ኣብ ዓለምና፡ ካብ ቀዳማይ ውግእ ዓለም ኣትሒዙ ክሳብ እዚ ዘሎናዮ ግዜ ነፍሳት እናሃለቓን እናባደማን ኢየን። ብርግጽ ድማ እቲ ኣብ
ቀዳማይን ካልኣይን ውግእ ዓለም ከም ዝዝረበሉ ዳርጋ 60 ሚልዮን ዝኸውን ህዝቢ ኢዩ ሃሊቑ። ካብ ካልኣይ ውግእ ዓለም ንነጀውከ ክንደይ
ነፍሳት ሃሊቐን ኣለዋ ጌና ብሕጂ ክጻረ ዘለዎ ጉዳይ ኢዩ። ብዝኾነ ግን ካብቲ ናይ 60 ሚልዮን እንተዘይበዚሑ ዝውሕድ ኣይክኽውንን እዩ።እዚ
ኩሉ ህልቂት ድማ ንምስፍሕፋሕ መሬትን ብኡ ኣቢሉ ድማ ንልዕልን ትሕትን ጸጋታት መሬት ንምጉሕጓሕ እዩ። ዓለምና እምበኣር ክሳብ
ሕጂ በዚ ናይ ጅኦፖለቲክ ምኽንያት ጌና ትሕመስ ኣላ። እኒ ሂትለር እኒ መሶሊኒ ከምኡ እውን ካልኦት ክሳብ እቲ ህዝቢ ዝነጽጎም ነዛ ዓለም
በጽቢጾማ ሓሊፎምን ይሓልፉን ኣለዉ። እቲ ናይ ምልኪ ኣሰራቶም እውን ኣብ መላእ ዓለም ሳዕሪሩ፣ ንስልጣኖም ክብሉ ንማሕበርሰባዊ ጥምረት
ብዝዘርጉ ሰባት ጌና ትሳቐ ኣላ።
እቲ ከም ካልኣይ ነጥቢ ንዓለምና ዝሳቕያ ድማ እቲ ናይ ስልጣን ምብሓት ወይ ከኣ ቅኑዕ ምሕደራ ዘይምህላው እዩ። እዚ ከኣ እቲ ነፍሳት
ዝሃልቃሉ ዘለዋ ቀንዲ ጠንቂ እዩ። ንኣብነት ከም ሃገረ ኤርትራ ዝኣመሰላ፡ ህዝቢ ክከላበትን ክእሰርን ኣደዳ ሞት ክሳጣሕ ንርኢ። እቲ መዐቀኒ
ናይ ቅኑዕ ምሕደራ እምበኣር እቲ ስልጣን ህዝቢ ክርከቦ ምግባርን እቲ ህዝቢ ዝቆጻጸሮ መንግስቲ ምፍጣርን ፍትሒ ይነግስ እሞ ሃገርን ህዝብን
ይቐስን። ናብ ከምዚ ዝኣመሰለ ደረጃ ንምብጻሕ ግን ፍትሓዊ ዝኾነ ሕብረተሰብ ምህናጽ ብቐዳምነት ክውሰድ ዘለዎ ስጉምቲ እዩ። ስለዚ ከምዚ
ዝዓይነቱ ምሕደራ ንምህናጽ ናቱ ናይ ገዛእ ርእሱ ዝግዝኦ ሕጊ ኣለዎ። እዚ ሕጊ እዚ ከኣ ስነፍልጠት ሒዙ ምስዝኽተል ምልኪ ብሱሩ
ይጠፍእ። ምኽንያቱ ብሃውሪ ወይ ብሃቦ ተረከቦ ዘይኮንስ ብመጽናዕትን መደበን ንህዝቢ ንኸሳትፍ እሉ ዝምስረት ስለዝኾነ። እዚ ምስ ዘይከውን
ድማ ሓንቲ ሃገር ኣብ ቁጠባዊ፡ ማሕበራዊ፡ ፖለቲካዊ፡ መደያታ ትሀሰን ቅሳነት ትስእንን ።
ኣብ ሃገርና ሓደ ካብቶም ሰለስተ ዓይነታት ምልኪ እዩ ዘሎ። እዞም ሰለስተ ዓይነት ምልኪ እቲ ቀዳማይ ወተሃደራዊ፡ እቲ ካልኣይ ውልቀ፡(ሓደ
ሰብ) እቲ ሳልሳይ ድማ እንኮ ሰልፋዊ ምልኪ እዮም። ስርዓት ኤርትራ እምበኣር ውልቀ መላኺ ወይ ከኣ እቲ ካልኣይ ዓይነት ምልኪ ምዃኑ
ደጊም ኩልና ደቂ ሃገር ንፈላለየሉ ኣይመስለንን። ስለምንታይ ደኣ እሞ ዕድመ ስልጣን ናይ መለኽቲ ዝናዋሕ።? ህዝቢ ዘይቆጻጸሮ ስርዓት ዋላ
እውን ዝቃወሞ ሓይሊ ክለዓል እንተኸኣለ ኣብ ስልጣኑ ክጸንሕ ዘኽእሎ ብዙሕ ረቛሒታት ኣሎ። እዚ ዝለዓል ተቓውሞ ሓይሊ እዚ ይብዛሕ
ይውሓድ ናይ ፖለቲካዊ ማሕበራትን ሰልፍታትን ጸጸኒሑ ክጥጥዕን ዘይተወሃህደን ወይ ከኣ ፊን ብዝበሎ ስለዝቃለስን፣ ነቲ ሃገራዊ መቖሚታት
ስሒቱ ማለት ድሕሪ ምውዳቕ ምልኪ እንታይ ዝዓይነቱ ምሕደራ እዩ ዘድሊ ነቲ ህዝቢ ብሩህ ምስ ዘይከውን፣ እቲ ህዝቢ መሰረት ኣዕኑድ
ናይ ምልኪ ዝተክል ከይከውን ዓቢ ስግኣታት ከሕድር ይኽእል። ምኽንያቱ እቲ ህዝቢ ዝዓግበሉ ኣገባብ ኣመራርሓን ምሕደራን ካብቲ ምልኪ
ዝፍጽሞ ዝሓሸን ንወጽዓ ህዝቢ ዝጠመተን ፍትሒ ዘንግስን ምዃኑ ከረጋግጽ ኣለዎ።ደምበ ተቓውሞ ቀዳማይ ዕማሙ ነዚ ምልኪ ምልጋስ እኳ
