Press Release

WE ARE ALL AWATE

In ceremonies that will be held around the world, September 1, 2012 shall be a day when we symbolically pass the torch of liberty to the next generation. Today’s generation is the torch bearer of this responsibility. We shall proudly follow the footsteps of Idris Awate and his sacred mission. Awate’s vibrant history should not be allowed to fade away or get stained by the PFDJ’s wicked deeds.

We encourage every Eritrean – younger and older, men and women, Muslims and Christians – to shout in unison and declare that “We Are All Awate!” Let our voices be heard in all corners of the world. Let us proudly seize the torch of liberty!

EGS-JHD on PFDJ's “Eritrea Investment Conference”

On August 4, 2012 the Eritrean government announced its plan to hold the so-called “Eritrea Investment Conference” on August 27-28, 2012 in Asmara. The targeted investors are Diaspora Eritreans as well as those inside the country.

EGS goes on the record strongly discouraging Diaspora Eritreans not to buy into this ploy. Past experiences have amply demonstrated the untrustworthiness of the government when it comes to all kinds of promises.As the saying goes: Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me- we ask our compatriots to review past experiences and be very prudent with their hard earned savings.

Situation of human rights in Eritrea

4. Decides to appoint a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea for a period of one year, who will submit a report to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-third session;

5. Calls upon  the Government of Eritrea to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur, to permit access to visit the country and to provide the information necessary for the fulfilment of his or her mandate;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Special Rapporteur with all information and the resources necessary to fulfil the mandate;

Resistance Posters on the Streets of Asmara

(Asmara 31-07-2012) In a daring move coordinated by the ArbiHarnet (Freedom Friday) movement, resistance posters were posted on popular streets and venues in Asmara. The posters that had oblique messages about the death of Eritrean freedom and a bereft revolution for liberty, were couched in the style and language of obituary announcements, complete with an image of a young woman, that are customarily placed on walls and lamp posts in Asmara the capital of Eritrea.

Targeted calls to villages affected by trafficking in the Sinai

(29-07-2012) Tens of Eritrean youth volunteers, from the Arbiharnet (Freedom Friday) initiative, spent three days making targeted calls into towns and villages in Eritrea in an attempt to contact Eritrean people living in areas where most of the victims of trafficking hail from.

The main objectives of these calls were to show solidarity with Eritrean victims of trafficking and call on their families and neighbors to begin to collectively think about a communal solution to the tragedy.

ICER meets with UNHCR representative in Canada

In this critical time in Eritrean history, many of us are aware of the fact that Eritrean refugees are suffering in Sudan, Sinai, Libya, Yemen and other parts of the world. Their suffering, however, got less attention by the international community. Therefore,  as part of its continues effort to advocate on behalf of the Eritrean refugees, asylum-seekers, displaced persons, victims of trafficking and torture, ICER has met with UNHCR representative, Mr. Furio De Angelis.

In the discussion, Mr. Bahlbi Yemane has expressed his deepest concern about the deteriorating security concern in Shegerab refugee camp and despicable human tragedy in Sinai. ...

Call for Submissions: Kwani? Manuscript Project

To celebrate the African novel and its adaptability and resilience, Kwani Trust announces a one-off new literary prize for African writing. The Kwani? Manuscript Project calls for the submission of unpublished fiction manuscripts from African writers across the continent and in the Diaspora. The prize seeks fresh, original work that explores and challenges the possibilities of the novel.

In addition Kwani? will publish manuscripts from across the shortlist and longlist, including the three winning manuscripts, as well as partnering with regional and global agents and publishing houses to create high profile international publication opportunities.

Winners will be announced in December 2012 at the Kwani? Litfest.

Arbi Harnet: Call to Action

...Now it would be far too easy to look the other way and expect someone else to do something about it: the UN perhaps, maybe even other governments like the US or even Ethiopia; and they may well do something about it in the long run. However our brothers and sisters, stuck between a brutal dictator and the cruel realities of becoming an Eritrean refugee, expect us to be their first port of call. Indeed we should feel their pain the most and that pain should drive us to action. And that action should start now and never relent until we are able to look every young Eritrean in the eye and tell them ‘you are safe at home now!’.

Eritrea - Serving the truth/Sozialismus oder Militärdiktatur?

Petros Tseggai, Eritrean Ambassador in Germany says: "Health care and education are free in Eritrea. Since the independence the mortality rate of infants have been reduced from fifteen to five percent. We have declined the rate of illiteracy by fifty percent. All across the country we founded new colleges and universities."...

Newspapers, radio broadcasting and Eri-TV are censored by the Ministry of Information. Criticism of social problems and maladministration doesn’t occur in the media. Ulrike Gruska from 'Reporter without borders': During the last years 34 journalists have bee arrested and at least four of them died in prison.

Botschafter Petros Tseggai: "Die Regierung verbot private Zeitungen weil sie vom Ausland finanziert wurden. Solange kein Frieden mit Äthiopien herrscht, gilt der Ausnahmezustand. Es gibt keine politischen Gefangenen in Eritrea."

Zeitungen, Radios und Eri-TV unterliegen der Zensur durch das Informationsministerium. Kritik an Mißständen kommt in der Berichterstattung nicht vor. Ulrike Gruska von Reporter ohne Grenzen: "In den letzten Jahren wurden 34 Journalisten verhaftet und mindestens vier Pressevertreter sind in der Haft gestorben."

ERITREAN NATIONALS INVOLVED IN SLAVE TRADE AND DEATH

Here are some additional names of the human traffickers that we would like the public to know. As indicated in the Report compiled by ICER in mid February of 2011, under the heading ‘The Saga of the Eritrean refugees and the Human Traffickers’ some of the traffickers name is not real. Obviously, they use more than one alias to mask their identity.

1) Recent trip by an ICER member to Israel reveals that many refugees in Israel claimed to have been traded to Rashaida by a person named Tedros (ቴድሮስ). We believe Tedros (ቴድሮስ) frequently travels from the Shegraib camp in Eastern Sudan to Mai Aini camp in Ethiopia. Tedros (ቴድሮስ) is responsible of the sale of hundreds of refugees to the Bedouin.

2) Chai wedi Barentu and Mebrahtom Tsegai (ጨዓይ ወዲ ባረንቱን መብራህቶም ጸጋይ) operating from the Kessella  were caught red handed with 80 hostages in Halfa Jedida by Sudanese Forces in May 2012. ...

Eritrean Human Rights Organisations Welcome the Appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur for Eritrea

The resolution, approving the mandate for a Special Rapporteur who will report to the HRC and the UN General Assembly on the human rights situation in Eritrea, was submitted by Somalia, Nigeria and Djibouti and supported by a number of African and other states, was adopted by consensus at the 20th session of the HRC.

This is the first time the HRC has unanimously created a special rapporteur that was actively opposed by the country in question, indicating the rise in concerns over the state of human rights violations in Eritrea and the Council’s readiness to take bolder measures to address such gross violations.

The Youth of Eritrea Must save Eritrea and the People of Eritrea.

In the first part of July 2012 there will be a timely gathering of Eritrean youth from across the world in Ethiopia.  We welcome this strategic initiative without any reservation.

In its last annual congress EGS has resoundingly affirmed its support for the Eritrean youth by stating:

“EGS-JHD will do everything possible to encourage the post- independence generation to find its own voice and nurture its own vision and leadership so that Eritrea’s future can be reassured.  It considers this critical task as one of its prime guiding principles.”