Keeping the hope of justice alive in Eritrea

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.  Elders who sought reconciliation, religious leaders from virtually every religious group in the country, young people who chose to free themselves from the shackles of perpetual national service, business men and women, academics and intellectuals, parents whose adult children have fled the country, children who were found praying alongside their parents have all fallen victims of the wrath that was unleashed on Eritreans on September 18, 2001. 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.

Many of those who were arrested on the day and since have been subjected to inhuman treatment, several are said to have died, many remain unaccounted for and none have been brought before a court of law or charged with any offence.

Every Eritrean, except the handful that benefit directly from the lawlessness in the country, recognises September 18, 2001 as a really dark day in Eritrea’s history. Many in the international community have also condemned the atrocities of that day calling for the immediate and unconditional rectification of the situation. However over the last 10 years, the government of Eritrea has simply turned a deaf ear to calls from Eritreans and the international community alike. This is mainly due to the fact that the calls for justice in Eritrea have not been resolute enough.

Ten years is a long time to silently put up with the ever worsening human rights abuse in Eritrea. Ten years is also too long to keep excusing the actions that are inexcusable under the law. We therefore call on all Eritreans and friends of Eritrea to use the opportunity of the 10^th anniversary of September 18^th 2001 to renew the commitment to work relentlessly for the realisation of the dream that many Eritreans sacrificed their life for- A free and just Eritrea for all Eritreans. 

Eritrean human rights organisations in the UK would like to invite you, to join us on a day of commemoration to mark the 10^th anniversary of September 18, 2001 and as we renew our vow to call for justice in Eritrea, standing firmly in solidarity with the victims of human rights abuse in the country.

We would like you to join us as we declare the day ‘black ribbon day’, making black ribbon a symbol of our renewed commitment to justice and solidarity with victims of human rights abuse in Eritrea.   

Together, we will send an unequivocal message of condemnation to the government of Eritrea, a message of solidarity to all victims of arbitrary detention, since the advent of Eritrea’s liberation as well as express our determination to follow in the footsteps of those who have become symbols of the bitter struggle for a better Eritrea. 

Solidarity and Commemoration- For the first Eritrean Black Ribbon Day, on September 18, 2011 we call on all Eritrean civic and democratic rights organisations, political organisations as well as community mosques and churches to remember and stand in solidarity with victims of abuse in Eritrea. 

Renewed commitment - Coinciding with these above calls for commemoration and solidarity there will be an event in London to host friends and families of Eritrea’s many prisoners as we remember those that paid a hefty price to express the aspirations of every Eritrean and renew our pledge to call for justice until every last one of Eritrea’s prisoners of conscience is freed.

September 2011

Suwera Centre for Human Rights (SCHR)

Eritreans for Human and Democratic Rights- UK (EHDR-UK)

Release Eritrea 

Citizens for Democratic Rights in Eritrea (CDRiE)

Asena Foundation

This blog is dedicated to the 10anniversry of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscious in Eritrea. The 18th September of the year 2001, The Eritrean government detained elven of its loud critics  without a charge. The eleven critics of the government were Members of Parliament, some former Ministers, others top civil servants. Some belong to the inner circle of the founders of the ruling party (PFDJ) and the former liberation movement (EPLF).The accusations were of alleged crimes against sovereignty, security and the peace of the nation. Their whereabouts are unknown. On September 18, all independent papers were also closed, allegedly because of contravention of the press law. A few days later 10 journalists of these papers were detained.

Since that date , till today Many Eritreans activists around the world and human rights activist, The Un , EU and other concerned groups and individuals, raised their voices demanding the Eritrean government to unconditionally release all political prisoners. The president of Eritrea Isaias Afewerki rejected all attempts to end the detention and repeatedly insists in considering it as internal affairs.

 

We in citizens for democratic rights in Eritrea along with all human rights activists are highly concerned about the conditions and the whereabout of our political prisoners and journalists. We are believe neither time nor distant will stop us from calling and working towards our goal in freeing all Eritrean political prisoners. For this matte we would like to invite all individuals and groups, families and friends of the prisoners to loudly participate in bringing this issue in to act.

we welcome your inputs through writing and campaigning with us to Free Eritrean political prisoners. please send your contributions our contact.

Free Eritrean Political Prisoners

The events of September 2001 originally posted in Amnesty international.

In May 2001 a group of 15 senior PFDJ officials published an open letter to party members describing and making proposals for solving what it calls the “crisis of Eritrea ”. The letter states it is “a call for correction, a call for peaceful and democratic dialogue, a call for strengthening and consolidation, a call for unity, a call for the rule of law and for justice, through peaceful and legal ways and means.” Amongst other things, the letter was a reminder to PFDJ members of the constitutional obligations the authors claim the President of Eritrea (and the PFDJ) is under to call internal meetings of the party, follow correct parliamentary and government procedures and follow up on a number of promises the party had made, particularly judicial reform.

In August 2001 the Secretary General of PFDJ accused the 15 of attempting to destabilize the country. The 15 replied in a letter published on 14 August 2001 in the privately owned newspaper, Setit , where they called on the Eritrean people to help solve the country's problems. They described the economic conditions in the country, and said that in order to solve this the government must allow a free exchange of ideas and full participation of the people in discussing these issues.

On the night of 18-19 September 2001, 11 of the G15 were arrested. They have been held as prisoners of conscience in secret incommunicado detention ever since. Three were abroad at the time of the arrests and now lead a new exile opposition group, the EPLF- Democratic Party. The last signatory has retracted his support for the group.

On 18 September the government also suspended the entire independent press. Ten days later 10 leading journalists who had written to the Minister of Information protesting about the suspension were arrested. They were initially taken to an Asmara police station where they received food from their families, although no visits or correspondence were allowed. On 31 March 2002 they began a hunger strike, demanding that they either be given a fair trial before an independent court, or be released. Three days later, as the hunger strike began to attract international attention, nine of the 10 were moved to an undisclosed place of detention and one, Dawit Isaac, was taken to hospital. Nothing has been heard of them since.

They were detained because they published articles critical of the government and we consider them to be prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely because of their legitimate professional work as journalists. Since September more journalists have been arrested, including three who worked for the government owned press. There are now 15 journalists in detention as prisoners of conscience – one of the highest numbers in the world.

There was considerable international criticism of the September arrests, including from AI, Human Rights Watch, international media bodies such as Reporteurs Sans Frontiers and the Committee to Protect Journalists, and donor embassies. The EU Dean and Italian Ambassador were expelled on account of an EU demarche on behalf of the detainees and all the other EU diplomats withdrew in protest. When the US embassy protested, the government detained two of its Eritrean staff, who are still held incommunicado without charge.