ይኹን እምበር ምስ እዚ ተተሓሒዙ ዝኸይድን ክፍታሕ ዘለዎን ጉዳይ ድሕሪ ምውዳቕ እዚ ስርዓት ዝትከል መንግስቲ ብብሩህ ክንጸር ዘለዎ
ጉዳይ እዩ። ካብኡ ብዝተረፈ ነቲ ምልኪ ጥራሕ ነልግስ ዝብል ኣተሓሳስባ ተበለጽቲ ከይብለጹሉን መሰረት ናይ ምልኪ ከይክውንን ምስትብሃል
ከድልየና እዩ። ካብ ብሕጂ ኣዕኑድን ሰረታት ዲሞክራሲን ዲሞክራሲያውነትን ክነዘውትሮም እንተዘይክኢልና ከይዱ ከይዱ ስልጣን ናይ
ምብሓት ዝእንፍት ምዃኑ እዩ። እዚ ከኣ፡ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ነዚ ሓይልታት እዚ ካብቲ ስርዓት ንላዕሊ ንሓድነቱን ንልኡላውነት ሃገሩን ዝዘርግ እዩ
ዝብል ስግኣታት ክሓድሮ ከም ዝኽእል ንጹር እዩ።
ካልእይ ኣገዳሲ ነጥቢ ሓደ ውልቀ መላኺ በቲ ዝኽተሎ ናይ ምፍርራሕ፡ ምእሳር፡ ምቕታል፡ ምድስካል፡ ምንጪ ሓብረታ ዓፊንካ ምሓዝ …ወዘተ
ከምኡ እውን ነቶም ከገልግልዎ ዝኽእሉ ስባት በቲ ዝጻወቶ ሜላን ሽርሕን ጉርሕን ነቲ ሓደ ሒዙ ደሓር ነቲ ሒዝዎ ዝነበረ እናገለፈ እዩ
ስልጣኑ ዘደልድል። እዞም ኣገልገልቲ እዚኦም ንውልቆም እምበር ንዓሌታት ወይ ኣውራጃታት ወይ ብሄራት ዝውከሉ ኣይኮኑን። ብኣገልገልቲ
እቲ መላኺ ኣመኻኒኻ ንዝተወልዱሉ ኣውራጃ ይኹን ብሄር መጥቃዕቲ ምክያድ ብመሰረቱ ፖለቲካዊ ኣፍልጦ ዘይብሉን ብድሑር ዝምባሌታት
ዝተላዕጠጠን ብዝሓለፈ ተረኽቦታት ዝጽሎን ሰብ ጥራሕ እዩ ዝጥቀመሉ። ኣብ ከምዚ ሃዋህው እዚ ድማ ሓደ መላኺ ስርዓት ብፖለቲካዊ
ይኹን ቁጠባዊ ቅልውልውላው ተዳኺሙ ከሎ ኣብ ስልጣኑ ንኽቕጽል ህይወት ክሶዅዓሉ ይኽእል። በዚ ዝኣክል ኩሎም መለኽቲ እምበኣር
ገለ ንሓጺር ግዜ ገለንከ ንንውሕ ዝበለ ግዜ ከጽንሖም ዝኽእል ከከም ተቐባልነት ናይቲ ህዝብን ኩነታትን እዩ። ስለዚ ስርዓት እስያስ ኣብ
ስልጣኑ ከጽንሖ ዝኽእል ክልተ ዓበይቲ ነጥብታት ኣለዋ። ንሳተን ድማ፡ ሓደ እቲ ዝሰፍሐ ህዝቢ ነቲ ስርዓት ኣሜን ኢሉ ክምእዘዞ ከሎን፣
እቲ ስርዓት ነቲ ህዝቢ ኣብ ጎኑ ንኽስለፍ ዝወስዶ ስጉምትታትን ሜላታትን እዩ። ሓደ ካብኡ ነቲ ድሑር ሕብረተሰብኣዊ ሕምማት ብዝትንክፍ
ወይ እውን ብረብሓታት ኣቢሉ ስለዝጥቀም እዩ። እቲ ናይ ዶብ ዘይምሕንጻጽ ከም ምኽኒት ተጠቒሙ ወግሐ ጸብሐ መፈራርሂ ይጥቀመሉ
እሞ እቲ ህዝቢ ኣብ ትሕቲ ምሕረቱ ተዓቝቡ ዘሎ ገይሩ ይወስዶ። ከምኡ እውን ነቲ ደጋዊ ሓይልታት ኣብ ልዕሊኡ ዝወስዶ እገዳ ንዕቤት
ቁጠባዊ ልምዓት ዝዕንቅጽን፣ ኤርትራ ርእሳ ከይትኽእልን ድኽምቲ ሃገር ክትከውን ንምግባር እዩ ብዝብል ነቲ ህዝቢ ንህላዌ ሃገርን ህዝብን
ካብኡ ንላዕሊ ርግእት ዘለዋ ሃገር ዝፈጥር ሓይሊ የለን ኢሉ ንከእምነሉን ናብቲ ተቓውሞ ቁልሕ ንኸይብልን ይሕግዞ እዩ።
እቲ ካልኣይ ነጥቢ ከኣ እቲ ዝቃወም ሓይሊ ዘይተጥርነፈን ዘይተወደበን ምስ ዝኸውን፣ ማለት ዘይተጥርነፈን ዘይተወሃሃደን ዘይዝሰፍሐን
ተቓውሞ ንምልኪ ፈጺሙ ከዳኽሞ ኣይክእልን። ከምኡ እውን እቲ ደምበ ተቓውሞ ንባዕሉ ተቓውሞ ንተቓውሞ ኮይኑ ከናሹን ከጸልምን፣
ብኣውራጃታት ኣምሲሉ ሓማሴንዶ ሰራየ ኣከለጉዛይ እናበለ ክፈላሊ ዝውዕልን፣ ስርርዕን፡ ጥርናፈን፡ ውዳበን፡ ሰልፍን ኣየድልን እዩ ዝብልን፣
ኩሉ ንረብሓ እቲ ስርዓትን፣ መናዊሒ ስልጣኑን ኮይንዎ ኣሎ። ወረ ሎምስ ብሃገር ደረጃ ተሪፉ በብኣውራጃኡ ተጠርኒፉ ይቃለስ ዝብል ናይ
