tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74803477652239441552024-03-05T17:29:57.676-08:00Shalom Eritrea ! ! !All about Eritrea & EritreansFU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-3099058542502901222013-10-13T12:16:00.000-07:002013-10-13T13:26:20.736-07:00ብህልቒት ኤርትራዊያን መንእሰያት ኣብ ላምፐዱሳ ኢጣልያ ፤ መን ኢዩ ተሓታቲ ፧<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3Qx88cGRYj_3vpPxdIEKIKQWtNqir2oI8ATfntnPqa6fc1Vt2GzzV7UxPZaQSX2bxOUTeoALzGGRHN9lZzBCjWqw_KHfb2CAOOOJwxVjao1a4ImBQaJ-X5xdNzP7QhNF4C7Ocra2Txs/s1600/eritrean+refugess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3Qx88cGRYj_3vpPxdIEKIKQWtNqir2oI8ATfntnPqa6fc1Vt2GzzV7UxPZaQSX2bxOUTeoALzGGRHN9lZzBCjWqw_KHfb2CAOOOJwxVjao1a4ImBQaJ-X5xdNzP7QhNF4C7Ocra2Txs/s400/eritrean+refugess.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">312 ሬሳ ግዳያት ኤርትራዊን ብምትሕብባር ሓለዋ ባሕሪ ኢጣልያ ካብ ባሕሪ ምስ ወጽአ</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent"><span style="color: orange;">"ግደ ሓቂ ንምዝራብ<br /> ብድሕሪት ሰይጣን ብቕድሚት ባሕሪ"</span></span></span></span></i></h5>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent"><span style="color: orange;"> </span></span></span></span></i></h5>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: orange;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">ል</span></span>ዕሊ
300 ኣዴታትን ህጻናትን ዝርከቡዎም መንእሰያት ኤርትራ ካብ’ቲ ኣረሜናዊ ስርዓት ዲክታቶር ኢሳያስ እንክሃድሙ ኣብ
ኣፍ ደገ ዓዲ ጣልያን ባሕሪ ውሒጡዎም ሞይቶም። ብዘይካ’ቲ ኣረሜናዊ መንግስቲ ዓለም ብምልእታ ርእያቶ፡ ሰሚዓቶ
ሓዚና። ዓሊቓ። ሕልና ምልእቲ ዓለም ዝነቕነቐ ግዙፍ ጥፍኣት ሰብ እዩ ከኣ ተባሂሉ። ካብ ማይ ደም ዝሓፍስ ኴይኑ
ብፍላይ ንሕና ኤርትራውያን ብርቱዕ ተተንኪፍና። ሓዚን’ና ጸጕርና ነጺና። ኣልቂስና፡ ግጥምታት ገጢምና፡ ተጻሪፍና፡
ኣስካሕካሒ ስእልታት ኣብ ፈቐዶኡ ለጢፍና። ምእንቲ ምዉታትና ጸሊና። ግርም ክኢልናዮ’ውን። ብዛዕባ ንጥፈታተን
ሓንቲ’ኳ ሰሚዕናለን ዘይንፈልጥ ውድባት፡ ማሕበራት ሓዘነን ክገልጻ ብቕ ብቕ ክብላ ርኢና። ክሳብ እውን ኣብ ልዕሊ
መንግስቲ ኤርትራ ፖለቲካዊ ተጽዕኖ ንምግባር መንግስቲ ዝኸፍሎ ምምላስ ሬሳታት ናብ ኤርትራ ይጠልባ ኣሎዋ ሽሕ’ኳ
ሕልሚ ደርሆ ምዃኑ ዝፈልጣ እንተኾና። ንመጠረስትኡ ከኣ ነዝማድ መወት’ቲ ጽንዓት ይሃቦም፡ ንመወት’ቲ መንግስተ
ሰማያት የዋርሶም ኢልና። ነቶም ዝተረፍና ከኣ ኣምላኽ ባዕሉ ከርህወልና ለሚን’ና። ዝሞተ ምስተቐብረ ግን ክሕሸና
እዩ ጊዜ ዘሕውዮ ሓዘንን ቃንዛን የሎን። ናብ’ቲ ልሙድ መዓልታዊ ናብራና ከኣ ክንኣቱ ኢና።<br /> ከም’ዚ ዝኣመሰለ
ቕዝፈት ቅድሚ ሔዚ’ውን በጺሑና እዩ። ሽዑ’ውን ብዙሕ ሓዚን’ናን፡ ጸጕርና ነጺናን፡ ኣልቂስናን ተጻሪፍናን ኢና።
ንስድራ ቤት ምዉታት ኣጸናኒዕናን፡ ንምዉታትና መንግስተሰማያት ከዋርሶም ጸሊናን ነቶም ዝተረፍና ከኣ ኣምላኽ ምሕረቱ
ክገብረልናን ጸሊና ኢና። ቀስ ኢልና ከኣ ናብ’ቲ ልሙድ መዓልታዊ ህይወትና ኣቲና። ነቲ ኣብ ዝሓለፈ ሰሙን ዝኾነ
ፈረንሳውያን ድሮ ዝኾነ፡ ድሮ ዝተራእየ (déjà vu) ይብልዎ። እዚ’ውን እቲ ናይ መወዳእታ ቕዝፈት መንእሰያትና
ኣይክኸውንን እዩ። መልቀስቲ፡ ገጠምቲ፡ ደረፍቲ፡ ተጻረፍቲ ብገናኡ ተዳልዉ። ፖለቲከኛታት ድሮ ድርሳናትኩም ድረሱ።
ጋዜጠኛታት ርእሰዓንቀጻትኩም ጽሓፉ። እቲ ንመንእሰያትና ናብ ከም’ዚ ዝኣመሰለ ቕዝፈት ዝደፍእ ዘሎ ሓይሊ ኣኽላባት
ከም ድላዮም ይንብሑ ንሱ ኣብ መገዱ ቀጻሊ ምዃኑ ሓያሎ ሻዕ ኣረዲኡና እዩ።<br /> ሽግርና ሰብ ዝሰርሖ እዩ።
ስለ’ዚ ከኣ ሰብ ዝፈትሖ። ኣምላኽ የርህዎ! ሕልናኡ ናይ ዝዓረበ መህደሚ እዩ።<i><span style="color: orange;"> ኣምላኽ ንዘይሰርሖ ሽግር ስለምንታይ
ኣምላኽ ዘርህዎ? ስለምንታይ ባዕላትና ንዝሰራሕናዮ ሽግር ናብ ኣምላኽ ንድርብዮ? </span></i>ወለዲ ጽንዓት ይሃቦም! ምዉታትና
መንግስተ ሰማያት የዋርሶም! … እዘን ቃላት እዚኣተን’ስ ንወለድን ንመወትን ከደዓዕሳ ድየን? ነቶም ወለዲ ደቆም
ክመልሳሎም ድየን? እቶም ኣብ ባሕሪ ዝሰጠሙ መንእሰያት እኮ ንመንግስተ ሰማያቶም ኣብ መሬት እዮም ደልዮማ! <br />
እሞ እንታይ ግበሩ ኢኻ ትብለና ዘሎኻ? ዝብል ሕቶ ከተሕሸሽኹ እስምዓኒ። እቲ ሓቂ ንንገሮም። <i><span style="color: orange;">ሃገር ንበላዕቲ
ሓዲግካ ምህዳም መሰረታዊ ፍታሕ ኣይኮነን ጥራሕ ዘይኮነስ ንህይወት ሓደገኛ እዩ። ነዚ ሓቂ’ዚ ንንገሮም።</span></i><br />
ነቶም ብምድረበዳን ባሕርን ዝኹብሉሉ ዘሎዉ መንእሰያት ኣፍና መሊእና ነዚ ሓቂ ክንብሎም ዘየኽኡሉና ሓደ ክልተ
ስክፍታታት ኣሎዉ። “ንስኻትኩም ኣብ’ዚ ኣብ ሃገረ ሰላምን ነጻነትን ጽጋብን ኣሎኹም። ስለምንታይ ንዓና ነዚ
ክትነጽጉልና ትደልዩ? ንስኻትኩም ኣብ’ዚ ጥዒሙኩም ኣጣጢሕኩም ንሕና ምእንታኹም ክንስዋእ ክትሓቱና’ስ ፍትሒ ድዩ? …
” ንገለ ብጣዕሚ ኣሰካፊ ሕቶ። እወ፡ ብዝምድናዊ ኣዘራርባ እዚ ሓቂ እዩ። ብዝምድናዊ ኣዘራርባ ጥራሕ ግን። ዝኾነ
ስደተኛ፡ ኣብ ውሽጢ ነፍሱ ሓቀኛ ሰላምን ቅሳነትን የብሉን። እቲ ኣብ ናይ ሔዚ ኤርትራ ዝቕመጥ ዘሎ ግን ንውሽጣዊ
ቅሳነት ብሕብስቲ እንተተለዊጡ ከም ኣዎንታዊ ነጥቢ ክወሰድ ይከኣል ይኸውን። እቲ ኣውሮጻዊ ዘይቅሳነት ኣብ
ልዕሊ’ቲ ናይ ውሽጢ ኤርትራ ዘይቅሳነት ብልጫ ክህልዎ ይኽእል። እንተኾነ ነዚ ዝኽፈሎ ዕዳ ኣሎዎ። ሞት። ኣብ ሞት
ዝኾነ ብልጫ የሎን። ኣብ ልዕሊ’ዚ፡ ዋላ’ውን እቲ ተሰዳዲ ምስ ህይወቱ ናብ ኣውሮጳ ይብጻሕ፡ ንሱ እቲ ካብ ዓዲ
ዝተበገሰ ሰብ ኣይኾነን። ንሱ ኣብ መንገዲ ነፍሱ ተቐቲላ ጽላሎት ነፍሱ ጥራሕ እያ ናብ ኣውሮጳ እትበጽሕ። ብዙሓት
ከኣ እቲ ኣብ ኣውሮጳ ክፍጸም ዝሓለምዎ ቁጠባዊ ሕልሚ ከይተፈጸመ ምስ ተረፈ ኣብ ስነኣእምሮኣዊ ጸቕጥን ነፍሰ
ቅጥለትን ዝበጽሑ ኣሎዉ። ኣብ’ዛ ኣነ ዝቕመጣ ንእሽቶይ ከተማ ሰሜናዊ ሄሰን ብባሕሪ ኣቢሎም ናብ ዓዲ ጣልያን
ዝኣተዉ፡ ኣሰር ኣጻብዕቶም ብሓዊ ኣቃጺሎም ናብ ጀርመን ዝቐጸሉ ገለ ሽሞንተ ዝኾኑ ኤርትራውያንን ኢትዮጵያውያን
ኣሎዉ። ክሳብ ብወግዒ ከም ስደተኛታት ዝፍለጡ ከኣ ክመሃሩ ይኹን (መባእታዊ ትምህርቲ ቋንቋ’ውን ከይተረፈ)
ክሰርሑን ኣይተፈቕደሎም። እቲ ምምሕዳር ስደተኛታት ሕጋዊ ኣተሃላልውኦም ክሳብ ዝረጋገጽ ምስ ህዝቢ ዝወሃሃድሉ
መሳርሒ ቋንቋ ክህቦምን ምእንትኡ ገንዘብ ከጥፍእን ኣይደለየን። ክሳብ እዚ ዝኸውን ከኣ እቲ ዝተቓጸለ ቈርበት ኣሰር
ኣጻብዕቲ ተቐሊጡ እቲ ሓቀኛ ኣሰር ካብ ታሕቲ ንላዕሊ ክወጽእ እዩ! ድሕር’ዚ ከም ዘይሕጋዊ ነበርትን መደናገርትን
ተወሲዶም ከም ስደተኛታት ቅቡላት ክኾኑ ኣጸጋሚ ክኸውን እዩ። ብመሰረት’ቲ ዘሎ ሕጊ ድማ ናብ ዓዲ ጣልያን ክምለሱ
እዮም። ነቲ ምዕዛምን ሸንኮለልን ምጻሩ ከቢድ እዩ። ሓደ ቅድም’ዞም ናይ ሕጂ ጉጅለ ዝመጸ፡ ንትሽዓተ ኣዋርሕ
ሰንፈለል ዝበለ ቅድሚ ክልተ ኣዋርሕ ብፍቓዱ ናብ ኣዲስ ኣበባ ተመሊሱ። ቅድሞ ምኻዱ፡ “ክልተ ዓመታት ህይወተይን
15,000 ዶላርን ንከንቱ ሓሺሸ፣ ህይወተይ ኣብ ሓደጋ ኣውዲቐ፣ ኣብ ነፍሰይ ዘይጠፍእ ስንብራት ጽልኢ ሓንጢጠ ሕጂ
ነቲ ዝተረፈ ጥዕናይ ክዕቕብ ናብ ዓደይ እምለስ ኣሎኹ። ቁጠባዊ ኩነታተይ ከማሓይሽ እውን ካብ ኣብ’ዚ ኣብ ዓደይ
ዘሎ ዕድል ይዓቢ” ኢሉኒ። ፍርቂ ኢትዮጵያዊ ፍርቂ ኤርትራዊ እዩ። <br /> እቲ ጠንቂ ስደት ኤርትራውያን እቲ
ዲክታቶርያዊ ስርዓት ኤርትራ። ካብ’ቲ ቅድሚ ሕጂ ነዚ መንግስቲ ዝገለጽኩዎን ዝጸረፍኩዎን ዝጸላእኩዎም መግለጽን
ጽልእን የብለየን። እቲ ብዛዕባ’ዚ መንግስቲ’ዚ ክበሃል ዝኽእል ተባሂሉ ክደጋግም እንተዘይኴይኑ ብሓዊ ዝብሎ ሓዲስ
ነገር የብለይን። እንተኾነ ነቲ ኣብ ላምፐዱዛ ዝኾነ ህልቂት ጠንቁ ብደፈናኡ ናብ መንግስቲ ኤርትራ ጥራሕ ክንድርብዮ
ኣይንኽእልን። ንሕና ኵላትና- እቶም ብዛዕባ ሓደገኛነት ናይ’ቲ መገሻ ዘየፍለጥናዮም፣ እቶም ብዛዕባ ኢምንትነት
ናይ’ቲ መገሻ ዘይሓበርናዮም፣ እቶም ነቲ መገሻ’ዚ ከሰላስሉ ገንዘብ ዝለኣኽናሎም ተሳተፍቲ ናይ’ዚ ህልቂት’ዚ ኢና።
ብፍላይ ድማ <i><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;">እተን ኣብ ዘየሎ ስልጣን ሕድሕደን ዝፈሓናጠራን፡ ኣብ ሓጨቕ መጨቕ ክናታረኻ ዝውዕላን፣ ነቲ መንእሰይ
ካብ ምህዳም ንላዕሊ ከይሓስብ ዝገበራኦን ተስፋ ዘቝረጽኦን ተቓወምቲ ኢና በሃልቲ ውድባት ተሳተፍቲ ናይ’ዚ
ቅትለት’ዚ እየን።</span> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oT7H7VHub3Y9xU0q_vyqpCeYSx6bT_WDhp83OXnuFReUN6EnzE-ho7GxxDppaBiaRw9FWtdsYw2KT4wQ4suDDou31TlhMS7QnUGHKWdpWjf6wCwXOCFFlXx029J3TmvdmeJQNvaj4EM/s1600/eritrean+migrants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oT7H7VHub3Y9xU0q_vyqpCeYSx6bT_WDhp83OXnuFReUN6EnzE-ho7GxxDppaBiaRw9FWtdsYw2KT4wQ4suDDou31TlhMS7QnUGHKWdpWjf6wCwXOCFFlXx029J3TmvdmeJQNvaj4EM/s320/eritrean+migrants.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>ህጻናት ግዳያት እቲ ሓደጋ ባሕሪ </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></i>እቶም ሓደገኛነት ናይ’ዚ መገሻ’ዚ እንዳፈለጡ “ኣብ’ዚ ሞት ኣብ’ቲ ሞት!” ኢሎም ዝነቐሉ
ምዉታት ንባዕላቶም ተሳተፊ ናይ ገዛእ ቅትለቶም እዮም።<i><span style="color: orange;"> <span style="font-size: large;">እተን ህጻናትን ቈልዑትን ሒዘን ኣብ’ዚ ሓደገኛ መገሻ’ዚ
ዝተሳተፋ ኣዴታት እውን ኣብ ምቕታል ደቀን ተሳቲፈን እየን።</span></span></i> ንነፍሳተን ኣብ ሓደጋ ከውድቃ ክውስና ይኽኣላ እምበር
ንህይወት እቶም ብዛዕባ ነፍሶም ክውስኑ ዘይክእሉ ህጻናት ኣብ ሓደጋ ከውድቓ ክውስና መሰል የብለንን። እቶም
ክሕግዙን ህይወታት ከድሕኑን ዝኽእሉ ዝነበሩ መርከበኛታትን፣ እቶም ነዚ ከይገብሩ ዝዓናቕፉ ኢሰብኣዊ ሕግታትን ኣብ
ቅጥለት ናይ’ቶም ዝተቐዝፉ ተሳቲፎም እዮም። ኣውሮጳ፡ ኮታ’ስ ዓለም ብምልእታ ኣብ’ዚ ቅትለት’ዚ ተሳቲፋ እያ። እቲ
ዝኾነ ቅትለት ድኣ’ምበር ሓደጋ ጥራሕ ኣይኮነን። እቶም ዝዓበዩ ጳጳስ ዓለም ነታ መዓልቲ ‘መዓልቲ ሕፍረት ዓለም’
ኢሎም ገሊጾማ። ሓቖም። እንተኾነ ደንጕዮም ሓፊሮም። ከም’ዚ ዝኣመሰለ መቕዘፍቲ ሎሚ መፈለምትኡ ኣይኮነን።
ዓለም’ውን ሓፊረ ኢላ። ዓለም እውን ደንጕያ ሓፊራ። ንምዃኑ’ኸ ብርግጽ ሓፊራ ድያ? ማዕከናት ሓበሬታ ዓለም ብምልኡ
ንገለ መዓልታት ተወዓዊዑሉ። ‘ንሕልና ኣውሮጳ ዘነቓንቕ ተርእዮ’ ተባሂሉ ተገሊጹ። ሕልና ኣውሮጳ’ኸ ብርግጽ
ተነቓኒቓ’ዶ? ሓንቲ ኢዮታ እዃ ኣይተነቓነቐትን። ሓበሬታዊ ኣፈኛ ሕብረት ኣውሮጳ በቲ ዝኾነ ቅዝፈት ዝኾነ ዝቕየር
ሕጊ ከምዘየሎ ቅድሚ ትማሊ ብዕሊ ኣፍሊጡ። ህይወት ከምዝነበረቶ ክትቅጽል እያ። እቶም ዘልቀስናን፡ ዝጸላናን፡
ጽንዓት ወለድን ጽድቂ ምዉታትን ዝተመነናን፡ ሽግርና ኣምላኽ ባዕሉ ክፈትሓልና ዝተመባጻዕናን እውን ናብ’ቲ ልሙድ
ህይወትና ክንምለስ ኢና። ድሕሪ ቁሩብ ከኣ ኣሳእል ምዉታትና ተሪፉ ስእልታት መርዓናን ሕጸናን ልደታት ደቃትናን፣
ስእልታት ዕረፍትናን ኣብ ፈይስቡክ ክንልጥፍ ክንጅምር ኢና። ድሕሪ ቁሩብ ከኣ መንእሰያትና ኣብ ሲናይ ክጥብሑን ኣብ
ማእከላይ ባሕሪ ክጥሕሉን እዮም። ደጊምና ከኣ ከነእዊ ኢና። ብልቢ እንተደሊና ግን ንከምዚ ዝኣመሰለ ቅትለትን
ነፍሰ ቅትለትን ደው ከነብሎ ንኽእል ኢና። ነቲ መንእሰይ ካብ ህድማን ፍረኣልቦ ሞትን ዝበለጸ ምርጫ ከነቕርበሉ
ንኽእል ኢና።<br /> ካብ’ቲ ምዉቕ ሓዘን ኣበራቢረኩም እንተዄይነ ኣይትሓዙለይ። ኣነ’ውን ካብ’ቶም ነዞም መንእሰያት
ዝቐተልኩ እዬ። ኣነ’ውን ከማኹም ሓዛኒ እዬ። ነቲ ጉዳይ ብጽሞናን ብውድዕነትን ንርኣዮ ጥራሕ እዬ ክብል ደልየ።</span></span></span></h5>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}"><span class="userContent"> ሓውኹም፣ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dantesfai">ዳንኤል ሰ. ተስፋይ ጀርመን</a></span></span></span></h5>
FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-13825919403365479872013-10-03T05:29:00.001-07:002013-10-03T05:33:04.817-07:00Dozens Eritrean migrants die after boat sinks off Italy's coast<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaDSuhBq2ca_zk1P2Z9A_A9oNoqxgLv6tMUhwyfPBBlANDiwLo_CLVokDmyQQRqmWnxOv1pwzozJpX8m35Z-yRl8qzEMOH8-_Ch4L_P2jpwduMLMR_PxPIcjtvURajOVvATmFcUF47Lk/s1600/131003-lampedusa-530a.380;380;7;70;0Boat+carrying+African+migrants+sinks+off+coast+of+Italy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaDSuhBq2ca_zk1P2Z9A_A9oNoqxgLv6tMUhwyfPBBlANDiwLo_CLVokDmyQQRqmWnxOv1pwzozJpX8m35Z-yRl8qzEMOH8-_Ch4L_P2jpwduMLMR_PxPIcjtvURajOVvATmFcUF47Lk/s400/131003-lampedusa-530a.380;380;7;70;0Boat+carrying+African+migrants+sinks+off+coast+of+Italy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead bodies are covered with sheets at the port of Lampedusa</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><i>A boat carrying hundreds of migrants mostly Eritreans & Somalis went down off Italy's southern coast on Thursday, killing dozens and leaving scores missing, officials said.</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></span>talian coast guard Commander Floriana Segreto told that at
least 73 people had been confirmed dead with another 151 people rescued,
adding that "lots more" people remained in the water. Citing
authorities, Reuters later reported the death toll had reached 92.<br />
Officials
said there were between 400 and 500 migrants on the boat when it sank
in the Mediterranean Sea off the Sicilian island of Lampedusa.Lampedusa Mayor Giusy Nicolini told Reuters the death toll was rising and the victims were mostly Somalis and Eritreans.<br />
"It's horrific, like a cemetery, they are still bringing them out,"
Nicolini said, adding that the dead included at least one child and a
pregnant woman.<br />
Coast guard ships and helicopters from across the
region, as well as local fishing boats were on the scene trying to find
survivors, coast guard spokesman Marco Di Milla told The Associated
Press.<br />
The vessel was thought to have left Libya, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrB9h95FxfWhw9lFHHo_V41sXdE2blyU2ocp256_zNgiJ7Qk55_4-durSQg33-TSDfbUpnAXIM6y2QbOqjQVIea386ajO1aFRI1fMoq7sMtp0m28Y_WBoBPU4CSgR5nSQzkRxA84maAc/s1600/A+boat+carrying+hundreds+of+migrants+went+down+off+Italy%27s+southern+coast+on+Thursday,+killing+dozens+and+leaving+scores+missing,+officials+said..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrB9h95FxfWhw9lFHHo_V41sXdE2blyU2ocp256_zNgiJ7Qk55_4-durSQg33-TSDfbUpnAXIM6y2QbOqjQVIea386ajO1aFRI1fMoq7sMtp0m28Y_WBoBPU4CSgR5nSQzkRxA84maAc/s400/A+boat+carrying+hundreds+of+migrants+went+down+off+Italy%27s+southern+coast+on+Thursday,+killing+dozens+and+leaving+scores+missing,+officials+said..jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of the passengers rescued near Lampedusa early on Thursday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Almost 500 people were reported dead or missing making the crossing from Tunisia to Italy last year, the UNHCR said.<br />
Thursday's
migrant shipwreck was one of the deadliest in recent times and the
second one this week off Italy: On Monday, 13 men drowned while trying
to reach southern Sicily when their ship ran aground just a few yards
from shore.<br />
According to the U.N. refugee agency, 8,400 migrants landed in Italy and
Malta in the first six months of the year, almost double the 4,500 who
arrived during the first half of 2012.The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had recorded 40 deaths in the
first half of 2013 for migrants arriving in Italy and Malta, and a total
of 500 for all of 2012, based on interviews with survivors. Fortress
Europe, an Italian observatory that tracks migrant deaths reported by
the media, says about 6,450 people died in the Canal of Sicily between
1994 and 2012.FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-70164394698274114932013-09-19T11:09:00.002-07:002013-09-19T11:14:07.965-07:00New sanctions on Eritrea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8IS0ZB21xI3zX1YyyUs3FDim04hFCe2RCQsEURV3u2ZGGwcV_d77qyIcX2PuEJAGUPReaPQfK5LWlyqF79_R5l8hSpCRiV2shRE0CY3slM0zAUiLtHu5ctdGxkxHQudm_jcV0OvgDHzU/s1600/eritrea+sanctions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8IS0ZB21xI3zX1YyyUs3FDim04hFCe2RCQsEURV3u2ZGGwcV_d77qyIcX2PuEJAGUPReaPQfK5LWlyqF79_R5l8hSpCRiV2shRE0CY3slM0zAUiLtHu5ctdGxkxHQudm_jcV0OvgDHzU/s400/eritrea+sanctions.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Security Council placed additional sanctions on Eritrea on 5th December 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span>hristian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and Human Rights Concern Eritrea
(HRCE) have called for the imposition of targeted sanctions on key
Eritrean officials in order to secure the release of prominent
politicians and journalists who have been detained incommunicado for the
last twelve years</span></i><span style="color: orange;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span></i></span>n 18 September 2001 the Eritrean government closed all independent
media outlets, detaining several journalists and eleven of fifteen
prominent ruling party members who had called for democracy, along with
their family members. None of the detainees have been charged or tried.
While on several occasions members of the ruling regime have denied all
knowledge of named detainees, unwittingly transforming these cases into
enforced disappearances, regime apologists often attempt to portray the
lack of due process as protection against certain death sentences.<br />
Credible reports indicate the detainees are held incommunicado in
life threatening conditions in Era Ero, a purpose-built remote prison,
where they are subjected to privations and inhuman and degrading
treatment. Their hands are reportedly cuffed in front of their bodies
during the day and behind their backs at night. They are held in
indefinite solitary confinement, have not been allowed to see other
prisoners, have no access to family or legal representatives, are
referred to by a number, and receive no form of mental stimulation,
since guards are ordered not to converse with them. They are also
subjected to torture. At least 15 prisoners are reported to have died as
a result of the harsh conditions, while nine are said to be suffering
severe health challenges.<br />
In a 2003 ruling on the cases of eleven of the detained politicians
the African Commission found Eritrea to be in violation of the African
Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, and urged the government to free
the individuals immediately and pay them compensation. In a 2007 ruling
the Commission stressed that "no political situation justifies the
wholesale violation of human rights", and called for detained
journalists to either be released or brought "to a speedy and fair
trial." The Commission also called on Eritrea to lift its press ban, to
grant the detainees immediate access to their families and legal
representatives, and to ensure they received compensation. The Eritrean
government has ignored both decisions.<br />
Elsa Chyrum, Director of HRCE said: "The treatment meted out to the
innocent prisoners in Era Ero is barbaric and inhumane. No government
should be allowed to subject its people to treatment that amounts to a
crime against humanity. Twelve years is too long. Given the severity of
the situation and Eritrea's continued flouting of the African Commission
rulings, it is time for the international community to seriously
consider imposing targeted sanctions on the President and his close
political allies as pressure for the release of these detainees."<br />
Khataza Gondwe, CSW's Africa and Middle East Team Leader said: "The
treatment meted out to these prisoners is an affront to human dignity
and a violation of Eritrea's obligations under the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter.
These people peacefully requested a free and democratic Eritrea where
the rule of law was upheld, yet for the last twelve years they have been
held in deliberately life-threatening conditions where fifteen may have
died and others are reportedly close to death. Time is of the essence.
