[AI] Asmarino Independent

Eritrean Youth Call for Friday Protests Inside the Country

January 31, 2012 - Eritrean youth across the globe are calling their counterparts inside the country to demonstrate their outrage at the human and democratic rights abuses by emptying the streets in towns and cities throughout the country every Friday evening starting Friday 3rd of February. The call that has been transmitted through electronic communication and social media has so far been received positively by Eritreans inside the country.

Eritrean-Ethiopian Frienship Forum

Ethiopian & Eritrean Friendship Forum (EEFF) is holding its fourth annual conference on March 24th, 2012. Building on last year’s success, this year’s theme is "Healing Past Wounds -- Building Our Future Together", a critical idea to focus on in this increasingly competitive global economy.

We are sending this announcement to the wider Ethiopian and Eritrean community for two reasons:
- to invite as many people as possible to attend the conference. Be part of the solution!
- to invite thought leaders to share their views as panelists.

The son of a Priest thinks that God is his Uncle.

The demonstration called by Mr.  Kyriakakos et.al is not an isolated incident.  Even though on the surface it appears that it was in reaction to the WFP articles, but none the less it is not.  It was part and parcel of the series of demonstrations and seminars that suddenly erupted in the month of December 2011 called “Hizbawi Mekete” (National Rebuff) to object the sanctions on Eritrea that was being debated at the UNSC and show to the international community that the Eritrean government enjoys the full support of its people.  The instruction to demonstrate and hold public meetings and seminars was issued by the office of Mr. Yemane Gebreab, political advisor to the President of Eritrea and in charge of the “Hizbawi Mekete”.

Melbourne Rally 2012: For How Long Can You Remain Silent in the Face of Oppression?

As in previous years, we call on the Diaspora communities living in the free world that have chosen to be silent in the face of oppression and the ever growing injustice committed against the Eritrean people to fight for the people's rights. We remind you that you are morally obliged and duty bound to speak for the Eritrean people and to stand-up against injustice. We remind you the freedom that you enjoy are the outcomes of sacrifices paid by people who believed in liberty, freedom, justice and democracy. So, why don’t you demand for the Eritrean people the same civil rights that you are relishing? We encourage you to be part of the struggle for democratic change?

Famine in Self-Reliant Eritrea?

But don’t tell that to the regime’s foot soldiers in diaspora. As usual, the foot soldiers at Deahai and other Shaebia-oriented websites are at their denial and gloating best. They are again invoking that idiotic mantra that every totalitarian system (Kim El Sung’s North Korea, Mao’s China, Khmer Rouge’s Cambodia, etc ) used to hide a raging famine in their soils: “Self- reliance!” ...

Here we have it then in a nutshell: while all the other governments are scrambling to save their people, as usual the primary goal of the Eritrean regime and its supporters in diaspora is not saving Eritreans from the ravages of the famine, but saving the IMAGE of Eritrea and its leader from the ravages of that same famine!

The Language of Shabait.com: The Incompetence of the Ministry of Information

In the normal world, when reporters use the phrase “senior government official” without a name attached to it, it is because he/she is not supposed to provide the public with that information and the reporters feel obligated to hide his/her identity. But for the clowns at the Ministry of Information, it looked normal to identify their source as “a senior government official”, even though such anonymity is entirely unnecessary in this context. They are suggesting that Eritrea is a normal nation with a normal government, where unauthorized information leaked by government officials could be published without any retribution whatsoever to whoever is reporting it. They totally forgot that it is the government itself that is doing the reporting! What a tragedy for a nation to be lead by such Neanderthals!

Isaias Regime’s Hysteria Concerning Stiffening Sanctions

In his latest interview in Al-Ahram, President Isaias Afwerki claims that the sanctions are military and not economic. He clearly knows that it would be his end if the sanctions are extended to include economic sanctions. What the above Shabait.com hysteria shows us is the fear of the regime in this regard; its mention of the Eritrean Airlines and the Bisha project in particular tells us that economic sanctions would be its worst nightmare. And that is exactly what the opposition should focus at: at sanctioning Eritrea at its two main income sources – the mining companies and the diaspora population.

Ministry of Information: Egypt Failed Because, Unlike Eritrea, It Violated Basic Human Rights

When it comes to “political openness”, here is how Eritrea's MOI admonishes all those who violate basic human rights:

“It thus became obvious that Sadat’s resort to ‘political openness’ was not to his advantage taking into account the growing internal and external opposition.  Although he allowed nominal political pluralism and freedom of expression, he was not at all willing to tolerate any opposition as regards the Camp David accord. Hence, it is not surprising to witness that he not only applied force but also prevented the exercise of basic human rights in a bid to suppress the mounting opposition.”

The Minstry of Truth: Egypt Failed Because It Lacked Ethnic Harmony and Self-Reliant Economy Eritrea Has

Now we have come to the icing in the cake: nations like Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are falling like a house of cards because, unlike the glorious Eritrean economy that is the envy not only of our jealous neighbors but also of the entire world, their economies were never self-reliant! There you have it: the truth, nothing but whole the truth! Here is how the notoriously truthful Shabait.com puts it:

“Under this global scenario, it demands the requisite political will and strong courage to pursue political and economic path free from dependency. … In this regard, resorting to the principle of self-reliance is imperative. Viewed within this framework, the nations that resolutely pursued an independent path are the ones that emerged victorious, while those which compromised their independent choice are being exposed to all-round failure.”