ዘመነ ክፍልታት ክድገም ዝደሊ ሓይሊ ኣውን ይቀላቀል ኣሎ። እቲ ስርዓት ኣስተሪሑ ድማ ርኢኹምዶ እዚኦም እዮም እምበኣር እቶም
ተቓወምቲ፡ ጽባሕ ንግሆ ኣብታ ሃገር እንተኣትዮምሲ ንሓደ ልብን ሓደ ህዝብን ዝነብረ ክዘርጉ እዮም ብምባል ህዝቢ ናብ ኣብያ ገጹ
ከይየድህብ ይገብሮ ። ከምኡ እውን እቲ ደምበ ተቓውሞ ብብረት ክንዘብጠካ እና እናበለ ክጭድር ከሎ እቲ ኣብ ውሽጢ ዘሎ ህዝቢ ነቲ
ስርዓት ፎእ ኣብ ክብለሉ እናተቐራረበ እንከሎ መሓውር ስለያታት እቲ ስርዓት ንኽድልድልን ምስምስ ረኺቡ ነቲ ህዝቢ ኣብ ነንሓድሕዱ
ከምዘይተኣማመንን ከርዕድን፡ ሜላ ንኽፈጥር ይሕግዞ። እቲ ህዝቢ እውን እታ ብሓባር ክትጥርንፎ እትኽእል ናይ ሰላማዊ ኣገባብ ኣቀላልሳ ኣብ
ክልተ ከምቀል ይገብሮ እሞ ሞራሉ የውድቕ እቲ ስርዓት ከኣ ግርም ገይሩ ይብለጸሉ። ምስናይ እዚ ድኽመት ናይቲ ደምበ ተቓውሞ ልዕሊ
እቲ ምልኪ ኮይኑ እታ እንደልያ ኤርትራ ደቃ ሓቝፋ፡ ህዝባ ብፍትሕን ዲሞክራስን ማዕርነትን ዝነብረላን ምዃኑ ዘነጽር ስእሊ ብሓባር ከቐምጥ
ብዘይምኽኣሉ ነቲ ህዝቢ ኣእምኑ ነቲ ምልኪ ከምበርክኾ ኣይከኣለን። ካልእ ክጥቀስ ዘለዎ ድማ፡ እቶም ኣለዉ ዝበሃሉ ምሁራን ኣብ ክንዲ ኣብ
ጎኒ እቲ ህዝቢ ኮይኖም ብድፍረት ዝምክቱን ንህዝቦም ድማ ዘለዓዕሉን ንገዛእ ርእሶም ኣብታ ዓንኬል ናይቲ ስርዓት ተረባሕቲ ኮይኖም
ስለዝጠሓሉ፣ እቲ ህዝቢ ንሶም እኳ ዘለውዎ ብማለት ኣስቂጡ ይግዛእ ኣሎ።
ስለዚ፡ ንሕና ኤርትራውያን፡ ስርዓት እሳያስ ናይ ሓደ ሰብ ምልኪ ማለት ንሱ ገባርን ሓዳግን ንሱ ሕጊ ንሱ ክሉ ነገር ምዃኑ ካብ ፈለጥና ከምቲ
ምስላ ኣቦታት ዝብልዎ፡ ‘’ ንጎይታ ፈሪሆምሲ ንጊላ።’’ ንኸውንሲ ስለምንታይ።? ስለምንታይከ ነቲ ስነፍልጠታዊ ዝኾነ ኣገባብ ገዲፍና ነቲ ስርዓት
ብዘገልግል ውዳበ ክንገብር ንፍትን? እዚ ስርዓት እዚ ንማንም ዝውከል ኣይኮነን፡ ምኽንያቱ እቶም ዝድግፍዎ በጻብዕ ዝቑጸሩ እዮም። እቲ
ዝተረፈ በቲ ኣብ ላዕሊ ተጠቒሱ ዘሎ ምኽንያታት ኣፉ ሒዙ ሱቕ ክብል ተገዲዱ ዘሎ። እቲ ዕድመ ምልኪ ክናዋሕ ዕድል ዝህቦ ዘሎ ቀንዲ
ምኽንያት እምበኣር እቲ ንተቓውሞ ተቓውሞ ተፈጢሩ ዘሎ ሓይልታት ደው ክነብሎ ዘይምኽኣልናን ወግሐ ጸብሐ ምፍልላይናን እዩ።
ብድራር መንታይ
ብሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ (ሰ.ዲ.ህ.ኤ) ጨንፈር ኵንስላንድ፡ ዞባ ኣውስትራልያ፡ ዝተወደበ ህዝባዊ ኣኼባ ኣብ ከተማ ብርዝቤን ተኻይዱ
Written by ሰ.ዴ.ህ.ኤ ጨንፈር ኵንስላንድ
ብቐዳም 25 ጥቅምቲ 2014 ሰ.ዴ.ህ.ኤ ጨንፈር ኵንስላንድ ዝወደቦ ህዝባዊ ኣኼባ ኣብ ከተማ ብርዝቤን ተኻይዱ። እዚ ንኣርባዕተ ሰዓታት ዝቐጸለ ኣኼባ ብእንቋዕ ደሓን መጻእኩም ዝብል ቃል ኣቶ ወሊድ ኢብራሂም ኣቦ መንበር ጨንፈር ሰዴህኤ ኣብ ኵንስላንድ’ዩ ተኸፊቱ። ብምቕጻል ኣቶ ሃይለ ገብሩ ኣባል ማእካላይ ባይቶ ሰ.ዴ.ህ.ኤ ንህሉው ኩነታት ሃገርናን ኣድላይነት ሓቢርካ ምስራሕን ኣብ ዝብል ኣርእስቲ ሰፊሕ መግለጺ ኣቕሪቡ። ብድሕሪ’ዚ ኣቶ ኤፍሬም ገብረ-ልዑል ኣባል ሰ.ዴ.ህ.