CSW echoes the call for sanctions targeting key individuals within the
Eritrean government with a view to securing compliance with the African
Commission decisions that stipulate the immediate release of these
prisoners."FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-72564439868236985492013-09-19T10:53:00.000-07:002013-09-19T10:53:03.154-07:00"MeqaleH Forto (መቓልሕ ፎርቶ)" Underground Eritrean newspaper published<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LrUNNAADV2ftubcCxF7-WenTsvPGGlNahXcHXLaVeCy6ORE2jaknUX-i7tOKBaL2iPsxa1j_BuH3wTJRm_0nYjmVf6S6Wn7PJ3QWl49LLwTXVUKhd5MqtKm5e1qa9B24Bc5DfWm5t-M/s1600/freedom+friday+arbi+harnet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LrUNNAADV2ftubcCxF7-WenTsvPGGlNahXcHXLaVeCy6ORE2jaknUX-i7tOKBaL2iPsxa1j_BuH3wTJRm_0nYjmVf6S6Wn7PJ3QWl49LLwTXVUKhd5MqtKm5e1qa9B24Bc5DfWm5t-M/s1600/freedom+friday+arbi+harnet.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></i>n underground newspaper was circulated on the streets of Asmara
yesterday, 12 years after the Eritrean government banned all privately
owned media and arrested journalists and proprietors, Freedom Friday
Movement (<em>Arbi Harnet</em>) has announced.</span> </span><br />
<em><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;">M</span></span>eqaleH Forto</em>, which means Echoes of Forto, is said to have been inspired by the <a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/01/girma-asmerom-denies-there-was.html">attempted coup on 21 January</a> this year. The paper is produced by a small team both inside Eritrea and in the diaspora, and is distributed using informal links and networks.<br />
<a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/04/freedom-friday-movement-challenges.html" target="_blank">Freedom Friday</a> activists say that while their pilot circulations have been limited, there is plenty of room for expansion. <br />
In its inaugural edition, <em>MeqaleH Forto</em>
included Tigrigna and Arabic articles about Freedom Friday and the
other diaspora based resistance movements, in line with the objectives
of the movement to link the resistance inside the country to those in
the diaspora.<br />
The paper is financed by supporters of the movement,
who have are mainly been mobilised via Facebook and other social media
platforms.<br />
"The date is significant for us as the very last
editions of Eritrea's fledgling private newspapers ran last 12 years ago
today," the team said. "While we are aware that one underground
newsletter with extremely limited circulation isn't the answer to
freedom of press in a secretive country such as Eritrea, it is our
contribution to keeping that hope alive for us and others to build on."<br />
Initial
reactions to the inaugural issue were said to be generally positive and
Freedom Friday is now looking for media professionals and those with
links and networks inside the country to support in the production and
distribution of subsequent issues.<br />
FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-29777575978437436232013-06-13T11:36:00.006-07:002013-06-13T11:36:55.258-07:00Ethiopia opened new camp for Eritrean refugees<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsWn8RMcaRM-p5Ec8WoKMDWmcnEzqWNlh77IqHwtq31pOsyeh8lE5w5EE_hOclSJrmyvd6ZcKagBc2LEHE-9RszOnsMVH2rjdBk7oXxmD9W7Ptr4mMGKJ7_zkgYFRoQJZmYXoZg3vRbs/s1600/Shimelba,+Ethiopia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsWn8RMcaRM-p5Ec8WoKMDWmcnEzqWNlh77IqHwtq31pOsyeh8lE5w5EE_hOclSJrmyvd6ZcKagBc2LEHE-9RszOnsMVH2rjdBk7oXxmD9W7Ptr4mMGKJ7_zkgYFRoQJZmYXoZg3vRbs/s400/Shimelba,+Ethiopia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eritrean refugee camp Shimelba, Ethiopia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: orange;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The UN refugee agency has opened a new camp in northern Ethiopia to
house the increasing number of Eritrean refugees entering the country. A
total 776 Eritrean refugees have already been transferred to Hitsats
Camp, which can house up to 20,000 refugees. </i></span></div>
<div style="color: orange;">
<br /></div>
<i style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></i>his is a big step forward in the protection of Eritrean refugees in
this area, said Michael Owor, head of UNHCR's sub-office in Shire,
which has erected 200 family tents and dug a communal well to handle the
arrival of the new refugees at the camp on land provided by the
Ethiopian government.<br />
The government has also set up a temporary medical clinic and reception facilities for arriving refugees.<br />
So far this year, UNHCR and the government's refugee agency, the
Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), have registered
more than 4,000 Eritrean refugees, overwhelming the capacity of the
existing three camps in the region, which house nearly 49,000 refugees. A
large number of the new arrivals are unaccompanied minors who require
special protection.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4HRIBdzCfKsAa628rS1udRQgC54hIVMDdraylBEplhBvLOd-3w1b0J2dnMGX02QtTeTyFhpoXyY-a8ituK8ph3zsxoS7GA7hyphenhyphenXkegy2aCJt7T4aFZKIm2_hiGqRYOX53N_gXqYCsbWk/s1600/Eritrean+refugees+board+a+bus+for+transfer+to+a+new+refugee+camp+at+Hitsats..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4HRIBdzCfKsAa628rS1udRQgC54hIVMDdraylBEplhBvLOd-3w1b0J2dnMGX02QtTeTyFhpoXyY-a8ituK8ph3zsxoS7GA7hyphenhyphenXkegy2aCJt7T4aFZKIm2_hiGqRYOX53N_gXqYCsbWk/s400/Eritrean+refugees+board+a+bus+for+transfer+to+a+new+refugee+camp+at+Hitsats..jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eritrean refugees board a bus for transfer to a new refugee camp Hitsats.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What is unusual is that most of the Eritrean refugees fleeing to
Ethiopia are young educated men from cities, unlike most refugee
situations where the majority of refugees are women and children.<br />
The predominance of young men is a pattern observed throughout the
region, where Eritrean refugees tell UNHCR staff they are fleeing
indefinite military service for both men and women.<br />
In eastern Sudan, the UN refugee agency has also seen a significant
number of children arriving on their own, but the number of refugee
arrivals has dropped to between 400 and 600 per month this year from
2,000 a month in 2012. The total number of Eritrean refugees in Sudan is
more than 114,500.<br />
In Djibouti, arrivals are holding steady, at 112 for the first five
months of this year, practically the same as the 110 Eritreans who
arrived in the same period last year.<br />
Eritrean refugees cross into Ethiopia through 16 entry points from
which they are collected and brought to a reception station for
screening and registration. Before departure from the reception center,
the refugees are issued with basic assistance items, including sleeping
mats, blankets, jerrycans, water buckets, soap and mosquito nets. They
are also provided with tents and food rations once they get to the new
camp.<br />
As of the end of May, Ethiopia is hosting 71,833 Eritrean refugees in
four camps in Tigray region and two others in the Afar region in
north-eastern Ethiopia. Transfers to the new camp are taking place every
second day.FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-2965555565210364292013-06-13T08:16:00.002-07:002013-06-13T11:05:23.941-07:00Eritrean opposition members arrested in Sudan <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1XxV02rmUkYxCoPcP3QA4nsTiq_USPwklpxa38FgIGp2MOY1DXxLYY_cxGibnjn04j_0KJuLRrSHFt_aDFUdcgUHbadvHsahBciafE1e4kYBED9SJis4_0Hkcu4HlRq0DvzfnT-9_JM/s1600/eritrean+islamic+movement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1XxV02rmUkYxCoPcP3QA4nsTiq_USPwklpxa38FgIGp2MOY1DXxLYY_cxGibnjn04j_0KJuLRrSHFt_aDFUdcgUHbadvHsahBciafE1e4kYBED9SJis4_0Hkcu4HlRq0DvzfnT-9_JM/s400/eritrean+islamic+movement.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flag of Eritrean Islamic movement (Eritrean Jihad)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: orange;"><b>Eight members of an </b><b><b>Eritrean </b></b></span></i></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: orange;">opposition</span></i></span> </b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: orange;"><b><b>Movement</b> have been
arrested in Sudan’s border region, a leader of the exile group said on
Wednesday.</b><b>They were detained on Saturday around Kassala town, said a
leader of the Eritrean Islamic Reform Movement, who asked not to be
named.</b></span></i></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: orange;">H</span></span></i>e said all the detainees are members of the group’s military wing and include its chief, Abu Abbas.<br />
Sudanese state security agents surrounded their homes and took them away, the activist said.<br />
“Since then there has been no contact with their families. We are worried about them,” he said.<br />
A United Nations expert said last week that the “dire” human rights
situation in Eritrea is leaving its citizens no option but to flee.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXMh6FS_5kcSNrtaqHQYVPW0rLBE4bLT6OMFo5BuTUyz0GjvTw6NV3_oQnWEmaXw21CColMGg3LO0rpwrXPtXVIkKOSp-2B_6MWtdKamLbevuRTDtDroL6Ofzk8uRCnf2sc6FwqQ0bws/s1600/Eritrean+Islamic+Congress+And+the+Islamic+Council.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXMh6FS_5kcSNrtaqHQYVPW0rLBE4bLT6OMFo5BuTUyz0GjvTw6NV3_oQnWEmaXw21CColMGg3LO0rpwrXPtXVIkKOSp-2B_6MWtdKamLbevuRTDtDroL6Ofzk8uRCnf2sc6FwqQ0bws/s400/Eritrean+Islamic+Congress+And+the+Islamic+Council.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times; font-size: small;"><b>founders of </b></span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times; font-size: small;"><b><b>Eritrean Islamic Reform Movement at </b><span style="font-size: small;">d</span>eclaration of <span style="font-size: small;">u</span>nity fusion </b><b><span style="font-size: small;">b</span>etween Eritrean Islamic Congress And the Islamic Council ,(</b></span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times; font-size: small;">27th May 2011)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Sheila Keetharuth <a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/06/un-urges-world-to-keep-eritrea-under.html" target="_blank">told reporters in Geneva</a> that thousands have
escaped despite a shoot-to-kill policy for those trying to cross into
neighbouring Ethiopia or Sudan.<br />
Eastern Sudan is home to tens of thousands of ethnic Eritreans.<br />
Opposition parties are banned under the regime of Issaias Afeworki,
who has ruled the Horn of Africa nation since its independence in 1993.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: black;">This news was originally posted by</span> </span>www.capitalfm.co.ke <a href="http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2013/06/eritrea-opposition-says-8-members-held-in-sudan/" target="_blank">click here</a> to see the original post.FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-79360979269985113472013-06-10T12:30:00.002-07:002013-06-13T07:32:16.933-07:00Swiss 'back' stricter asylum law<div class="msg">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrV9_qNYI2-vQUbho4Uv1FtG_BwkFU3yJxGVKmPUpA21y5DAU77glwLHzmw6e4LB2VVHmTb547ylIW_eJtlsyTwuboEkI6u8hjL7c6v9sKje2AufyXvruX0TjWbiF3T9WIev_cUhHbGs/s1600/swiss+eritrean+refugees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrV9_qNYI2-vQUbho4Uv1FtG_BwkFU3yJxGVKmPUpA21y5DAU77glwLHzmw6e4LB2VVHmTb547ylIW_eJtlsyTwuboEkI6u8hjL7c6v9sKje2AufyXvruX0TjWbiF3T9WIev_cUhHbGs/s320/swiss+eritrean+refugees.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Switzerland a country which is a shelter for more than 18,000 Eritrean </span></i></span><span style="color: orange;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">refugees had made new & stricter asylum law for Eritreans.</span></i></span> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></span>he Swiss have held a referendum on a government move to
tighten the country's asylum law amid a spike in refugees, with early
results and opinion polls suggesting a vote in favour.<br />
Shortly after polling stations closed on Sunday at noon (1000 GMT),
nine of Switzerland's 23 cantons had accepted changes made to the asylum
law last September, according to results given by public broadcaster
RTS. The most recent poll in late May showed 57 percent of Swiss in
favour of the tougher asylum rules.<br />
<span style="color: orange;">The </span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: small;">amendments</span></span> </span>included removing military desertion from a list of valid grounds for seeking asylum in Switzerland Military
desertion had been the grounds for asylum most frequently cited by
Eritreans, who accounted for most applications to Switzerland last year.
Eritrea imposes unlimited military service, with low wages, on all
able-bodied men and women. <br />
The revision, which took effect last September, also removed
the possibility - which had been unique in Europe - to apply for asylum
from Swiss embassies instead of travelling to Switzerland to do so.
Opponents have described the change as "inhumane".<br />
Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga insisted the changes were
needed and stressed that they have significantly speeded up the
application process.<br />
"Leaving people and their families for so long wallowing in uncertainty is unacceptable," she said recently.<br />
Switzerland currently counts 48,000 people in the process of seeking asylum, including 28,631 who arrived in 2012.<br />
The surge, attributed in part to the Arab Spring uprisings,
marks the highest number since the Balkans war in 1999, when nearly
48,000 people sought refuge in the country.</div>
FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-68839226469138514462013-06-07T14:57:00.000-07:002013-06-07T14:58:24.853-07:00"We are living a dream" Daniel Teklehaimanot and Natnael Berhane<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvppC4JtBxF6W8Nj17K8OCjm4pFlgFg1-3i69nymg11UshoraHLYlUciLOWZk4xJgjt9hj6xlemSsnr3aruWEirSI5daq0Jq_EDzCjl5NGhxepb6shpAu0uHW6GKYB8EK4xbLNcZFfvI/s1600/Eritreans+Teklehaimanot+and+Berhane+are+ensemblesur+race+World+Tour+for+the+first+time..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvppC4JtBxF6W8Nj17K8OCjm4pFlgFg1-3i69nymg11UshoraHLYlUciLOWZk4xJgjt9hj6xlemSsnr3aruWEirSI5daq0Jq_EDzCjl5NGhxepb6shpAu0uHW6GKYB8EK4xbLNcZFfvI/s1600/Eritreans+Teklehaimanot+and+Berhane+are+ensemblesur+race+World+Tour+for+the+first+time..jpg" height="224" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="notranslate">Eritreans Teklehaimanot and Berhane are ensemblesur race World Tour</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><i>Daniel Teklehaimanot and Natnael Berhane, These two Eritreans are participating this week in the Critérium du Dauphiné 2013 France .</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></span>his is the first time that two Africans come together in a single World Tour race. <i>"We are living a dream,"</i> they let go, with a smile that speaks volumes. ls know how lucky they are to be professional, having had to leave their country due to insufficient infrastructure. Spotted Eritrea <i>(*)</i>
with their many victories as an amateur, and Daniel Natnael integrated
the World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle (Switzerland) to advance and
foresee professionalism. <br />
<i>"Cycling is one of the most popular sports in our country,</i> says Teklehaimanot (24) and pro since last year in the Australian team GreenEdge Orica, based in Italy. <i>Eritreans
enjoy cycling. When I ' was young, I watched the big races on
television, I thought it was unattainable ... And now there is "To</i> achieve this, the World Centre was an obligatory point of passage for many young people as cyclists from emerging countries.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>"Without the World Cycling Centre, it would not become pro" (Daniel Teklehaimanot)</b></span>
It was therefore not surprising to see an Ivorian and a Mexican with a
jersey CMC last Sunday at the start of the Dauphiné in Champéry (about
twenty miles from Eagle) <i>"We learn all.'s Position on a bike, the
science of race, tactics, how to roll, rub out, diet, improve our
efforts ... In short, anything that helps to improve to become a real
runner,</i> says Daniel Teklehaimanot, the pioneer past by MCC between 2009 and 2011. <i>Otherwise, we would not become professional. "</i> <br />
He quickly proves the benefits of this learning and finished a promising sixth place finish at the Tour de l'Avenir in 2009. The following year, he won five titles at stake at the African Championships. This climber, also good rider, sees then offer two-year contract with Orica. This trajectory has obviously inspired his young compatriot Natnael Berhane (22 years). <i>"I arrived at CMC in 2011,</i> says neo-pro Europcar. <i>Had a year together, Daniel helped me a lot."</i> <br />
That's an understatement! The second was even <i>a "model"</i> for the first. After starting small by VTT, Berhane is passed on the road by 2006.
He followed in the footsteps of Teklehaimanot, winning also all
national titles in the age categories and then its successor the
continental record. <i>"Since he was little, I know he is capable of excellent performance,</i> says the elder, returning to competition after a seven-month absence due to a visa problem. <i>We
are very good friends. We train together, we run together in the
national team, we speak in shopping, online, on the phone. I explained
everything to him, I suggested, but now he did not need me anymore! "</i> <br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>"Daniel has opened a way, I followed. Hopefully others will follow" Natnael Berhane</b></span> <br />
Natnael, who lives at the mansion Dessessart where Europcar seat, made a
big splash in the world of the elite of the Tour of Turkey.
End of April, there<a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-historic-day-with-victory-of-eritrean.html" target="_blank"> won the most difficult</a> step, a summit finish at
Elmali, which allowed him to wear the leader's jersey for three days. <i>"I could not imagine having these results, it was amazing ",</i> he says in his soft voice, which contrasts with its explosive nature on a bike. This week, the Dauphiné, they are satisfied with their mate role. <i>"I am happy and lucky to be there,</i> repeats at Natnael. <i>This is a great race and more, we have the jersey yellow, with David Veilleux. This is perfect! "</i> <br />
However, the overall shows that they still bearing a cross:. Daniel is 98th in 12'47 "and the leader is ... Natnael 99th at <i>13'04" "For three years, I saw a dream, but I know it takes much work</i> continues Europcar rider. <i>Daniel has opened a way, I followed and now I hope that more of our countrymen succeed in becoming a professional. "</i> <br />
This modesty does not prevent them from having <i>"a lot of dreams."</i>
If Daniel Teklehaimanot finished 92nd in the previous Dauphiné and
participated in his first major Tour last year (146th in the Vuelta),
both Eritreans have eyes that glow when they talk about the Tour. But neither the one nor the other will be the Tour de France on June 29. <br />
Hope to participate in the 2014 guide there every day. FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-55392514570571353142013-06-06T05:47:00.002-07:002013-06-06T06:23:03.021-07:00UN Urges the World to Keep Eritrea Under Scrutiny<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOl4lxuhXIvBnX7h9JIHtuNHgiCENLbUW9qgq5nKbIVhZWQE6fvVGkHKKm_KR2Ms7XyZfLV-_vP8ywp_d4dYoAMtFrofBm25SZHaCcC1CuduFzN4l5GEwCvR9irSMnrkadUFbUvBwf9yc/s1600/Sheila+B.+Keetharuth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOl4lxuhXIvBnX7h9JIHtuNHgiCENLbUW9qgq5nKbIVhZWQE6fvVGkHKKm_KR2Ms7XyZfLV-_vP8ywp_d4dYoAMtFrofBm25SZHaCcC1CuduFzN4l5GEwCvR9irSMnrkadUFbUvBwf9yc/s400/Sheila+B.+Keetharuth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="notranslate"><span class="b-photo__description">Sheila B. Keetharuth was appointed last year to the UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="color: orange;">The United Nations
Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, Sheila B. Keetharuth,
reiterated her call on the international community to keep
monitoring the human rights situation in Eritrea and to
protect and support those fleeing the country, in particular
the increasing numbers of unaccompanied children. </i></span><br />
<br />
“I
urge the international community to keep Eritrea under close
scrutiny until meaningful change is evident,” Ms.
