Press Releases
On this day some of Eritrea’s finest were rounded up and thrown into unnamed dungeons in the hope that their call for democracy and justice will be silenced forever, but ten years on their call still reverberates gaining momentum all the while.
Date: 19th Sept 2011
Venue: Abrar Centre, Crawford Place, London W1H 4LP
Time: 5:00pm – 8pm
We urgently call upon all Eritreans to join the struggle for a sustainable change in our country. Eritrean individuals, civic society groups and political organizations must realize that it is up to the Eritrean people to choose their own type of government. With this understanding, all Eritreans should unite and work hard to eradicate the totalitarian regime and secure an environment where the Eritrean people can determine their own future without any foreign intervention.
This being the objective, the mission should be to create a united Eritrea where there is no discrimination of nationalities, religions, languages and regions. Our mission is indeed to create a county that is at peace with itself and with its neighbors ...
On behalf of the Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group of Manitoba, it is our privilege to invite you to attend a seminar titled "Enough! 20 Years of Tyranny: A Seminar in Commemoration of Decades of Incommunicado Detention of Eritrean prisoners of conscience " to be held at the Convocation Hall at the University of Winnipeg, on September 18, 2011, from 5:00PM to 7:00PM.
The Keynote Speaker, Mr. Dan Connell, a distinguished Lecturer, of the Departments of Communication and Political Science/International Relations, at Simmons College, Boston, is the author of numerous articles and books ...
Myth: If Egyptian Bedouins get us, they will pass us along until we get to the border.
Fact: Many, many refugees are detained by bad Bedouins in torture camps near the border. There, the refugees are tortured with hot irons and electric shock to make them tell where ransom money may be obtained. They are treated like animals in chains, women abused, only enough food and water to keep them alive. In some cases, body parts may be taken to be sold.
On September 18, 2011 Eritreans across the globe and many friends of Eritrea, will mark 10 years to the day the flickering light of hope for justice and human rights in Eritrea grew considerably dimmer. The day has come to symbolise not just the unlawful imprisonment and disappearance of top government officials, veteran fighters of Eritrea’s long struggle for liberation, and journalists from Eritrea’s fledgling independent media, but also marks the start of a decade of injustice that earned Eritrea a reputation as a giant prison for its citizens. ... On Eritrea’s black September, Eritrea’s best hope for reform in the country went on to join many others who became victims of the arbitrary detention they were trying to put a stop to along with the many other ills of ‘independent’ Eritrea.
Eritrean National Commission has, through its members and its official website; distributed four draft documents approved during the National Conference, namely, Road Map, Political Charter, Eritrean National Assembly Bylaws & Transitional Constitution. It is to be noted that a summary of each document has been distributed for a better understanding of the spirit and content of the text and as a help for eventual discussions. The main reason for the distribution of the documents for discussion is to enable the people to have the chance to come up with alternative ideas and suggestions. ...
ICER found it pertinent to prepare this brief report in the hope that the UHHRC recognizes the legitimate fear and concern of the Eritrean refugees caught up in the unprecedented social upheaval currently underway in North Africa and the Middle East. We also appeal to the UN body to call for their protection in the host countries in accordance to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees and other relevant international protocols and agreements. It is equally important to prevail upon the UNHCR to accord the refugees a protective status as victims of political oppression and human rights abuse.
Dembe Menisey niDimocrasin Fithin has invited Yosief Ghebrehiwet to give a speech on the tightening of sanctions by the UNSC on Eritrea and its various implications – that is, what it means for Eritrea and Eritreans.
The Paltalk speech will take place tomorrow, on Sunday, August 07, starting at 11:00 AM (Pacific Time - Los Angeles Time)
The tile of the speech is Owning the Sanctions. The outline of the speech goes as follows:
We, the undersigned Eritrean Civic and Human Rights groups in the diaspora, are writing on behalf of the silent majority of sufferers in Eritrea whose oppression is only indirectly addressed by the current sanctions imposed by the Security Council.
As Eritrean human rights activists, we would have liked to see the Security Council focuses on the atrocities committed by the government of Eritrea against its own people as much as Eritrea’s external record of provoking instability in the region.
In this regard, the ENCDC having, in its second regular meeting, called for the strict application of the Resolution no. 1907, endorses IGAD’s demand for further sanction on the PFDJ’s dictatorial regime. However, although the previous sanction and the economic one which is being demanded are based on the regime’s bellicose policies, it did not have the desired effect to date. Hence, the ENCDC calls on the UN Security Council to consider the IGAD’s demand for further economic sanction and for its strict application.
(Asmara 21-06-2011) Eritrean authorities have renewed their campaign of arresting Christians found praying tighter or suspected of practicing their faith. Over the last two months alone around 90 believers have been taken to prisons from homes in and around the capital, Asmara and also from Mai-Nefhi College of Technology.
In May 64 believers were arrested at a location in Adi Abeyto, a village near Asmara, and only six from that group have been released. The others are believed to either still be at the 6th police station in Asmara where they were taken initially or may have been moved to Me’eter Prison.
Today, we posted an editorial with the title, “Some Observations about the Eritrean Constitution”, supposedly sent to us from the webmaster of strategy.org for posting in our website. It also happens to be posted on their website; it says, "written by Editorial Board". But a reader, the first commentator, made us aware that it is also posted at awate.com. At awate.com, the author says Saleh Gadi. So we apologize both to our readers and the author. As soon as we were made aware of our mistake, we have removed the editorial from our website.