ኤ: ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ መን’ዩ? ነየናይ ዕላማ ኢዩ’ኸ ዝቃለስ? ኣብ ዝብል ኣርእስቲ ፖወር-ፖይንትን ፕሮጀክተርን ተጠቒሙ ብድምጽን ስእልን ዝተሰነየ ንመትከላትን ተግባራዊ ንጥፈታትን ሰልፊ ዴሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ዘላሊ ሰፊሕ መግለጺ ኣቕሪቡ። ብጀካ’ዚ ኣቶ ኤፍሬም ነቲ ኣብ ሃገርና እተራእየን ገና’ውን ዝቕጽል ዘሎን፡ ንምምሕዳር መላኺ ስርዓት ህግደፍ ዝቃወም፡ ምንቅስቓሳት በብመድረኹ ሰሪዑን ዘርዚሩን ብምቕራብ ዘይዓመጻዊ ኣገባብ ኣቀላልሳ ህዝብና ርዒምዎን በብእዋኑ እናዓበየ ይኸይድ ምህላዉን ኣብሪሁ። ኣብ መወዳእታ ከኣ ንሕቶታትን ርእዮቶታትን ኣኼበኛታት ብምስማዕን ኣዕጋቢ መልስን መብርህን ብምግናዕ፡ እቲ ሰዓት 5፡00 ድሕሪ ቐትሪ ዝጀመረ ዘተ ሰዓት 9፡00 ምሸት ተደምዲሙ።
In Memory of Dr. Tewolde Wedi Vacaro Q and A
Eritrean Demtsi Hezbi 19 Oct. 2014 Program
The Call is We Are not Going to Take it Anymore!
Written by EPDP Editorial Board
EPDP Editorial
We are not going to take it anymore is the imperative of the letter written by the clergy of the Union of the Eritrean Orthodox Church monasteries last week. It is timely and one could see the ripple effect of the “Where is Your Brother” document authored by our Catholic Church pastors few months back, all a sign of an impending demise of the lawless regime and its anti democratic apparatus. Nothing seems to fall through the cracks this time provided the opposition capitalize on it prudently and strategically.
The long and disastrous road that the PFDJ took the country for the last two decades is being challenged by the people that have an ecclesiastic power on moral, cultural, and social authority in our society. Their action is not an intervention or calling for excommunication of the notorious personalities who have been running the Orthodox Church per se; it is a declaration that calls for the church to reclaim its authority, that religious faith in Eritrea is not the domain of the PFDJ regime, that the PFDJ should stop its endless violations of religious freedom, and that the PFDJ must cease using its anti democratic practices to command and cater religion and its institutions to prolong its repressive regime in Eritrea.