Keetharuth said during the presentation of her first report
to the UN Human Rights Council. “It will be important to
increase efforts to constructively engage with Eritrea and
neighbouring countries to improve the situation of human
rights in the country.” <br />
Despite repeated requests, <br />
<a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/04/un-special-rapporteur-blocked-from.html" target="_blank">theSpecial Rapporteur has not been granted access to Eritrea</a>
since her appointment in November 2012. As a result, her
first official mission to the field was carried out from 30
April to 9 May 2013, when she conducted interviews at
Eritrean refugee camps in neighbouring Ethiopia and
Djibouti, which host large Eritrean refugee communities.
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“I concentrated on gathering information on human
rights violations from a broad spectrum of interlocutors,
but more specifically from survivors,” Ms. Keetharuth
said. “Most of the people I interviewed had left Eritrea
recently and were able to share up-to-date information.”
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/03/eritrean-government-jails-125-christians.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3XYRy4-CaZyvoqPRVR9zmxcadPTSuDRhPVeCikPzfoqm0BcRd4m5KUvNpPDa7c1tiLive9-R9aXRXxscYQcFwzEso83M3dS26RP15B3LLtBXLt106p2xcbspXPPsWettQArXxbtWuOo/s400/abune+antonios.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/03/eritrean-government-jails-125-christians.html" target="_blank">patriarch Abune Antonios,under arrest since 2006</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
“I am extremely concerned about the human rights
situation in Eritrea,” the independent expert stressed.
“The prevailing situation in the country is characterised
by extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance and
incommunicado detention, arbitrary arrest and detention,
torture and inhumane prison conditions.” <br />
The Special
Rapporteur noted with alarm the situation regarding mass
round-ups, forced conscription and the indefinite national
service, as well as the country-wide arming and military
training of the civilian population, which started last
year. <br />
“Excessive militarisation is affecting the very
fabric of Eritrean society, and its core unit, the family.
The indefinite national service is depriving the women and
men of Eritrea of their most productive years,” Ms.
Keetharuth said. “Many of those I interviewed told me that
their families would be unable to live in dignity without
direct remittances from family and friends living abroad.”
<br />
<br />
“Severe curtailment of freedom of movement,
opinion, expression, assembly, association and <a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/06/christians-in-eritrea-face-extreme.html#uds-search-results" target="_blank">the right tofreedom of religion</a> warrant serious concern,” she noted.
“The restrictions of these rights, which are the very
cornerstones of democratic societies, create a climate of
fear fuelled by rumours, propaganda and suspicion. The
result is an all-encompassing feeling of fear and distrust,
even within families.” <br />
In her report, the independent
expert warns about the arbitrary use of power by the State,
which violates the most fundamental principles of the rule
of law, and a complete absence of accountability mechanisms
to bring those responsible for the human rights violations
to justice. <br />
“The alarming human rights situation in
Eritrea is triggering a constant stream of refugees to
neighbouring countries,” she said. “Although there is a
shoot-to-kill policy targeting those attempting to flee,
many thousands of Eritrean citizens have fled over the past
decade. The numbers are on the rise, with more than 4,000
Eritreans fleeing the country every month, despite the
extreme dangers along escape routes and an unknown
future.” <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyFT-HZ3mG6UCJA2He0atWbL08Iq8Fxbli9t4t3i-M2MjrkiJ3hz9YUlCB5g9qwKRs2szN2VTjft9ZQHdZjm8jtlNB7BjsodD_gABQpc5C4XBEVHLKICg_yhvdKgMUc9sBJinlsDT0BU/s1600/Eritrean+children+in+Ethiopia+refugge+camp.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyFT-HZ3mG6UCJA2He0atWbL08Iq8Fxbli9t4t3i-M2MjrkiJ3hz9YUlCB5g9qwKRs2szN2VTjft9ZQHdZjm8jtlNB7BjsodD_gABQpc5C4XBEVHLKICg_yhvdKgMUc9sBJinlsDT0BU/s400/Eritrean+children+in+Ethiopia+refugge+camp.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h1>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia</span></h1>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
“During my visit to refugee camps in
Ethiopia, I met a large number of unaccompanied children
crossing the border, some as young as seven or eight years
old. Many leave home without the knowledge of their
families, mostly as they fear the forced conscription into
indefinite national service,” Ms. Keetharuth said.
<br />
“The increasing number of these unaccompanied minors
not only poses major protection challenges but is indicative
of the scale of despair these children are facing at
home,” the human rights expert warned. <br />
Ms. Keetharuth
acknowledged Eritrea’s active participation in the
universal periodic review in 2009/10, noting that the
Government has reportedly initiated a follow-up process.
“Eritrea’s second universal periodic review in January
2014 will provide another opportunity to engage on the human
rights situation with the HRC and it will be interesting to
see which concrete steps Eritrea has taken to honour its
commitments under the UPR, she said. <br />
“I would welcome
the opportunity to engage in a frank and open dialogue with
the Government of Eritrea to discuss these recommendations,
as well as a range of issues and challenges linked to the
full realization of human rights in Eritrea,” the Special
Rapporteur reiterated.<br />
<a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session23/A.HRC.23.53_ENG.pdf" target="_blank">Click here to Check the SpecialRapporteur first report to the Human Rights Council</a>FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-34529710479064844802013-06-04T13:44:00.004-07:002013-06-04T14:12:39.283-07:00New York : Eritrean refugee gets 18 years in prison<span style="color: orange;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A refugee and one-time cycling
champion from Eritrea was sentenced on Monday to 18 years in
prison for stabbing his estranged wife last year at a Wegmans store on
Amherst Street.</b></span></i></span><br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></span>wet Gebreyesus, 33, of Busti
Avenue, also faces deportation to Eritrea, a country in the Horn of
Africa, following his prison term. But his lawyer argued against sending
him back to his homeland.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>“We do believe he will be subject to torture and perhaps execution,” said defense lawyer Andrew C. LoTempio.</b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgfG5d8BYYxsi0LlYnHxNU7WkOH9_PQvDWUaIYBfW9z_3VgX9Di8BcRs59rSaHrLXu8iKotb30phVXonBusTdt7M_QzrbcXmldD7tvVeeX-YBsvlG6T_NfCvRPNYf48YrzhrwnSg1ga0/s1600/awet+gebreyesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgfG5d8BYYxsi0LlYnHxNU7WkOH9_PQvDWUaIYBfW9z_3VgX9Di8BcRs59rSaHrLXu8iKotb30phVXonBusTdt7M_QzrbcXmldD7tvVeeX-YBsvlG6T_NfCvRPNYf48YrzhrwnSg1ga0/s400/awet+gebreyesus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Awet Gebreyesus</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Gebreyesus had pleaded guilty to
attempted murder. He admitted he stabbed his wife, Luam Abraha, in the
head and upper body on Jan. 14, 2012 in the entryway of the grocery
store, where the couple was making a custody exchange of their young
son.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Prosecutors have said the wound to her skull severed an artery, putting the victim in the hospital for several weeks.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Gebreyesus on Monday appeared
before State Supreme Court Justice Deborah A. Haendiges and spoke
through a court interpreter. He said he was ready to accept the
consequences of his crime but that he did not mean to intentionally harm
his wife.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The judge ordered Gebreyesus to stay away from his wife and son for 25 years.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>“You are to stay away from both
of them,” Haendiges said. “Even if they … reach out to you, you should
have no contact. Do you understand?”</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Before sentencing, LoTempio
asked the judge to consider giving Gebreyesus 15 years in prison instead
of 18. LoTempio sought to clarify the presentencing report that
indicated Gebreyesus fled Eritrea to avoid military service.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Gebreyesus, LoTempio said, had been the 500-meter cycling champion for Eritrea.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>“He was somewhat of a noted celebrity,” LoTempio said in court.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Eritrean government thought
that those running the country’s Olympic cycling team were involved in a
planned coup and questioned Gebreyesus. When Gebreyesus refused to
cooperate, he fled the country and ended up in a refugee camp in
Ethiopia, LoTempio said.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Gebreyesus’ behavior, however,
had become a problem after he suffered a traumatic brain injury from a
cycling fall, LoTempio said.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>His symptoms were undiagnosed and continued after he resettled in the United States, his attorney said.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>“When not medicated, he was
completely delusional and thought somebody was trying to poison him,”
LoTempio said. “He finally seems to be on the right medication, and he
seems to be a kindhearted, soft-spoken man when medicated.”</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>“We are not using anything I say as an excuse,” LoTempio told the judge, “But there is an explanation to how this developed.”</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Rachel Newton, chief of the Erie
County District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, downplayed what
she called the “undocumented” and “unconfirmed” brain injury and said
Gebreyesus displayed typical domestic-violence behavior.</b></div>
FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-75495911969215853932013-06-03T12:15:00.003-07:002013-06-04T13:48:15.753-07:00Israel Plans To Resettle Eritrean Migrants<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: orange; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>An unidentified </b></i><i>African</i><i><b> country has agreed to take in Eritrean
illegal immigrants living in Israel, </b></i><i>if Israel gives them agricultural training first. </i><i><b>according to Israeli court
documents.</b></i></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JbZRIg6Ag7Mya6zhJuIngXwe3A9jOdRQCfKKy4MLWAvd3c4RAPVTVHgeB7BtT3OfylbWx-ra7UNLUbDusUnZgxeFXmLo0Gz9jUdjqCTRFJS2vDWFQGFuNPFzJLhhv8QYVHULHiuSuGQ/s1600/Eritreans+protesting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JbZRIg6Ag7Mya6zhJuIngXwe3A9jOdRQCfKKy4MLWAvd3c4RAPVTVHgeB7BtT3OfylbWx-ra7UNLUbDusUnZgxeFXmLo0Gz9jUdjqCTRFJS2vDWFQGFuNPFzJLhhv8QYVHULHiuSuGQ/s400/Eritreans+protesting.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Humanitarian agencies say many of the 60,000 African migrants who
have walked into Israel from Egypt should be considered for asylum.
Israel regards most of them as illegal job-seekers, and a national
debate on deporting them has stirred strong emotions in a Jewish state
founded by war refugees and immigrants.
At a Supreme Court hearing on Sunday on the legality of detaining
asylum-seekers who entered Israel surreptitiously, a government lawyer Said a deal to resettle “infiltrators from Eritrea” had been reached
with a country she did not identify.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Israeli government officials declined to comment, but local media
speculated that the statement was a tactic to forestall any court moves
to release migrants detained for long periods.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">An estimated 35,000 Eritreans are currently in Israel. Returning them
to their homeland, a reclusive state accused last year by the U.N.
human rights chief of torture and summary executions, is problematic
under international law.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But moving them elsewhere could also raise legal issues. The U.N.