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Date: 24 May 2013- Time: 2:00PM – 6:00PM -Venue: in Front of 10 Downing Street
The Coordinating Committee representing the different exiled opposition political and civil society organizations in London calls on all Eritreans and the friends of Eritrea to participate in the Pro-democracy Peaceful Demonstration.
It is with deep sadness that the Coordination Committee of the Eritrean National Democratic Forces (ENDF) learned the passing away on 12 May 2013 of compatriot Amare Gebremariam at the age of 70.
The late Amare Gebremariam was one of the founding members of ENDF which he served also for one year as its active vice-chairman actively supporting the ENDF chairman, Diplomat Humad Kullu.
From his perch in California, Sium tries to stay politically connected to his country. He marches when there's a local demonstration, contributes to refugee causes and posts on Facebook.
But there's always one thing missing. The people inside Eritrea don't dare to "like" his Facebook posts. And they never march in the streets themselves. For Eritrean activists living abroad, this silence can be frustrating.
So Sium had an idea: If we can't ask them to come out, what if we ask them to stay home?
Sharing her experience and expertise in the struggle against human trafficking in the region was Ms Meron Estifanos, Eritrean human rights activist and journalist with the diaspora based Radio Erena. In a moving presentation focusing on the narrative of a young victim of trafficking who died leaving her toddler son, in the hands of her abductors; Meron challenged every head of state present to respond to the plight of countless victims and address this shameful issue taking place in the region.
In his own presentation President Omer Hassan al-Bashir admitted that the concern is indeed a grave one that requires urgent attention. For his part president Paul Kagame also made a personal commitment to highlighting this concern at the UN Security Council, over the coming few months.
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We are happy to report that the Supreme Court accepted our appeal against a verdict issued in a lower instance court that rejected the Hotline for Migrant Workers' request to release an asylum seeker who survived the torture camps in Sinai from the Saharonim internment camp. The outrageous lower instance ruling by Judge Eliyahu Bitan stated that severe torture cannot be considered as an "exceptional humanitarian reason" for release under the Anti-Infiltration Law. All asylum seekers who have entered Israel since June 2012 have been jailed under this draconian law according to which asylum seekers can be released only in exceptional circumstances including "exceptional humanitarian" cases. ...
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April 18, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Eritrean government said this week that it supports Egypt’s stance over a colonial-era treaty that granted Egypt a right to utilise the lions share of Nile river’s water resources.
The Red Sea nation expressed its support in a message sent from the Eritrean president and delivered to Egypt’s president by Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs, Yemane Gebreab.
The Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, has highly welcomed Eritrea’s position towards Egypt’s "historic rights" over the sharing of the water of the Nile River.
Allegations have surfaced this week against the government of Eritrea regarding their role in the in arming the rebels in the Central African Republic who recently overthrew Francois Bozize.
In an interview with ex-President Bozize recently ran in the media, the former CAR leader claimed that "the arms used by the Seleka rebels during their final assault on the presidential palace were purchased from Eritrea and transited through Chad with the permission of President Deby"
The Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week issued a strong denial.
(Photo: Seleka rebels believed to be armed by Eritrea)
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Banjul, 11 April 2013 – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea, Beedwantee Keetharuth, today regretted that the Eritrean Government continues to deny her access to assess the situation of human rights in the country, and announced she will undertake a mission to neighbouring countries to talk to Eritrean refugees.
“I have urged the Eritrean authorities to cooperate with my mandate, as required by the UN Human Rights Council,” Ms. Keetharuth said during the 53rd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, The Gambia, where she held an ad-hoc meeting with the delegation of Eritrea in the margins of the event.
A new grassroots movement in Eritrea that draws inspiration from the Arab revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia is poised to challenge the one-party authoritarian rule of president Isaias Afewerki, who has been in power for twenty years.
The Freedom Friday (Arbi Harnet) movement, started in November 2011 by the Eritrean diaspora, is finally gaining momentum inside the country according to Meron Estefanos, a human rights activist and presenter with the Sweden-based Radio Erena, which broadcasts in Eritrea and around the world.
In tandem with Eritrean Youth for Change (EYC) and the Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change (EYSC), Estefanos has set up a new campaign to reverse the Arab-style call to take to the streets every Friday. Instead, it urges Eritreans to empty the streets.
TB has been rampant at the detention centre for the last two years or more, but neither the Djiboutian government nor the UNHCR have taken the necessary actions to eradicate the diseases. Many detainees were suffering, some diagnosed as TB sufferers, but medication was not provided. They all live together, and those who were diagnosed were not separated from those who were not diagnosed. There has not been a proper TB programme for so long. Not having a proper TB assessment in such a situation is tantamount to condemning the refugees to death. At the time of Ms Chyrum's visit over 10 refugees were showing signs of TB symptoms and 7 were on medications. If a proper TB programme is launched, out of 250 detained refugees and 19 POWs, more will be identified as a carrier of the virus.
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About 2,000 Eritreans live in Australia, many of them granted asylum after being tortured by President Isaias Afewerki's regime. Despite the emotional and sometimes physical scars they bear, some have become prominent figures in Australian society. Berhan Ahmed is one of them. He is the first person of African descent to run for a seat in parliament.
The relaxed scene in the back garden of Ahmed's family home in a quiet suburb of Melbourne, couldn't be further from the conflict he fled to come to Australia.
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