Call it a radical revolution if you will, but these foremost spiritual leaders have introduced a new dynamic that adds a positive weight to the ongoing revolt against the PFDJ regime. Implicitly, we are witnessing Eritrean spiritual leaders rebelling against the legitimacy of the PFDJ regime for the sake of their peoples’ welfare and faith. Simply put it, our spiritual leaders are saying you cannot have a healthy society without having a religious freedom. Yes, the context of the message is not an obscured one, nor is it limited to religious freedom only; largely, it is a protest and condemnation against the PFDJ’s domination that poses a perpetual threat to all Eritrea’s religious faiths, which are essential to nourishing social, traditional, cultural cohesion, and solidarity amongst our society.
As we know the principle that religion should be free and independent of any politics or government has been hollowed out and nullified by the PFDJ regime for the last two decades. The devolution of church authority, order, and all forms of religious power has been seized by the PFDJ regime through its puppet political elites in order to perpetuate its power. Not only that, but also the PFDJ has used and continues to use national security and foreign enemies as a pretext for stripping the right of religious practices and freedoms in Eritrea.
More importantly, the underlying message is deeper and wider that targets the PFDJ’s state of monopolization and total control of the country and its people’s life: the message is about how the PFDJ regime is obliterating our religious faith, mores, and communal culture and virtues, which is the hallmark of cohesion, strength, and perseverance of Eritrean society; how it is stamping out dissent and voices of reason; how it created hundreds of detention centers where Eritrean citizens are languishing every day; how it enforces conformity, fear, brutality, and physical repression; how it created a culture of organized corruption to divert the focus and resolve of Eritrean people from asserting their rights and empowering themselves, in essence a tool PFDJ uses to prevent a critical mass from rising against its power and misrule.
PFDJ is fundamentally a lethal force because in order to survive it has to continually eliminate everything it considers a threat to its power. PFDJ wants a society subservient to its political order, and it must use all forms violent measures to keep Eritrean people under its control. But after two decades, the coercion and intimidation of PFDJ is falling apart. There is a perfect storm of discontent and unrest in the country. With no exaggeration, PFDJ is losing all the means and tools it once used to own. The people with the most religious and moral authority in Eritrea are speaking the truth in ways never seen before, and Eritrean people are listening.
But history also shows even as the public discontent and opposition against dictators grows, so does the repression and brutality. Hence, PFDJ regime will continue to increase its state of terror and onslaught on Eritrean citizens as long as it can afford. Our job is “to cut the umbilical cord”, as the saying goes, meaning we must intensify our struggle against the PFDJ regime in a manner that goes beyond a mere talk of strategies and road maps, measures attuned to action taking.
In conclusion, for the first time we are seeing the readiness and willingness of Eritrean people to face the evil regime in our country. EPDP sees the opposition inside Eritrea is heading to become a critical mass, a sign that the respect for PFDJ power and legitimacy is falling apart. Yet, EPDP strongly believes that without a real political structure and leadership, all the ongoing mobilization against the PFDJ may not materialize much. EPDP also understands that PFDJ is broken, but dangerous in terms of producing violence and chaos when it falls. Therefore, the opposition inside and outside Eritrea must take concrete measures with the understanding that the struggle against the PFDJ regime will be successful not out of unorganized opposition (which is the case now), but out of a vision that is collective, strong, and democratic that produces substantive and meaningful transformation in the lives of our people in post PFDJ Eritrea. Inside Eritrea the support and power is on the side of the opposition as is evident in the letter of the union of the Eritrean Orthodox Church monasteries and in the “where is your brother” document, including the January 2013 operation Forto. The Diaspora opposition needs to match it by a similar measures and actions by moving from the current paralysis and cynicism to a broad-based political organization essential to developing a formidable and organized force against the PFDJ repressive system.
‘We Know How Many Eritrean Children Reach Europe, Not How Many Die Trying’ – Says UN Eritrea Rapporteur
Written by NEW YORK (28 October 2014)
NEW YORK (28 October 2014) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, Sheila B. Keetharuth, expressed alarm about continuing human rights violations in the country resulting in mass departures. She warned the UN General Assembly about the high number of children fleeing from Eritrea without their parents.
“By mid-October, more than 4,000 Eritrean minors had arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year, including more than 3,200 children travelling without their parents,” Ms. Keetharuth said, quoting recent data collected by the UN Refugee Agency.
“The numbers provided only reflect those who make it to Europe. We do not know how many children perish along the flight,” the human rights expert stressed. “In all circumstances, unaccompanied minors require special protection.”
The children risk their lives, travelling on their own or with friends, to escape from looming military training and conscription amounting to forced labour, to join family members or in the hope of finding their rights protected across borders. They are very vulnerable and run the risk of exposure to abuse and violence, including falling in the hands of traffickers and smugglers who ask for ransoms from their families.
Eritreans are escaping systematic and widespread human rights violations, such as indefinite forced conscription and violations in the context of the national service, arbitrary arrests and detention, incommunicado detention, inhumane prison conditions, extrajudicial killings, disappearances and torture.
“In recent months, we have seen a considerable increase in Eritrean asylum seekers and refugees crossing into neighbouring countries with almost 4,000 fleeing on a monthly basis,” she said. Significantly higher numbers of Eritreans are arriving in Europe. Between January and September 2014, 32,537 Eritreans arrived in Italy by boat. With Syrians, Eritreans constitute the largest group of arrivals.
