of the violence, and demand immediate release of arrested Oromo activists."}]