High Commissioner for Refugees says resettlement can only be considered
once refugee status has been granted, something Israel has not done,
although exceptions can be made.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“There is an arrangement with one country, which will be an
end-destination and not a transit point,” the attorney said, according
to a transcript provided by the Justice Ministry on Monday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She told the court she could not reveal the name of the country because the hearing was open to the public.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Israel’s Army Radio said the country was in East Africa. Other media
reported that Israel had offered it financial incentives to take the
migrants in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In all, more than 60,000 Africans, most of them men, have walked into
Israel in recent years seeking work or refuge. Some 2,000, most of them
caught at the Egyptian frontier, are being held in a detention center
in southern Israel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pledging to stem the flow, Israel has responded by erecting a heavily
patrolled fence along the Egyptian border, pursued legal penalties
against Israelis who hire migrants without work permits, and launched
deportation drives, although these have been small-scale so far.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Compared with the more than 2,000 infiltrators who entered Israel
exactly a year ago and dispersed in various cities, only two crossed the
border last month, and they were arrested,” Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said on Monday, attributing the steep decline to construction
of the barrier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Now we have to focus on repatriating the illegal infiltrators
already here, and we will fulfill this mission,” he said in a statement,
which made no mention of any resettlement arrangement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-72187951375341929772013-06-01T09:07:00.002-07:002013-06-04T13:49:53.162-07:00Christians in Eritrea face extreme persecution <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFuxXerXaAJn_uBaWKYQYf0AVVzXW4i3K3TdYE7ib96psJuFWot0v3sj_bvmsmKuGsfatL3VqwCnGC27h8KcnwG2_8FMszELnBXrkZqIg8EA9XINEAg12S-qa3GOLQrR3GlGJwMTxWSc/s1600/Refugees+worship++in+a+camp+in+Ethiopia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFuxXerXaAJn_uBaWKYQYf0AVVzXW4i3K3TdYE7ib96psJuFWot0v3sj_bvmsmKuGsfatL3VqwCnGC27h8KcnwG2_8FMszELnBXrkZqIg8EA9XINEAg12S-qa3GOLQrR3GlGJwMTxWSc/s400/Refugees+worship++in+a+camp+in+Ethiopia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eritrean <span style="font-size: x-small;">Refugees worship at the Ebenezer Church in a camp in Ethiopia</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: orange;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">A Christian leader in Eritrea says that religious persecution in the
northeast African country "is at its highest level ever and getting
worse," World Watch Monitor (WWM), the news outlet of Open Doors, a
Christian charity reports.</span></i></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: orange;">WWM reports the stories of Christians around the world under pressure for their faith.</span></i></span><br />
<br />
It indicated that the leader's name would not be used because of security reasons.<br />
The total number of Christians arrested in Eritrea this year has
risen to 191 after the detention of 37 students from the College of Arts
and Sciences Adi Kihe and five men from the Church of the Living God in
Asmara, according to WWM.<br />
Up to 3,000 Christians are imprisoned because of their faith in Eritrea.<br />
Open Doors ranks the country 10th on its World Watch List and gives it the designation of "extreme persecution" on its scale.<br />
Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) say many prisoners are held in metal shipping containers without ventilation or toilet facilities.<br />
Eritrea allowed religious freedom until 2002, when the government
announced it would only recognize religious groups: Sunni Islam, the
Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church of Eritrea, and the
Lutheran-affiliated Evangelical Church of Eritrea, said VOM.<br />
Since then, it says the Eritrean government has jailed, tortured and
jailed numerous Eritreans for political and religious reasons.<br />
As a result, Eritrea has been called "the North Korea of Africa".<br />
Selem Kidane, an Eritrean expatriate and director of Release Eritrea,
a UK-based human rights organization, said that while persecution is
not limited to Christians, it is the underground church which is
suffering the most.<br />
"Any religion that is not willing to come under the control of the
government is being persecuted," she said."It's not just confined to
Christians."<br />
"But in terms of being completely banned, it's the minority churches
that have suffered the most - the Pentecostal church, the Evangelical
church - they are the ones who have been stigmatized and been accused of
all sorts of things by their communities and other faith groups."<br />
There are 2.5 million Christians in Eritrea, mostly Orthodox, according to World Watch List.<br />
The human rights advocacy organization Amnesty International issued a
report earlier in May that backed up the claims of the maltreatment of
dissenters in Eritrea.<br />
It said that there is "rampant repression" in the country 20 years after it split from Ethiopia and became independent.<br />
"The government has systematically used arbitrary arrest and
detention without charge to crush all opposition, to silence all
dissent, and to punish anyone who refuses to comply with the repressive
restrictions it places on people's lives," said Claire Beston, Amnesty
International's Eritrea researcher.<br />
The Amnesty International report, entitled "Twenty Years of
Independence, but Still No Freedom", says that journalists, people
practicing an unregistered religion, and people trying to flee the
country are detained and held in unimaginably atrocious conditions.<br />
A report by International Christian Concern (ICC) indicated that
Christians who try to flee have been kidnapped by human traffickers.<br />
The ICC report said that "these vulnerable Christians are attacked
and kidnapped from refugee camps, then transported to the Sinai desert,
where they are sold like commodities."<br />
The victims are tortured and their agony relayed by phone to families
back in Eritrea or Diaspora groups in order to elicit ransom. If the
ransom is not paid, the victims or tortured to death, including by
removing saleable organs, said ICC.<br />
Even if the ransoms are paid, human traffickers may sell their victims to other criminal groups.<br />
Amnesty International has appealed to Egypt and Sudan to stop the
kidnappings of refugees in Sudan and their transport to Egypt. In
addition, Eritrean opposition groups are demanding increased security at
the camps.<br />
The chairman of the Ethiopia-based Eritrean Democratic Alliance,
Tewelde Gebresilase, said on the ICC website that human trafficking is
being carried out by a highly organized network.<br />
He said it is a highly lucrative business for Bedouins and for
Egyptian, Sudanese and Eritrean officials, who take bribes to facilitate
the trade and it is a major source of income for the Eritrean regime.<br />
Despite reports and attempts at international intervention, the
government claims no one is persecuted in Eritrea and rejected the
Amnesty International report as "wild accusations" and "totally
unsubstantiated."<br />
VOM says on its website that a religious liberty report indicated
that Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki wants to restrict the right to
assembly.<br />
He fears religious freedom because it may lead to evangelism by
Christians, which he believes in turn will lead to social tensions that
will assist outside groups in destabilizing the nation.FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-59783283025286235342013-05-31T11:33:00.003-07:002013-05-31T11:52:19.974-07:00Eritrean Natnael Berhane heading for WorldTour debut<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_XjykxXDSlAWRii_z4EEg1VJk99-TMfu9H9v4CyfdDy5UfQlzkHJlpqPNPJ5DLUd-FaGrH6jEI-R5YZFTLQZKUuNTur_-EXDP0M6lZqMSpyElzf7xnpr7NvUNHLrA5K0_CaZ7M9xag8/s1600/Natnael+Berhane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_XjykxXDSlAWRii_z4EEg1VJk99-TMfu9H9v4CyfdDy5UfQlzkHJlpqPNPJ5DLUd-FaGrH6jEI-R5YZFTLQZKUuNTur_-EXDP0M6lZqMSpyElzf7xnpr7NvUNHLrA5K0_CaZ7M9xag8/s640/Natnael+Berhane.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natnael Berhane celebrates his victory in stage 3 at the Tour of Turkey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="DNNAlignleft" id="dnn_ctr374_ContentPane"><span class="articleTextSize"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: orange;">N</span></span>atnael
Berhane is set to make his debut in the International
Cycling Union (UCI) WorldTour this weekend as he lines up at the start
of the Critérium du Dauphiné, in Champéry on Sunday. </span></span><br />
<span class="DNNAlignleft" id="dnn_ctr374_ContentPane"><span class="articleTextSize">The 22-year-old
Eritrean is racing his first season at the top level, and has already
impressed with a<a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-historic-day-with-victory-of-eritrean.html" target="_blank"> stage victory in the Tour of Turkey</a>, where became the
first black African to win in an 'HC' ranked race and finished second
overall.<br />
On the steep, final climb to the top of the Göğübeli Pass, above the town of Elmali,
Berhane tore himself away from the rest of the field 200 metres from
the line and sprinted to victory. He lost the race lead to eventual
winner Mustafa Sayar (Torku Seker Spor) on the second big mountain stage
to Selçuk, but feels that the experience has prepared him for his
biggest race yet.<br />
<br />
“Since that win, I haven’t raced but I’m ready for the Dauphiné,” he
explained at the GP Plumelec on Saturday, where he was working for
Europcar sprinter Bryan Coquard.<br />
<br />
“For me, the Dauphiné is going to be a brand new experience,” he
continued. “I haven’t taken in part in a race as prestigious as this
yet, but I can’t wait because there will be climbs and leading riders
such as Alberto Contador and Chris Froome.”<br />
<br />
Although Europcar remains at Professional Continental level, the Vendée
team is one of the biggest in France, and so is all but assured of
invitations to the country’s biggest races. This means that it is also
home to some of France’s biggest riders, whom Berhane is now riding
alongside.<br />
<br />
“I’m also lucky to be able to race with stars like Thomas Voeckler and
Pierre Rolland,” he added. “I’m doing all I can to become a rider like
them. Europcar is a major team. Beforehand, I watched them on television
and it’s very moving to think that now people in Africa can also watch
me live on TV.<br />
<br />
“They saw me win in Turkey and I received lots of messages of congratulations afterwards”<br />
<br />
Much of the inspiration for Berhane’s Turkey performance came from
seeing fellow African Tsgabu Grmay (MTN-Qhubeka) of Ethiopia, win a
mountain stage on the Tour of Taiwan.<br />
<br />
“We spent two years together at the World Cycling Centre, first at
Potchefstroem in South Africa then in Aigle, in Switzerland,” Berhane
explained.<br />
<br />
After realising his climbing talent in Turkey, the Dauphine’s white
jersey has become a target for Berhane, but he will come up against some
stiff competition from several other emerging riders, including Andrew
Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) - who was second in Paris-Nice - Michal
Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) - who was fourth in
Tirreno-Adriatico and fifth in la Flèche Wallonne - and Kenny Elissonde
(FDJ) - who was eighth in the Tour of Oman.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />The route for the race was announced on 15 April 2013.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Route_2-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Crit%C3%A9rium_du_Dauphin%C3%A9#cite_note-Route-2"><span></span></a></sup><br />
<table class="wikitable"><tbody>
<tr>
<th>Stage</th>
<th>Route</th>
<th>Distance</th>
<th colspan="2">Type</th>
<th>Date</th>
<th><br /></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">1</th>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champ%C3%A9ry" title="Champéry">Champéry</a> (Switzerland) to Champéry (Switzerland)</td>
<td>121 km (75.2 mi)</td>
<td><img alt="" height="22" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Mediummountainstage.svg/22px-Mediummountainstage.svg.png" width="22" /></td>
<td>Medium-mountain stage</td>
<td align="right">2 June</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">2</th>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2tel,_Haute-Savoie" title="Châtel, Haute-Savoie">Châtel</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyonnax" title="Oyonnax">Oyonnax</a></td>
<td>191 km (118.7 mi)</td>
<td><img alt="" height="22" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Plainstage.svg/22px-Plainstage.svg.png" width="22" /></td>
<td>Flat stage</td>
<td align="right">3 June</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">3</th>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amb%C3%A9rieu-en-Bugey" title="Ambérieu-en-Bugey">Ambérieu-en-Bugey</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarare" title="Tarare">Tarare</a></td>
<td>167 km (103.8 mi)</td>
<td><img alt="" height="22" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Plainstage.svg/22px-Plainstage.svg.png" width="22" /></td>
<td>Flat stage</td>
<td align="right">4 June</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">4</th>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villars-les-Dombes" title="Villars-les-Dombes">Villars-les-Dombes</a> to <a class="extiw" href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parc_des_oiseaux" title="fr:Parc des oiseaux">Parc des Oiseaux</a></td>
<td>32.5 km (20.2 mi)</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_stage" title="Flat stage"><img alt="History.gif" height="19" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/History.gif/20px-History.gif" width="20" /></a></td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual_time_trial" title="Individual time trial">Individual time trial</a></td>
<td align="right">5 June</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">5</th>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A9sy-sur-Aix" title="Grésy-sur-Aix">Grésy-sur-Aix</a> to <a class="extiw" href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valmorel" title="fr:Valmorel">Valmorel</a></td>
<td>139 km (86.4 mi)</td>
<td><img alt="" height="22" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Mediummountainstage.svg/22px-Mediummountainstage.svg.png" width="22" /></td>
<td>Medium-mountain stage</td>
<td align="right">6 June</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">6</th>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_L%C3%A9ch%C3%A8re" title="La Léchère">La Léchère</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenoble" title="Grenoble">Grenoble</a></td>
<td>143 km (88.9 mi)</td>
<td><img alt="" height="22" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Plainstage.svg/22px-Plainstage.svg.png" width="22" /></td>
<td>Flat stage</td>
<td align="right">7 June</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">7</th>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont-de-Claix" title="Pont-de-Claix">Le Pont-de-Claix</a> to <a class="extiw" href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperD%C3%A9voluy" title="fr:SuperDévoluy">SuperDévoluy</a></td>
<td>187.5 km (116.5 mi)</td>
<td><img alt="" height="22" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Mediummountainstage.svg/22px-Mediummountainstage.svg.png" width="22" /></td>
<td>Medium-mountain stage</td>
<td align="right">8 June</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">8</th>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisteron" title="Sisteron">Sisteron</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risoul" title="Risoul">Risoul</a></td>
<td>155.5 km (96.6 mi)</td>
<td><img alt="" height="22" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Mediummountainstage.svg/22px-Mediummountainstage.svg.png" width="22" /></td>
<td>Medium-mountain stage</td>
<td align="right">9 June</td>
<td><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table class="wikitable"><tbody>
<tr><th><br /></th><th><br /></th><th><br /></th><th colspan="2"><br /></th><th><br /></th><th><br /></th></tr>
<tr><th style="text-align: center;"><br /></th><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td align="right"><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr><th style="text-align: center;"><br /></th><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td align="right"><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr><th style="text-align: center;"><br /></th><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td align="right"><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr><th style="text-align: center;"><br /></th><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td align="right"><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr><th style="text-align: center;"><br /></th><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td align="right"><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr><th style="text-align: center;"><br /></th><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td align="right"><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr><th style="text-align: center;"><br /></th><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td align="right"><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr><th style="text-align: center;"><br /></th><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td>
<td align="right"><br /></td>
<td><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-25058391995352877422013-05-30T07:02:00.000-07:002013-05-30T14:11:37.021-07:00Eritrea calls Canada ‘bully’ after envoy’s expulsion<b><i><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">E</span></i><i style="color: orange;">ritrea accused Canada of bullying after Ottawa expelled its
envoy for demanding money from expatriates to fund its army, said a
statement seen on Thursday.</i>
</b><br />
<div style="color: orange;">
<i><b>Canada ordered Eritrea’s consul general
in Toronto to leave the country by June 5, after he reportedly ignored a
warning to stop collecting funds from Eritreans in Canada, a breach of
UN sanctions against the African nation and illegal under Canadian law.</b></i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zPUqUF0Bp0EGQkkO-vhjXlBn_4YDNEVZKxX1JAbWBCWQZuPlOiKUT228Kf2LPOTomroySNvRf0tFxUShkvu1vKCEA7bvzqLF4GOTNdOmhwkmGWa1Fkdm_HduC5MloEO5aRVCcf9lxOA/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zPUqUF0Bp0EGQkkO-vhjXlBn_4YDNEVZKxX1JAbWBCWQZuPlOiKUT228Kf2LPOTomroySNvRf0tFxUShkvu1vKCEA7bvzqLF4GOTNdOmhwkmGWa1Fkdm_HduC5MloEO5aRVCcf9lxOA/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Semere Ghebremariam O.
Micael head of the Eritrean Consulate in Toronto </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eritrea condemned the expulsion and rejected <a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/05/canada-orders-eritreas-consulate-leave.html" target="_blank">the accusations</a>, saying
the services given at the consulate were “fully consistent” with
diplomatic agreements and “do not violate international or Canadian
laws”.<br />
“It is the act of a bully against a small and proud nation and its
people, aimed at denying the Eritrean community the services they need
from their government,” said the foreign ministry statement.<br />
“The Eritrean government is confident that the community, which has
faced increasing harassment including intimidation and severe
restriction on their peaceful activities, will not be bullied,” it
added.<br />
Canada asked the consul to stop the alleged fundraising in September
after it was first revealed. The consul said it would comply.<br />
But Canadian media <a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/05/eritreans-in-canada-consul-still.html" target="_blank">reported last week </a>that consul Semere Ghebremariam
O. Micael had resumed demanding money from expatriates to fund Eritrean
national defence against neighbouring Ethiopia, from which Eritrea
separated in 1993.<br />
Public broadcaster CBC quoted an Eritrean immigrant, who asked not to
be named, as saying his family in Eritrea “would get in trouble if I
don’t pay”.<br />
Eritrea, which won its independence from Ethiopia after a
three-decade guerrilla war, remains in a tense border stalemate with its
rival after they returned to a bloody 1998-2000 border war.<br />
Eritrea’s economy is struggling, and the government demands its expatriates pay a two-percent income tax via its embassies.<br />
Rights groups accuse the authoritarian government of the Horn of
Africa nation of a slew of abuses, including the jailing of opposition,
journalists and minority religious groups.FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-764766589833004832013-05-29T11:14:00.001-07:002013-05-29T12:13:25.025-07:00Eritrean Afar refugees demonstrated<div style="color: orange;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thousands of Eritrean Afar refugees demonstrated at Berahle refugee
camp located in Ethiopia's Afar region only few kilometers away from the
Eritrean border.</i></span>
</div>
<div style="color: orange;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>An estimated 3,000 refugees held the demonstration to protest against
what they allege is an alleged genocide being committed by the
totalitarian Asmara government against the Afar minority group.</i></span></div>
<div style="color: orange;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"We call up on the United Nations and the international community to
protect Eritrean Afars from an ethnic cleansing by the brutal regime"
the refugees said in a declaration. The refugees chanted; "yes to self
determination, Nno to tyranny and injustice"; "save Eritrea from civil
war"; "bring down Isaias Afeworki"; and "we are victims of brutal
regime".</i></span><br />
</div>
Rashid Saleh, the chairman of the Afar refugees youth association at
Berahle camp was one of the <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
demonstrations organisers. He fled to
Ethiopia late in 2011. The 27-year-old said he decided flee to Ethiopia
after he received repeated threats on his life from government agents.<br />
In an interview with Sudan Tribune, Rashid said he served a year and
eight months behind bars at a secret detention center near Massawa port
after being suspected that he is a member Red Sea Afar Democratic
Organization (RSADO), a rebel group based in Ethiopia.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRcJDccTr4mu0i2V9vMmDdOUZv24olSHQNQx5pOSg8bVTqxdlKNjgmzr9yUT1Ctl3lAIPXOg6m2Unf_nQ8eQrI4Sd9NtUzw_JKZpbKEnbuGR3izwRVbqP2CEWPiTkFKhZSl8-BKQ5XF4/s1600/Berahle+refugee+camp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRcJDccTr4mu0i2V9vMmDdOUZv24olSHQNQx5pOSg8bVTqxdlKNjgmzr9yUT1Ctl3lAIPXOg6m2Unf_nQ8eQrI4Sd9NtUzw_JKZpbKEnbuGR3izwRVbqP2CEWPiTkFKhZSl8-BKQ5XF4/s1600/Berahle+refugee+camp.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eritrean Afar refugees kid playing in Berahle refugee camp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
He said there were 180 political prisoners at the prison facility,
where he alleged prisoners were denied food, access to toilets and
tortured on daily basis in a bid to extract information.<br />
He said the international community has ignored repeated calls from
Eritreans while they are being slaughtered by the dictatorial regime.