The Special Rapporteur noted that the situation has deteriorated in the context of the attempted coup in January 2013, dubbed as the ‘Forto incident’. An unknown number of people, though the numbers quoted are as high as 800, including public figures, were reportedly arrested and detained, with no information as to their whereabouts, nor have they appeared before any court of law.
“The violations described are committed with impunity. No perpetrators have been brought to justice,” Ms. Keetharuth stated. “This is why I welcome the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry by the Human Rights Council to investigate all alleged violations of human rights in Eritrea, as outlined in my reports.”
The expert called on the Eritrean Government, the Eritrean people, in and outside of the country, as well as the international community to cooperate with both the Commission’s and her mandate. “I remain fully committed to continue delivering on the mandate entrusted to me by the Human Rights Council in a constructive, transparent, independent and impartial manner and look forward to starting work as a member of the Commission of Inquiry,” she said.
The Special Rapporteur welcomed Eritrea’s accession to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in September, which was long overdue. “I hope this is an indication of Eritrea’s willingness to comply with the prohibition of torture under international law,” she said.
Sheila B. Keetharuth was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea during the 21st Session of the UN Human Rights Council in September 2012. She took her functions on 1 November 2012. As Special Rapporteur, she is independent from any government or organization and serves in her individual capacity. A lawyer from Mauritius, she has extensive experience in monitoring and documenting human rights violations, advocacy, training and litigation in human rights in Africa. Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/CountriesMandates/ER/Pages/SREritrea.aspx
Check the Special Rapporteur’s latest report to the UN Human Rights Council (A/HRC/26/L.6): http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?m=201
UN Human Rights, country page – Eritrea: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/ERIndex.aspx
For more information and media requests please contact:
In New York:
André-Michel Essoungou, (+1 917 367 9995 / Cell: +1 917 940 0685 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Nenad Vasic (+1 212 963 5998 / Cell: +1 917 941 7558 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
In Geneva:
Birthe Ankenbrand (+41 22 928 9465 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Party Leader Proposes Expulsion of Eritrean Refugees from Switzerland
Written by EPDP Information Office
EPDP Information Office
According to a daily Swiss newspaper of 27 October, Eritrean asylum seekers have become the centre of political attention in Switzerland, and as such, the president of the Swiss Liberal-Radical Party (PLR) is intending to
propose to the upcoming parliamentary debate the issue of “re-considering the expulsion of Eritrean asylum seekers” to their country of origin.
The French language Tribune de Genève reported that the arrival in Switzerland of 5,721 Eritrean refugees between January and September 2014 prompted the PLR leader to ask for such much hardened action. The newspaper noted that the number of Eritrean asylum seekers and refugees exceeds even that of Syrians. It put at over 25,000 the number of recent caseload of Eritrean refugees in Switzerland adding that almost of them are not working.
The PLR is one of the centre-right coalition of parties in the Swiss parliament. The Swiss Social Democratic Party, the second largest in the country, and its allies are opposed to further hardening of refugee laws and it is highly unlikely that the measure to be proposed by PLR will be approved. In fact, a recent Swiss mission to Eritrea found the country to be unwelcome to its own people and that 90% of Eritrean asylum seekers deserve protection until the situation changes to the better in Eritrea.
Lampedusa Memorial by Eritrean Demtsi Hezbi
Eritrean Demtsi Hezbi 12 October 2014 Program
More...
ተጋዳላይ ተወልደ ተስፋማርያም (ወዲ ቫካሮ) ብዝሓደሮ ሕማም ትማሊለይቲ ዕለት 22 ጥቅምቲ 2014 ብሞት ካብ'ዛ ዓለም ምፍላዩ፡ ንቤተሰቡን ንመቓልስቱ ደልዪቲ ፍትሕን ኣዝዩ ዘሰንብድን ዘሕዝንን ተረኽቦ ኢዩ።
ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ (ሰዲህኤ) ንመዋቲ መንግስተ-ሰማይ ንቤተሰቡን መቓልስቱን ድማ ጽንዓት ይሃቦም፡ ጠሉ ድማ የውርደሎም እናበለ ናይ'ቲ ወሪድዎም ዘሎ መሪር ሓዘን ተኻፋላይ ምዃኑ ይገልጽ።
ስውእ ተወልደ ቫካሮ ብስጋ እኳ ካባና እንተተፈልየ፡ ብመንፈስ ግን፡ ዝኽሩ ነባሪ ኢዩ።
መንግስተኣብ ኣስመሮም
ኣቦ መንበር ሰልፊ ዲሞክራሲ ህዝቢ ኤርትራ
23 ጥቅምቲ 2014
نعي أليم
تلقت قيادة حزب الشعب الديمقراطي الارتري ببالغ الحزن والأسى نبأ وفاة المناضل/تولدي تسفاماريام (ودِّي فكارو).
وأمام هذا الفقد الوطني الجلل لا يملك حزبنا إلا أن يشارك أسرة الفقيد الأحزان متمنياً للفقيد الرحمة ولأسرته وشعبه جميل الصبر وحسن العزاء.
