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Mrs. Elsa Chyrum held an important meeting with Bay Area (California, USA) Eritrean residents on November 8, 2014. Hosted by Commission of Inquiry  (COI) volunteers in Bay Area, the gathering was part of a series of meetings Mrs. Elsa is conducting in the United States of America in support of the recently launched United Nations Human Rights Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Eritrea.

The meeting was designed to explain the mandate and the work of the COI, and to seek cooperation and participation of all Eritreans in providing the required information to the COI. In a word, her discussion was framed on two crucial issues: one, the commission’s establishment and process it took to establish it, and 2) the responsibility of Eritreans in assisting the commission to reach its final objective, which is documenting the PFDJ’s crimes against humanity and holding Issais regime accountable.

Mrs. Elsa went to a lengthy detail on how we can assist the COI. One of the fundamental issues she underscored was a call for all Eritreans who were victims of the PFDJ regime to come forward and give their testimony to the COI. Second, it was a call to those Eritreans who witnessed serious crimes and atrocities perpetrated by PFDJ regime on other Eritreans to document their witness by identifying and verifying those who get victimized by the regime.

Again, the fundamental message of Mrs. Elsa was this: that the cooperation of victims and witnesses is crucial to obtaining successful outcome of the COI in prosecuting and holding the PFDJ regime accountable on its crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court, a court which adjudicates crimes against humanity. We must do it; this is our chance, Mrs. Elsa underlined.

Mrs. Elsa also gave specific information and procedures on how victims of PFDJ regime and witnesses can provide their testimony to the COI because of real or perceived threats and intimidations against themselves or against their family members by the PFDJ regime.  

Board members of the Eritrean Democratic Association (EDA), that attended and participated in the discussion, appreciate deeply what Mrs. Elsa is doing, and the association affirms to cooperate with Human Rights Concern Eritrea and others to make the COI work successful both in identifying victims of PFDJ and witnesses to come forward and document and provide information they know. EDA is a non-profit organization registered in California, USA, which provides sponsoring services, financial and material assistance to the Eritrean refugee children’s school at Wedisherifey, Sudan.

Prepared By

Eritrean Democratic Association

(A non profit public benefit corporation)