"We held the demos in connection with the celebrations the 22nd
anniversary of Eritrean independence day and thereby to call on the
international community to give attention over Eritrean refugees" Rashid
told Sudan Tribune.<br />
The one party state, also referred as the "North Korea of Africa,"
has been ruled by President Isaias Afwerki and his Popular Front for
Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) party since the country proclaimed
independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after 31 years of revolutionary
movement. "Although Eritrea gained independence over 20 years ago, the
people of Eritrea however aren't yet liberated", he added.<br />
Afwerki's regime has a zero-tolerance policy to dissidents and targets any citizen in suspected of being against the regime.<br />
Currently there are an estimated 5,000 political prisoners in Eritrea
who are being locked in harsh prison centers including in shipping
containers where they are tortured and abused both mentally and
physically. Others are summarily executed by prison guards, according to
refugees who have escaped the country.<br />
Thousands of young Eritreans risk their life trying to escape to
neighbouring Ethiopia and Sudan in protest against the government's
repressive policies and to avoid compulsory military services that can
last decades.<br />
Many others become prime targets for human traffickers operating in
East Africa. Over 200,000 Eritreans have fled Eritrea to neighbouring
countries. In Ethiopia alone there are nearly 70,000 Eritrean refugees.<br />
Amina Abdul-Semed, 28, was a eight months pregnant when she crossed
into Ethiopia, one month after her husband, who was suspected of ties
with the rebels, also crossed the border. Amina arrived at Ethiopia's
Berahle camp in 2010 with four of her children. She decided to flee
after government agents repeatedly came to her home and beat her to
confess the whereabouts of her husbands.<br />
"It was extremely difficult to flee along with my four children
however I had no choice", she told Sudan Tribune. Amina gave birth to
her child at Berahle camp and her daughter is now nearly three years
old.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: orange;">
<b>CALL FOR JUSTICE:</b></div>
<div style="color: orange;">
<br /></div>
Meanwhile an exiled Eritrean opposition group has called on the
international community to intervene on the ongoing atrocities against
innocent Eritreans.<br />
"The international community has failed to protect Eritreans from
mass murder by the brutal regime" said Nessredin Mohamed, an official of
the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO).<br />
"We renew our calls on the international community to take actions in
bringing the president and his inner circles to the International
Criminal Court".FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-39089063833787538062013-05-29T11:04:00.001-07:002013-05-29T11:04:38.720-07:00Canada orders Eritrea's consulate leave the country<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4l9ONCFSHl_JQv8BIqCo4uwB7JDrEjWO26C4RwNe7oWKgfleapUVbcHPX9CwnEhH3rTk8AmZiVnMm3OE70aq39XN3otkJI-9UpP7eXP3-yCfFbV5wPHLWGBUzZjf_vUzUPWqbP0Hn0Bw/s1600/semere-ghebremariam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4l9ONCFSHl_JQv8BIqCo4uwB7JDrEjWO26C4RwNe7oWKgfleapUVbcHPX9CwnEhH3rTk8AmZiVnMm3OE70aq39XN3otkJI-9UpP7eXP3-yCfFbV5wPHLWGBUzZjf_vUzUPWqbP0Hn0Bw/s1600/semere-ghebremariam.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="npPhotoCaption">Semere is under investigation over its alleged role in financing the repressive regime.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="color: orange;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Canada has ordered an
Eritrean envoy to leave the country following claims he demanded
contributions from expatriates to pay for Eritrea's military.</i></span></div>
<div style="color: orange;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Semere Ghebremariam O Micael, head of the Eritrean Consulate General in Toronto, has been under investigation </i></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">T</span>he head of the Eritrean Consulate in Toronto has been ordered to
leave Canada in the wake of reports that said Semere Ghebremariam O.
Micael has been involved in soliciting a "diaspora tax" from Eritreans
in Canada.<br />
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued a news release Wednesday
that said he has taken steps to expel Micael and he must leave by noon
ET on June 5.<br />
"Today’s actions speak for themselves," Baird said. "Canada has
repeatedly made clear to Eritrea to respect international sanctions and
Canadian law."<br />
Baird's office wouldn't give the specific reason why Micael is being
expelled but the move comes days after CBC News and other media have
been reporting on the activities of his office.<br />
Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to Baird, gave more of an explanation when he spoke to reporters Wednesday morning.<br />
"We have been very much concerned with the actions of the Eritrean
consul general here in Canada. We had asked him at the early stages not
to do this, it is contrary to our laws, but our information is that they
continued doing it," said Obhrai. "And so we finally had to take
action. We cannot allow our territory to be used for fundraising for
other countries."<br />
The dictatorship in Eritrea imposes what the UN has condemned as a
worldwide "diaspora tax" on its nationals, valued at two per cent of
their income.<br />
It often adds a second tax of up to $500, described on the Eritrean
government clearance form as a "donation to national defence against
Ethiopian invasion."<br />
<h3 style="color: orange;">
Eritreans say tax collection ongoing</h3>
The CBC's Rick MacInnes-Rae <a href="http://erihope.blogspot.com/2013/05/eritreans-in-canada-consul-still.html" target="_blank">reported last week</a>
that Baird's department advised the Eritrean consul in Toronto in
September that soliciting and collecting these taxes was incompatible
with consular duties, and his accreditation would not be renewed if he
and his consulate didn't stop.<br />
The consulate later indicated in writing that it would comply.<br />
But an Eritrean in Toronto who did not want to be identified told CBC
that the practice hasn't stopped and that if he doesn't pay, his family
in Eritrea "would get in trouble."<br />
Another Eritrean, Teklezghi Yohannes Gabir, provided audio to CBC
from a meeting he attended in Winnipeg on April 21, with a voice he
identifies as that of Micael sounding as if he is again soliciting
money.<br />
Gabir, 36, an Eritrean living in Winnipeg, has paid the tax in the
past but refuses to pay any more, and offered the audio hoping it might
help stop the collections.<br />
<h3 style="color: orange;">
Eritrean rep must 'play by the rules'</h3>
The
Eritrean regime relies on diaspora cash for hard currency. But
according to the UN, it also uses its money to support armed rebels
opposing Ethiopia, and others with ties to the notorious al-Shabaab
movement in Somalia.<br />
Because of Eritrea's destabilizing role in the troubled Horn of
Africa, the UN imposed sanctions on the country in 2009, hoping to choke
off its access to arms and money.<br />
Canada later adopted them, meaning those who pay are violating UN
sanctions and may also be breaking Canadian law according to past
reports.<br />
"Canada has repeatedly made clear to Eritrea to respect international
sanctions and Canadian law," Baird said in his statement. "The Eritrean
government is welcome to propose another candidate to represent it in
Canada, but that person must be prepared to play by the rules.<br />
"Our resolve on this matter should not be further tested," he said.<br />
A source told CBC that Canada's spy agency, the Canadian Security
Intelligence Service, has contacted members of the Eritrean community
for information about the tax scheme. Representatives from Baird's
department and Obhrai, have also had meetings with the community.FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-2678356099186995262013-05-25T13:48:00.001-07:002013-05-25T13:48:22.050-07:00African Civil Society Calls for AU Action On Eritrea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBlJuBvV8cK4YaOUpx5JZVoNtEec9If19DIUYDRMrp2nxjuITt4gvyBa79u3Qx-IWPanclrrywAA4yo7cbT8t4gH_s-7-y-TKogeLAlQJLJWrrNIUvohvIwzr4w8TBaBPQnjnsgGDmTk/s1600/eritrea+human+rights.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBlJuBvV8cK4YaOUpx5JZVoNtEec9If19DIUYDRMrp2nxjuITt4gvyBa79u3Qx-IWPanclrrywAA4yo7cbT8t4gH_s-7-y-TKogeLAlQJLJWrrNIUvohvIwzr4w8TBaBPQnjnsgGDmTk/s400/eritrea+human+rights.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<h1 style="color: orange;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">African Civil Society <em>organizations say the ongoing widespread and systematic nature of
human rights violations in Eritrea underlines the need for continued and
urgent action by the African Union</em></span></i></h1>
<h1 style="color: orange;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><em> </em></span></i><strong>EXCELLENCIES,</strong></h1>
We, the undersigned representatives of African civil society, present
our compliments and congratulations on the occasion of the 50th
anniversary of the African Union and the Organisation of African Unity.
Reflecting the overall theme of 2013 as the year of Pan-Africanism and
African Renaissance, we are writing to call on the African Union to take
urgent action to respond to the appalling situation of widespread and
systematic human rights violations in Eritrea, especially in light of
the commemoration's sub-theme of promoting peace and security in Africa.<br />
We note with appreciation the adoption by consensus of resolution
A/HRC/RES/20/20 on the human rights situation in Eritrea at the 20th
session of the UN Human Rights Council in July 2012, on the
recommendation of Nigeria, Djibouti and Somalia. It is encouraging to
see an important and positive step forward towards the protection and
promotion of human rights for the Eritrean people emanating from members
of the African Group. The UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, whose
mandate was established by the July 2012 resolution, will present a
report highlighting the human rights situation in Eritrea in June 2013.<br />
As the report of the Special Rapporteur will no doubt demonstrate,
the ongoing widespread and systematic nature of human rights violations
in Eritrea underlines the need for continued and urgent action by the
African Union. The government officials and independent journalists
arbitrarily arrested in September 2001 remain either in incommunicado
detention or have since died. Thousands of Eritreans have been arrested
and imprisoned without charge or trial for years upon end merely for
being critical of the government, belonging to what the government
defines as a 'wrong' religious group, or refusing to comply with the
indefinite national service imposed on all Eritreans over the age of 18
years. Torture, arrests, killings and forced labour are common. No
independent civil society organizations have permission to operate
inside Eritrea, and since 2001 there has been no independent domestic
media.<br />
At the regional level, the case of Eritrea has been raised repeatedly
at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, which adopted a
resolution in 2005 condemning human rights violations in Eritrea. In
two separate decisions in 2003 and 2007, the Commission also found the
government to be in violation of fundamental rights contained in the
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and requested the release
of the government officials held incommunicado since September 2001
(250/02 Liesbeth Zegveld and Mussie Ephrem vs. Eritrea) and for at least
18 journalists also held incommunicado to be given access to their
lawyers (275/03 Article 19 vs. Eritrea). Although these decisions have
been adopted by the African Union, to date Eritrea has not provided any
concrete response or acted to implement them.<br />
In this year of golden jubilee commemorations, Eritrean people are
not free to celebrate along with the rest of Africa. If the message "One
Africa for Prosperity and Peace" is to have real meaning, we believe
that now is the time for the African Union and all its member states to
kick start sustained engagement on the human rights situation in Eritrea
so that its people may benefit from the rights and fundamental freedoms
enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.<br />
During the AU Summit to be held in Addis Ababa on 19-27th May 2013,
we therefore recommend that the African Union and its member states:<br />
<span style="color: orange;">*</span> Encourage the Government of Eritrea to ensure the effective
implementation of the ACHPR decisions on Eritrea, and to allow access to
the country for the special mechanisms of the ACHPR and UN Human Rights
Council;<br />
<span style="color: orange;">*</span> Support the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on
the human rights situation in Eritrea at the Human Rights Council in
June 2013;<br />
<span style="color: orange;">*</span> Ensure the protection of Eritrean refugees in their states in
accordance with the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects
of Refugee Problems in Africa.<br />
Excellencies, we thank you for your attention to these concerns. We
remain available to provide further information as may be useful.<br />
<i style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;"> signed by <strong>Organizations & </strong></span></i><strong><i style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;">Individuals</span></i></strong><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div style="color: orange;">
<strong>Organisations:</strong></div>
<em>1. Action des Chrétiens pour l'Abolition de la Torture (ACAT-Burundi)</em><br />
<em>2. African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies</em><br />
<em>3. African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS)</em><br />
<em>4. Arry Organisation for Human Rights and Development</em><br />
<em>5. ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa</em><br />
<em>6. Arusha NGOs Network (ANGONET), Tanzania</em><br />
<em>7. Association des femmes juristes du Burundi (AFJB)</em><br />
<em>8. Association Nationale pour l'Alphabétisation et la Formation des Adultes (ANAFA), Senegal</em><br />
<em>9. Base for Education Dissemination (BED), Tanzania</em><br />
<em>10. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies</em><br />
<em>11. Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa</em><br />
<em>12. Centre Guinéen de Promotion et de Protection des Droits de l'Homme (CPDH) 13. Club Union Africaine Cote d'Ivoire</em><br />
<em>14. Coalition de la Société Civile pour le Monitoring Electoral (COSOME)</em><br />
<em>15. Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH)</em><br />
<em>16. East African Civil Society Organizations Forum (EACSOF)</em><br />
<em>17. East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP)</em><br />
<em>18. Eritreans for Human and Democratic Rights-UK (EHDR-UK)</em><br />
<em>19. Forum pour la Conscience et le développement (FOCODE)</em><br />
<em>20. Forum pour le Renforcement de la Societe Civile (FORSC)</em><br />
<em>21. Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI)</em><br />
<em>22. Freedom and Roam Uganda</em><br />
<em>23. Human Rights Concern - Eritrea</em><br />
<em>24. Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF)- Uganda</em><br />
<em>25. Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA)</em><br />
<em>26. Independent Medico Legal Unit (IMLU)</em><br />
<em>27. Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA)</em><br />
<em>28. Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya)</em><br />
<em>29. Ligue des Droits de la Personne dans la Région des Grands Lacs (LDGL)</em><br />
<em>30. Malawi Law Society</em><br />
<em>31. The Multi-Environmental Society (MESO)-Tanzania</em><br />
<em>32. Mzeituni Foundation-Tanzania 33. Nazra for Feminist Studies
34. Release Eritrea 35. Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en
Afrique Centrale (REDHAC)</em><br />
<em>36. Réseau de femmes défenseures des droits humains (Togo)</em><br />
<em>37. Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network)</em><br />
<em>38. Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC)</em><br />
<em>39. West African Human Rights Defenders Network</em><br />
<em>40. Zimbabwe Exiles Forum</em><br />
<div style="color: orange;">
<strong>Individuals:</strong></div>
<em>1. Augustin Kounkinè Somé, Burkina Faso</em><br />
<em>2. Lilian Chenwi, Cameroon</em><br />
<em>3. Polycarp Ngufor Forkum, Cameroon</em><br />
<em>4. Adiam Woldeyohannes, Eritrea</em><br />
<em>5. Marian Atta-Boahene, Ghana</em><br />
<em>6. Mandala D. Mambulasa, Malawi</em><br />
<em>7. Joao Nhampossa, Mozambique</em><br />
<em>8. Hilary Ogbonna, Nigeria</em><br />
<em>9. Dejo Olowu, Nigeria</em><br />
<em>10. Mohammed Farah, Somaliland</em><br />
<em>11. Freda Apio, Uganda</em><br />
<em>12. Kitui Barbara, Uganda</em><br />
<em>13. Moses Karatunga, Uganda 1</em><br />
<em>4. Salima Namusobya, Uganda</em><br />
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><em> </em></span></h1>
FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-72462568797881138272013-05-23T03:40:00.002-07:002013-05-23T03:40:30.147-07:00Eritreans in Canada : consul still demands cash from them<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lu9sp59AEeSOo23JYJzpE6CVP2AtuH_e1hoag-pmasyeRXOE7Ptt7NFW2olwyd5eP0AuZPeRCp3bJeflL-5Fv-C_W7gR-uFBPmeI_-AGvJVA2jQT-Pz93PS__bwdMIXtHdJxX5hLXdE/s1600/eritrea-consulate-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lu9sp59AEeSOo23JYJzpE6CVP2AtuH_e1hoag-pmasyeRXOE7Ptt7NFW2olwyd5eP0AuZPeRCp3bJeflL-5Fv-C_W7gR-uFBPmeI_-AGvJVA2jQT-Pz93PS__bwdMIXtHdJxX5hLXdE/s400/eritrea-consulate-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="npPhotoCaption">The entrance to the Consulate General of Eritrea, located in Toronto</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: orange;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">There are calls to expel Eritrea's top diplomat in Canada because he
presides over a system that's milking money from the Eritrean community
in this country.</span></i></span><br />
Evidence obtained by CBC News suggests Consul Semere Ghebremariam O.