منقستئاب أسمروم
رئيس حزب الشعب الديمقراطي الارتري
23 اكتوبر 2014م
Lampedusa: The Site of PFDJ Injustice and Dictatorship
Written by EPDP Information OfficeEPDP Editorial
October 3, 2014 marked one year of the loss of 368 Eritreans in the island of Lampedusa. Diaspora Eritreans held memorial on the loss with profound grief and mourning. They lit vigil candles, conducted prayers, and placed grief flowers on the area where the 368 Eritreans drowned. Others who couldn’t travel to Lampedusa remembered the loss in their respective countries and regions with the same zeal of love and respect, the way we Eritreans treat and honor our dead whether it is back home or in the Diaspora. The memorial was also notably public: it was attended by many European government officials, Eritrean humanitarian rights advocates, EPDP, including the representative of his Holiness Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church who addressed Eritreans on the tragedy, giving his consolation to the grieving families and close relatives and friends.
The memorial was a somber expression on Eritrea’s picture in general, and on the larger social, political, and economic dictatorship that is gripping the country and its people under the PFDJ regime in particular. In a point, what the Lampedusa memorial reminds us is that the unending death of hundreds of Eritrean youth, women, and children in high seas and in the Sinai desert stems from the total absence of fundamental freedom and justice in our country being caused by the PFDJ regime whose policies are designed to cause the maximum affliction possible on our people to the degree of annihilating the entire population like an uncontrollable plague.
Whether those who died in the island of Lampedusa or in other places, we must hold them as victims of the PFDJ dictatorship and injustice: they were jailed, tortured, harassed, and persecuted before they left their country - because they opposed the PFDJ’s tyrannical political order and demanded justice and rule of law in their country, like the thousands of our citizens who are either languishing in the PFDJ dungeons or already gave their lives for freedom and change. Hence, their sacrifice for justice and freedom is a national hallmark, meaning resistance and refusal to be governed by a repressive state.
Among other things, we must continue to challenge the narrative and depiction of the PFDJ that those hundreds of Eritreans fleeing their country and dying all over the world are victims of foreign forces who work to undermine Eritrea’s independence and sovereignty. Although the facts we know is that there is no entity other than the PFDJ regime so determined to subvert and undermine Eritrea’s sovereignty and independence, and its national unity, simply in pursuit of its ruthless power and tyranny in our country. If we do not tackle such a false narrative of PFDJ, it would continue to create a false sense of insecurity and fear among Eritrean citizens rather than fuelling a collective opposition against the PFDJ.
EPDP strongly believes that the memorial of Lampedusa victims should not be about wailing and weeping, or outcry over their death as the tragedy stems from the dictatorial system we have in our country. Although it is our revered tradition and culture to honor and remember them, we should not view them as tragic victims as this will disenable us from focusing and addressing the root cause facing our country and our people, removing the PFDJ tyranny, which is solely responsible for the plight of the entire country by producing an endless state sanctioned violence, terror, and fear that is paralyzing the lives and future of Eritrean people.
The point is the Lampedusa memorial should be seen as a political one, i.e. as a fight for the principles of freedom and democracy for which successive Eritrean generations paid enormous treasures, bled, and died for it for over half a century. It should be a memorial as a reminder of the total absence of fundamental human rights and the perpetual misery in Eritrea, which resulted and continues to result not only in the death of 368 Eritreans in the island of Lampedusa on October 2013, which we are observing, but also a tribute for all those who died in Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, as well as those who perished in places of no man’s land at the hands of gangs and human traffickers and never gotten the proper burial as the areas they died are beyond the reach of governments or human rights organizations.
Last, the memorial observance of Lampedusa must translate into action. As we pay tribute to those who perished in the island of Lampedusa and in other places, we must look to what is happening in our country and what should we do as an opposition. The country is paying a high price. The tyranny being perpetuated by the PFDJ regime is fundamentally shredding the social fabric of our society, our values, our morals, our ideas, our cultures, our politics, and atomizing the public good so as to perpetuate its corrupted political power. And this is a moment in which we must change the dynamics essential to developing a broad-based political opposition that provides a real alternative to the PFDJ regime. But for this to happen, it is crucial that the opposition develops a strategy that captures the aspiration and dreams of the Eritrean public so that Eritrean people can invest in the struggle against the PFDJ regime. So, Lampedusa memorial must used to remind us our patriotism, our pride, and our historical resolve as Eritreans. Lampedusa victims and others died for us; they died for the sake of justice and we must not settle for anything short of launching a radical transformative struggle that should establish a democratic Eritrea by establishing a collective struggle and strong opposition leadership that is capable of destroying and shattering the power of PFDJ that is currently wielded by Issaias and his elite. This is the time for Eritrean forces opposed to the PFDJ regime to face the tough road ahead; it is-make-it-or-break-it time. Again, we can either roll our sleeve and crush the wall of PFDJ tyranny, or fold our cards and give up. And the latter is not an option.
Lampedusa: The Site of PFDJ Injustice and Dictatorship
Written by EPDP Information OfficeEPDP Editorial
October 3, 2014 marked one year of the loss of 368 Eritreans in the island of Lampedusa. Diaspora Eritreans held memorial on the loss with profound grief and mourning. They lit vigil candles, conducted prayers, and placed grief flowers on the area where the 368 Eritreans drowned. Others who couldn’t travel to Lampedusa remembered the loss in their respective countries and regions with the same zeal of love and respect, the way we Eritreans treat and honor our dead whether it is back home or in the Diaspora. The memorial was also notably public: it was attended by many European government officials, Eritrean humanitarian rights advocates, EPDP, including the representative of his Holiness Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church who addressed Eritreans on the tragedy, giving his consolation to the grieving families and close relatives and friends.
The memorial was a somber expression on Eritrea’s picture in general, and on the larger social, political, and economic dictatorship that is gripping the country and its people under the PFDJ regime in particular. In a point, what the Lampedusa memorial reminds us is that the unending death of hundreds of Eritrean youth, women, and children in high seas and in the Sinai desert stems from the total absence of fundamental freedom and justice in our country being caused by the PFDJ regime whose policies are designed to cause the maximum affliction possible on our people to the degree of annihilating the entire population like an uncontrollable plague.
Whether those who died in the island of Lampedusa or in other places, we must hold them as victims of the PFDJ dictatorship and injustice: they were jailed, tortured, harassed, and persecuted before they left their country - because they opposed the PFDJ’s tyrannical political order and demanded justice and rule of law in their country, like the thousands of our citizens who are either languishing in the PFDJ dungeons or already gave their lives for freedom and change. Hence, their sacrifice for justice and freedom is a national hallmark, meaning resistance and refusal to be governed by a repressive state.
Among other things, we must continue to challenge the narrative and depiction of the PFDJ that those hundreds of Eritreans fleeing their country and dying all over the world are victims of foreign forces who work to undermine Eritrea’s independence and sovereignty. Although the facts we know is that there is no entity other than the PFDJ regime so determined to subvert and undermine Eritrea’s sovereignty and independence, and its national unity, simply in pursuit of its ruthless power and tyranny in our country. If we do not tackle such a false narrative of PFDJ, it would continue to create a false sense of insecurity and fear among Eritrean citizens rather than fuelling a collective opposition against the PFDJ.
EPDP strongly believes that the memorial of Lampedusa victims should not be about wailing and weeping, or outcry over their death as the tragedy stems from the dictatorial system we have in our country. Although it is our revered tradition and culture to honor and remember them, we should not view them as tragic victims as this will disenable us from focusing and addressing the root cause facing our country and our people, removing the PFDJ tyranny, which is solely responsible for the plight of the entire country by producing an endless state sanctioned violence, terror, and fear that is paralyzing the lives and future of Eritrean people.
The point is the Lampedusa memorial should be seen as a political one, i.e. as a fight for the principles of freedom and democracy for which successive Eritrean generations paid enormous treasures, bled, and died for it for over half a century. It should be a memorial as a reminder of the total absence of fundamental human rights and the perpetual misery in Eritrea, which resulted and continues to result not only in the death of 368 Eritreans in the island of Lampedusa on October 2013, which we are observing, but also a tribute for all those who died in Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, as well as those who perished in places of no man’s land at the hands of gangs and human traffickers and never gotten the proper burial as the areas they died are beyond the reach of governments or human rights organizations.
Last, the memorial observance of Lampedusa must translate into action. As we pay tribute to those who perished in the island of Lampedusa and in other places, we must look to what is happening in our country and what should we do as an opposition. The country is paying a high price. The tyranny being perpetuated by the PFDJ regime is fundamentally shredding the social fabric of our society, our values, our morals, our ideas, our cultures, our politics, and atomizing the public good so as to perpetuate its corrupted political power. And this is a moment in which we must change the dynamics essential to developing a broad-based political opposition that provides a real alternative to the PFDJ regime. But for this to happen, it is crucial that the opposition develops a strategy that captures the aspiration and dreams of the Eritrean public so that Eritrean people can invest in the struggle against the PFDJ regime. So, Lampedusa memorial must be used to remind us our patriotism, our pride, and our historical resolve as Eritreans. Lampedusa victims and others died for us; they died for the sake of justice and we must not settle for anything short of launching a radical transformative struggle that should establish a democratic Eritrea by establishing a collective struggle and strong opposition leadership that is capable of destroying and shattering the power of PFDJ that is currently wielded by Issaias and his elite. This is the time for Eritrean forces opposed to the PFDJ regime to face the tough road ahead; it is-make-it-or-break-it time. Again, we can either roll our sleeve and crush the wall of PFDJ tyranny, or fold our cards and give up. And the latter is not an option.
يصادف الثالث من اكتوبر 2014م مرور العام الأول علي مأساة جزيرة لامبيدوزا الايطالية التي راح ضحيتها أكثر من 360 شاباً ارترياً غرقاً أو احتراقاً نتيجة اشتعال حريق داخل العبارة الناقلة لهم وهي في عرض البحر.
واليوم نجد كل الارتريين أينما وجدوا يحيون هذه الذكرى الحزينة والتي أدمت قلوب الشعب الارتري وقلوب حكومات وشعوب العالم.
لذلك ولأهمية هذه الذكرى علي قلوبنا جميعاً أوفد حزبنا الأخ/ ولد يسوس عمار مسئول العلاقات الخارجية لحضور احتفال الشموع إحياءاً لذكرى مرور العام الأول علي هذه المأساة الذي يقام في ذات المكان (جزيرة لامبيدوزا الايطالية) والزمان ( الثالث من اكتوبر ).
المرجو من جميع الأخوة أعضاء الحزب أن يشاركوا في مثل هذا الاحتفال وحدهم أو بالتعاون مع الآخرين إن وجدوا.
حزبنا بهذه المناسبة الوطنية الحزينة لا يملك إلا أن يشارك ذوي الضحايا الأحزان متمنياً لهم الصبر وحسن العزاء.
منقستئاب أسمروم
رئيس الحزب
3 / 10 / 2014م