Micael is again soliciting taxes despite a threat by Canada eight months
ago not to renew his credentials if he kept at it.<br />
But one Eritrean in Toronto, who has asked not to be identified,
tells the CBC it was business as usual just a few weeks later when he
had to pay.<br />
"You have to go to the consulate and they arrange how you have to pay
the money. They want two per cent … they don't give you a reason. You
have to pay the money."<br />
What would happen if he didn't?<br />
"My family [in Eritrea] would get in trouble if I don't pay," he said.<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Threats and intimidation</span></h3>
A
United Nations report last year indicated that state threats and
intimidation were commonly used against families in Eritrea to get their
relatives living in Canada and other countries to pay up, though now
the government sometimes uses a financial middleman.<br />
"As far as I'm concerned it's a ruse, doing indirectly what the
government told them not to do directly," said David Matas, a Winnipeg
human rights lawyer who represents some in the Eritrean community who
resent it. <br />
The dictatorship in Eritrea imposes what the UN has condemned as a
worldwide "diaspora tax" on its nationals, valued at two per cent of
their income.<br />
It often adds a second tax up to $500, described on the Eritrean
government clearance form as a "donation to national defence against
Ethiopian invasion."<br />
On Sept. 10, 2012, Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs advised the
Eritrean consul in Toronto that soliciting and collecting these taxes
was incompatible with consular duties, and his accreditation would not
be renewed if he and his consulate didn't stop.<br />
The consulate later indicated in writing that it would comply.<br />
But audio provided to CBC News by Eritrean-born Teklezghi Yohannes
Gabir from a meeting he attended in Winnipeg on April 21, 2013, reveals a
voice he identifies as that of the consul sounding as if he is again
soliciting money.<br />
"What we are saying is that you have to fulfil the law of the country
to be an investor because you are a citizen of the country" it says in a
translation done for the CBC to English from Tigrinya, the language of
business in Eritrea.<br />
"Therefore, since what it comes down to is national honour and law,
any service that requires a permit will have to remit two per cent."<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Refusing to pay </span></h3>
Gabir,
36, an Eritrean living in Winnipeg, has paid the tax in the past but
refuses to pay any more, and offered the audio hoping it might help stop
the collections.<br />
"I was there personally, and it was all aimed at collecting money and
sending it to Eritrea," he said. "I think the Canadian government
didn't follow up and they don't know what is going on."<br />
But a source tells CBC News that Canada's spy agency, the Canadian
Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), is familiar with the story and has
been in contact with the Eritrean community seeking information about
the tax scam.<br />
And the issue was also laid out to federal officials as recently as
three months ago, according to Ghazae Hagos, who was present at the
meeting.<br />
Hagos, a former journalist in the Eritrean capital of Asmara, speaks
for HIDMONA, the Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group of Manitoba.<br />
He says he and a colleague met last February with Conservative MP
Deepak Obhrai, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign
affairs, and a deputy director from the Africa division of the
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.<br />
"They said they were very concerned about it. They said they would
seriously study the matter and take the appropriate action," Hagos said.<br />
In the past, Eritrean Consul Semere Ghebremariam Micael denied
there's opposition to the tax and said as much on the radio network
Voice of America (VOA) on Sept. 27, 2012, just days after Canada told
him to get out of the business or lose his accreditation. <br />
"I don't have much doubt that this is going to be an obstacle to the
people … the public is still doing it, saying about this matter.… 'It is
our right to pay.' We don't have any problems with our community," he
said.<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Reliance on diaspora for cash</span></h3>
Eritrea is one of the
youngest and poorest countries in Africa. And with 10,000 political
prisoners filling its jails, according to an Amnesty International
report this month, one of its most repressive. Independence came only
after decades of conflict with Ethiopia, with which it maintains an
uneasy peace today. <br />
Consequently, the regime relies on diaspora cash for hard currency.
But according to the UN, it also uses its money to support armed rebels
opposing Ethiopia, and others with ties to the notorious al-Shabaab
movement in Somalia. <br />
Because of Eritrea's destabilizing role in the troubled Horn of
Africa, the UN imposed sanctions on the country in 2009, hoping to choke
off its access to arms and money. <br />
Canada later adopted them, meaning those who pay are violating UN
sanctions and may also be breaking Canadian law according to past
reports.<br />
Through it all, the consul has not been shy about his country's
intention to keep collecting cash no matter how Canada views it. <br />
In the VOA interview on September 2012, he interpreted Canada's
warning just a few days earlier, as a green light for Eritrea to keep
collecting. <br />
"What the government of Canada is saying is that the task of a
consulate office is not to collect a tax of two per cent, and it is not
your mandate to do that, so you cannot collect payment here.<br />
"But the law of Eritrea is still there as it is, and they have not
said anything about that. Therefore, it is not that Eritrea should not
ask payment, but you cannot charge here."<br />
To that end, Ghazae Hagos of HIDMONA says Eritrea has adopted some opaque banking methods. <br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Money wired to Germany</span></h3>
In
a sworn affidavit seen by CBC News, an Eritrean who has asked not to be
identified describes being schooled in the tax payment process by
officials at the Eritrean Consulate in Toronto, three months after
Canada warned the office to end its involvement.<br />
Several hundred dollars of his money were subsequently wired from a
Canadian bank, to a second financial institution in Germany called the
Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank (DZ Bank) of Frankfurt.<br />
From there, the documents show the funds were wired to a third
institution, the Housing and Commerce Bank of Eritrea in the capital
city of Asmara, of which the majority owner is the ruling regime, the
People's Front for Democracy and Justice. <br />
"They should stop," said Winnipeg human right lawyer David Matas.
"But they were already asked to stop and they didn't, so I think they
should be evicted. I mean, they're thumbing their noses at the Canadian
authorities."<br />
If Canada doesn't do something, Matas worries it's setting up people
from Eritrea and potentially other expatriate communities to become
walking ATMs for other regimes. <br />
"If Eritrea gets away with it, we're going to start seeing China
doing it. And Iran doing it. And North Korea doing it. And I think we
have to make every effort to stop this right now, or else we're going to
see it mushroom."<br />
Ghazae Hagos of the Eritrean-Canadians Human Rights Group of Manitoba said he would like to see the Eritrean Consulate closed.<br />
"Canada has to go beyond threat of pressure, of threat of expulsion
of the consul. I think the closure of the consulate office is long
overdue if Canada is really serious about it."<br />
CBC News contacted the Eritrean Consulate three times in the past
week to request comment, but telephone calls were not returned.FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-20496465408520109812013-05-21T05:47:00.002-07:002013-05-21T05:47:46.298-07:00Seven months in Sinai : Torture for ransom<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>After seven months of beatings, burns, electric shocks and constant
threats to kill him, an Eritrean refugee has finally been freed by his
kidnappers in Egypt's Sinai desert. Covered in deep scars and suffering
from breathing problems and bone injuries, Philemon Semere, now in
Cairo, told how it feels to be free at last. </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5DEy5z4HCxoWgiZKei8jeixnQdmNcrkkTafVh4WpSVdCJ9zWHU5Jn9Q0Y7FFSUvWztY2RrV6KjY8v22r4q-r8DujtnOS-82nwkgEKtlSQxXbEcQs7HelR7JAaKTgtw72VurFS_NeFUU/s1600/FILMON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5DEy5z4HCxoWgiZKei8jeixnQdmNcrkkTafVh4WpSVdCJ9zWHU5Jn9Q0Y7FFSUvWztY2RrV6KjY8v22r4q-r8DujtnOS-82nwkgEKtlSQxXbEcQs7HelR7JAaKTgtw72VurFS_NeFUU/s400/FILMON.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> victim Philemon Semere</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"Words are not enough to say how good I'm doing right now. I'm so
relieved after everything I went through. Death was very near to me and
at one point all hope was gone." <br />
It was hard to believe that this was the same man whose
terrible plight had been broadcast across Britain and much of the world a
few months before.<br />
<div class="audioInStoryC">
</div>
In a rare and chilling phone interview last November, an
evidently distraught and petrified Philemon Semere had told the BBC in
broken English:<br />
"I have no enough food. Have no enough water. Always hit by
sticks and burnt by fire and electricity. My body is burning. Please
help me, Mike, please help me!"<br />
His Bedouin kidnappers forced him to make frequent calls to
his family, warning them that he would be killed if they failed to pay a
$33,000 (£22,000) ransom. <br />
With the consent of Philemon's family, I phoned the number he had called from. <br />
<span class="cross-head">'Cold, sneering voice'</span>
Numerous attempts brought no response. <br />
Then, finally, the phone was answered.<br />
<div id="story_continues_2">
An unidentified voice wanted to know who was calling and why. A long pause followed my answer. </div>
Then Philemon came on the line. Sobbing, he said that his
family could not pay the huge ransom and feared he would soon be killed.
<br />
Suddenly, a cold, sneering voice confirmed his fears. <br />
"If he hasn't any money, I will kill Philemon here."<br />
I asked the man, who later told me that he was the leader of
the kidnap gang, if he had killed other hostages who failed to pay their
ransoms. Appearing to relish the question he replied:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqo5mwk0TWeIiFaWAZhu3bU-Db_xfZgZVlwQJY9hmJgsnEERUcE1pNxajJ3FMgyTrPZ7Oqc_1sNWWPKCdCkU_kMWp16Jbubmi-hKmbu_5lX6urhOYSylT2epejs2LkIJmssBHoSeXxuoo/s1600/eritrean++victims.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqo5mwk0TWeIiFaWAZhu3bU-Db_xfZgZVlwQJY9hmJgsnEERUcE1pNxajJ3FMgyTrPZ7Oqc_1sNWWPKCdCkU_kMWp16Jbubmi-hKmbu_5lX6urhOYSylT2epejs2LkIJmssBHoSeXxuoo/s400/eritrean++victims.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Eritrean victims of Sinai</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"A lot of people I have killed here."<br />
Facts on the ground seem to bear this out.<br />
<span class="cross-head">Pleading for money</span>
The UN estimates that on average 3,000 Eritreans fled into
eastern Sudan each month last year. During that journey many of them
were kidnapped, tortured and killed by Bedouin people-trafficking gangs.
Their bodies were often dumped in the Sinai desert. <br />
Philemon explained how he and a large group of fellow Eritreans had
been seized by kidnappers soon after crossing into Sudan but had managed
to escape into the desert. <br />
Driven by raging thirst to drink their own urine after four sweltering days, they staggered to the nearest town for help. <br />
But soon after they arrived there, locals tipped off their kidnappers. <br />
Within hours they were thrown, hooded and chained, into the back of a truck and driven to North Sinai.<br />
"When we got there we were surprised because the house they
took us to in Sinai looked quite nice. But minutes after we arrived we
were made to lie on the floor and told we'd die unless each of our
families paid $33,000," he said.<br />
In the days and months that followed, Philemon and 19 other
Eritrean hostages were repeatedly made to phone their families and plead
with them to get the ransom money. <br />
<span class="cross-head">'She heard my scream'</span>
The kidnappers know that many Eritreans have relatives working in Western countries and can appeal to them for help. <br />
Soon after the hostages were given a phone, the beatings, burning and electric shocks would start.<br />
<div id="story_continues_3">
"They wanted our relatives to hear us
screaming and crying in pain. That way they were more likely to pay the
ransom money," Philemon explains.</div>
He described what happened the first time he called his mother:<br />
"She heard my screams and couldn't stop crying. I was crying too. We both just cried and cried until we had no tears left."<br />
He says that for the first few days after my phone call, he was treated better. <br />
But the beatings and torture resumed not long after that.
Only 11 of Philemon's group of 20 hostages survived their seven months
of captivity. <br />
"There was death every day, right in front of my eyes. The
kidnapper who spoke to you wasn't lying. He's killed many people, and
he's still killing many people."<br />
The kidnappers finally agreed to release Philemon after
accepting that the $13,200 his now impoverished family had paid was all
they had. <br />
But then they changed their minds and demanded that he and
two other men being held with him paid a further $10,000 between them.<br />
Several weeks later the money was paid and the men finally freed.<br />
Philemon has now made his way to Cairo, home to hundreds of former kidnap victims like him. <br />
But his search for a better life has brought only horrors and left his family back home poorer than ever. <br />
With no guarantee that he'll be allowed to work to help pay
them back, or be granted asylum, Philemon's future, like that of so many
others, hangs in the balance. <br />
"God brought me out of the deepest darkness and only he knows what lies ahead for me now."<br />
<br />
<span class="byline"><span style="color: orange;">
<span class="byline-name">By Mike Thomson</span>
<span class="byline-title">BBC News</span></span>
</span><br />
FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-40487439238760705192013-05-19T13:20:00.001-07:002013-05-19T13:25:14.419-07:00Gold for World record holder Eritrean Zersenay Tadese <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJAVBcdvRpx9vMvNhQlOIyxlAcUButCw2MbcOzid4pel0i9fcAnsAayE-dV4TlI0neDUAy98Gou6Y_TXCX0AatInAGdBrIk7GfJQIq1Wmm75CNj9s_6VrF3iUSzArOKLjXw0BC8hhpKA/s1600/12+yafet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJAVBcdvRpx9vMvNhQlOIyxlAcUButCw2MbcOzid4pel0i9fcAnsAayE-dV4TlI0neDUAy98Gou6Y_TXCX0AatInAGdBrIk7GfJQIq1Wmm75CNj9s_6VrF3iUSzArOKLjXw0BC8hhpKA/s400/12+yafet.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
World record holder Eritrea <b>Zersenay Tadese</b> took down defending champion <b>Martin Mathathi</b> (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) at Sunday's Gifu Seiryu Half-Marathon ,
getting away early to set a new course record of 1:00:31. Leading a
pack of six through a 14:14 opening 5 km split, Tadese dropped a 14:04
over the next 5 km to take the race out of the competition's comfort
zones and go ahead alone. With a 37-second lead over the chase group of
Mathathi, <b>Jacob Wanjuki</b> (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) and <b>Cyrus Njui</b>
(Kenya/ Team Hitachi Butsuryu) at 15 km Tadese backed off to a 14:34
split from 15 to 20 km, but despite Mathathi and Wanjuki picking it up
and closing the gap they were too far away and had to settle for a duel
for 2nd, Mathathi proving the stronger as he crossed the line in
1:00:54, two seconds ahead of Wanjuki. Moscow World Championships
marathoner <b>Yuki Kawauchi</b> (Saitama Pref. Gov't), running just a
week after going sub-64 at the Sendai International Half Marathon,
struggled in to a 14th-place finish in 1:05:05.<br />
<br />
The women's race was much closer, with <b>Mestawet Tufa</b> (Ethiopia) and <b>Eunice Kirwa</b>
(Kenya) locked together through 20 km and pushing each other on to
break the course record. Tufa's last surge was too much for Kirwa to
handle, the Ethiopia getting course record honors in 1:10:03. Kirwa, 6
seconds back, also cleared the old record in 1:10:09, with Australian <b>Lara Tamsett</b> rounding out the top three in 1:13:33 after running the entire race alone. <b>Yuko Mizuguchi</b> (Team Denso) was the top Japanese finisher, 4th overall in 1:14:44.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">3rd Naoko Takahashi Cup Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon</span></b><br />
<i>Gifu, 5/19/13</i><br />
<i>complete results coming shortly</i><br />
<br />
<b>Men</b><br />
1. Zersenay Tadese (Eritrea) - 1:00:31 - <b>CR</b><br />
2. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 1:00:54<br />
3. Jacob Wanjuki (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 1:00:55<br />
4. Cyrus Njui (Kenya/Team Hitachi Butsuryu) - 1:01:08<br />
5. Abayneh Ayele (Ethiopia/Team Mazda) - 1:01:43<br />
6. Patrick Muwaka (Kenya/Team Aisan Kogyo) - 1:01:57<br />
7. Micah Njeru (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 1:02:38<br />
8. Taiga Ito (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 1:03:45<br />
9. Yoshiki Otsuka (Team Aichi Seiko) - 1:04:37<br />
10. Ryan Vail (U.S.A.) - 1:04:52FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-72909454730184677352013-05-19T13:05:00.000-07:002013-05-19T13:05:13.778-07:00WHO Representatives Laud Eritrea's Accomplishments in Combating MalariaReports indicated that Eritrea's accomplishments in combating malaria
have been applauded by WHO representatives at a joint meeting with the
Ministry of Health that was conducted yesterday here in Asmara.
<br />
Speaking at the meeting during which various reports were presented
by both institutions, Dr. Andebirhan Tesfatsion, Acting head of public
health at the head office, explained that effective programs were
implemented over the past 15 years targeting malaria prevention. He also
indicated that assessment of previous programs is a stepping stone
towards attaining further achievement.<br />
In a report he presented at the meeting, Dr. Kalu Akapaka from the
WHO pointed out that the morbidity rate of malaria in Eritrea stood at
60,000 in the year 1998, which figure has now dropped to hundreds,
enabling the nation to hold exemplary image in this regard at
continental level. He also called on pertinent bodies and the citizenry
to enhance integrated endeavors as regards eradication of the disease.<br />
Moreover, the participants of the meeting conducted in-depth discussion on the basis of an assessment report.<br />
In closing remarks, Mr. Berhane Gebretinsae, Director General of
medical service at the Ministry, noted the vitality of precise
assessment pertaining to malaria control, and lauded the meeting's
outcome to this end.FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-79943217195675343572013-05-19T12:58:00.003-07:002013-05-19T12:58:41.591-07:00Eritrean athletes abandoned by scottish athletics<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zA1JbALvofOFb46kaKSRVmSnvD50UoDRpeDWByHltqIpgWHZA4M2NcKWtoPC4bIVUIhjL-z-clVA2Qlyd7CGC5zA9YaXR527BXWbmS7dDLDwTceSuN1iZ0aV8ZzTbitisirnO8Ygayw/s1600/me+yafet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zA1JbALvofOFb46kaKSRVmSnvD50UoDRpeDWByHltqIpgWHZA4M2NcKWtoPC4bIVUIhjL-z-clVA2Qlyd7CGC5zA9YaXR527BXWbmS7dDLDwTceSuN1iZ0aV8ZzTbitisirnO8Ygayw/s1600/me+yafet.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="main-image-credit image-credit">Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab, Chichi Guly, Tsegai Tewelde and Kokob Mehari </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The seven Eritrean athletes granted political asylum after the 2008
world cross country championships in Edinburgh have been left in limbo
by apparent negligence by the Scottish athletics body.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
They could have been competing for Scotland, and collecting prize money for the past two years while living on the breadline.<br />
Since
they were not eligible for Scotland, they were often ruled out of
winning prizes. One angry senior official described it last night as
"shocking" and will raise the matter at a board meeting on Monday.<br />
The Eritrean athletes changed the face of Scottish athletics. They
were adopted and nurtured by Shettleston Harriers for whom they won a
succession of national and district titles, and smashed numerous race
records. This led to them being touted as the nucleus of the Glasgow
2014 Commonwealth team.<br />
Yet more than five years on, despite having been granted indefinite
leave to stay in Britain, the runners seem no nearer making their
Scotland debut. Once among the best in the world, they have become so
disillusioned that some have given up the sport altogether. Others have
lost heart and no longer train with the same intensity. The delay has
slowed applications for a UK passport which they need to compete in the
Commonwealth Games.<br />
For the first time in five years, having monopolised the Stewarts
cross country and road running grands prix, they failed to win last
year. Glasgow council have been supportive, and even the Red Road flats
must have seemed like paradise compared to a land where they were
brutalised and threatened with a life of conscription and curtailed
education – taken from teachers at the point of a gun. <br />
When we exclusively reported their attempt to stay in Britain, they
confirmed that teachers were sometimes conscripted as well. They told
how punishment and torture in the army was routine – defaulters
suspended from trees with arms tied behind their backs, a technique
known as "almaz" or diamond, or locked in freight containers with
ferocious temperatures by day, and near zero at night.<br />
As we walked on the grass outside the Red Road YMCA, one of them,
Tsegai Tewelde, said the goats he used to herd "would eat all this in a
day". Was he an economic migrant? The notion seemed to appal him. "I
want to stay here for my life," he replied. "If we go home they'll send
us to the army." He confided that while looking after the animals he had
been blown up by a landmine, aged eight, and that his body was riddled
with shrapnel. Yet he had finished fifth in the 1500m at the World
Junior championship, breaking the equivalent of four minutes for the
metric mile when just 17.<br />
The Glasgow club which adopted them is angry and disappointed that
scottishathletics has been so unsupportive. Numerous emails have passed
between the governing body's committees, its chief executive Nigel Holl,
and club representatives, but despite repeated assurances that they
would be contacting the world governing body in Monaco, they have still
heard nothing.<br />
"They are disillusioned and have lost heart," said a Shettleston
spokesman last night. "They are not running well because they have lost
all hope. They came here, trained and worked hard, winning everything.
They thought they'd get a chance to represent their new country. We kept
being told 'next month – we're writing to the International Association
of Athletics Federations'. Five years on nothing's happened."<br />
Herald Sport contacted Nick Davies, the IAAF deputy general secretary
who is currently in China for the Diamond League in Shanghai. He
confirmed yesterday that he had checked with colleagues at their Monte
Carlo headquarters: "We have received nothing from either Britain or
Eritrea on this matter in the past couple of years . . . for the IAAF to
act, we require a request from one of our members."<br />
Since scottishathletics is not a member of IAAF, but affiliates
through UK Athletics, he said any approach would have to have been
through UKA, yet Shettleston say they have communications indicating
that scottishathletics were contacting the world body.<br />
The IAAF said that the athletes could have been competing for
Scotland as soon as three years residence was completed, and that no
clearance from either them or Eritrea was needed under those
circumstances. So for the past two years they have been in unnecessary
limbo.<br />
"Scottish athletics has lost several world class athletes due to
this," argue Shettleston, "it is annoying now to discover they could
have been wearing a Scottish vest for two years."<br />
Tewelde said: "We have been de-motivated by all the delay, and haven't been running much."<br />
Scottishathletics ceo Holl, who had told Shettleston he was writing
to the IAAF, could not be contacted yesterday. However, national
endurance coach Mike Johnston who recruited leading English athletes
such as Stef Twell to Scotland's colours, said the Eritrean cases had
been referred to the sport's management board.<br />
Professor Ron Morrison, the cross country and road official on the
scottishathletics board said: "The athletes' treatment has been shocking
and I will be raising this at our management board meeting on Monday.
This is something that annoys me."FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-63758709946970848462013-05-17T14:01:00.002-07:002013-05-21T05:30:03.054-07:00UN chief appoints Haile Menkerios as the new UN envoy to the African Union<div id="1">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlrA7ro6Y5H9BwTZYKcMr0ZrFF9nhIADhl0Qul_8ZzS-CMFoYK2U7yisObU7bj9v4qgbnsfvwADt8ctgal09b4-VrjbcQXJPs8Ioce3Yvp9BVgKHjmtGJuJFBBF4JjEDiRzBY95zA5lU/s1600/haile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlrA7ro6Y5H9BwTZYKcMr0ZrFF9nhIADhl0Qul_8ZzS-CMFoYK2U7yisObU7bj9v4qgbnsfvwADt8ctgal09b4-VrjbcQXJPs8Ioce3Yvp9BVgKHjmtGJuJFBBF4JjEDiRzBY95zA5lU/s400/haile.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haile Menkerios</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: orange;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed veteran
diplomat Haile Menkerios as the new U.N. representative to the African
Union.</span></i></span><br />
<br />
U.N. deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said Friday that Menkerios
will also continue his current assignment as the secretary-general's
special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. He will have the rank of
undersecretary-general.<br />
Menkerios, a longtime Eritrean diplomat<span style="color: orange;"> who is now a South African citizen</span>, will replace Zachary Muburi-Muita of Kenya who completes his
assignment on June 30.<br />
Del Buey said Menkerios brings to his new position extensive
experience in African issues and with the United Nations, where he was
an assistant secretary-general for political affairs from 2007-2010.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><i>ዋና ጸሓፊ ሕቡራት መንግስታት ባን ኪ-ሙን ንኤርትራዊ ኣቶ ሃይለ መንቀሪዮስ ኣብ ሕብረት ኣፍሪካ ሓድሽ ሓላፊ ቤት ጽሕፈት ሕቡራት መንግስታት፣ኣብ ናይ ሕብረት ኣፍሪካ ድማ ብማዕረግ ሓጋዚ ዋና ጸሓፊ ፍሉይ ወኪሎም ገይሮም
ሸይመምዎም።</i></span><br />
<br />
ኣቶ ሃይለ ሒዞምዎ ዝርከቡ ሓልፍነት ፍሉይ ልኡኽ ዋና ጸሓፊ ኣብ ሱዳንን ደቡብ ሱዳንን ከምዝቕጽልሉን ኣገልግሎት
ዘመኖም 30 ሰነ 2013 ይዛዝሙ ንዘለው ዛካሪ ሙቡሪ-ሙይታ ከምዝትክኡዎምን ተፍሊጡ’ሎ።<br />
<br />
ኣቶ ሃይል መንቆሪየስ ኣብ ጉዳያት ኣፍሪካን ሕቡራት መንግስታትን ዘዋህለልዎ ሰፊሕ ተመኩሮ እዮም ሒዞም ዝምደቡ
ዘለው።ኣብ ሱዳንን ደቡብ ሱዳንን ፍሉይ ልኡኽ ሕቡራት መንግስታት ኮይኖም ኣብ 2011 ቅድሚ ምምዛዞም ካብ 2010 ጀሚሮም ወኪልን ሓላፍን ልኡኽ ሕቡራት መንግስታት ኣብ ሱዳን፣ካብ 2007 ክሳብ 2010 ድማ ምኽትል
ዋና ጸሓፊ ፖለቲካዊ ጉዳያት ብምዃን ሰሪሖም።<br />
<br />
ኣብ ሕቡራት መንግስታት ኣብ ዝተፈላለዩ እዋናት ንነዊሕ እዋን ቅድሚ ምግልጋሎም ካብ 1991 ክሳብ 2000
ኣምባሳደር ኤርትራ ኣብ ኢትዮጵያን ውድብ ሓድነት ኣፍሪካን፣ፍሉይ ልኡኽ ሱማሊያን ዓበይቲ ቓላይን ከምኡ’ውን ኣብ
ሕቡራት መንግስታት ቀዋሚ ልኡኽ መንግስቲ ኤርትራ ብምዃን ኣብ ዝተፈላለዩ ብርክታት ሓላፍንት ኣገልጊሎም እዮም።
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<h1>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>ዜግነት ኣቶ ሃይለ መንቆርዮስ ደቡብ ኣፍሪቃዊ ምኳኑ ሕ/ሃ ገሊጹ ።</i></span></h1>
<h1>
<span style="color: orange;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">ኣቶ ሃይለ መንቆሬዎስ፣ኣብ ሕብረት ኣፍሪቃ ብደረጃ ሓጋዚ ዋና ጸሓፊ ፍሉይ ልኡኽ ዋና ጸሓፊ ሕ/ሃ ኮይኖም ንክሰርሑ ተመዚዞም።<br />
<br />
ምኽትል ወሃቢ-ቃል ሕ/ሃ ኤድወርድ ደል ብወይ፣ንኣቶ ሃይለ መንቆርዮስ ደቡብ ኣፍሪቃዊ ዜግነት ዝሓዙ ኢሎም‘ዮም
ገሊጽምዎም።ሚስተር ዴል ኣብ መግለጺኦም”ኣቶ ሃይለ ኤርትራዊ ተባሂሎም ይግለጹ ስለዝነበረ፣እዚ ዜና‘ዚ ንብሓት
ዘገረመ ኮይኑ‘ሎ” ኢሎም።<br />
<br />
ኣቶ ሃይለ መንቆርዮስ፣ኣምባሳደር ኤርትራ ኣብ ሕብረት ኣፍሪቃን ኣብ ኢትዮዽያን ኮይኖም ከምዘገልገሉ ዝዝከር‘ዩ።ኣብ 2002 ሰራሕተኛ ሕ/ሃ ቅድሚ ምኳኖም፣ቀዋሚ ልኡኽ ኤርትራ ኣብ ሕ/ሃ ነይሮም።<br />
<br />
ኣቶ ሃይለ መንቆርዮስ፣ንሪፖርተራት ዘይምዝራብ ፖሊሲ ኣለዎም።ቪኦኤ (VOA<span style="font-size: small;">)</span>ንዘቅረበሎም ሕቶ ቃለ-ምልልስ‘ውን
ኣይተቀበልዎን።ግን ምንጭታት ሕ/ሃ ንቪኦኤ ከምዝበልዎ፣ኣቶ ሃይለ ዜግነቶም ናብ ደቡብ ኣፍሪቃ ዝቀየሩ ቅድሚ
ዓመታት‘ዩ።ምኽንያቱ ግና ኣይጠቀሱን።<br />
<br />
ግን ከምመጠን ምኩር ዲፕሎማት፣ኣቶ ሃይለ ምስ ላዕለዎት መራሕቲ ኤርትራን ኢትዮዽያን ናይ ቀረባ ርክብ
ኣለዎም።ኣብ‘ቲ ኣብ ሞንጎ ክልቲኤን ሃገራት ዘሎ ነዊሕ ኣብ ዝጸንሐ ምስሕሓብ ክልቲኤን ሃገራት፣ሞንጎኛ ኮይኖም
ክራኣዩ ድልየት ኣለኒ ኢሎም ይባሃል።<br />
<br />
ከምልኡኽ ሕ/ሃ፣መደብሮም ኣብ ኣዲስ ኣበባ’ዩ።ንሶም፣ኣብ ዝተፈላለየ መዝነትን ሓላፍነትን ዝሰርሑን፣ ኣብ‘ዚ እዋን‘ዚ፣ንዋና ጸሓፊ ሕ/ሃ ወኪሎም ንጉዳይ ሱዳንን ደቡብ ሱዳንን ኣብ ይከታተሉ‘ለው።<br />
<br />
ኣብ 1946 ዓም ዝተወለዱ ኣቶ ሃይለ መንቆርዮስ፣ካብ ዩኒቨርስቲ ብራንድስ ኣሜሪካ ብባችለር ዲግሪ፣ካብ ዩኒቨርስቲ ሃርቨርድ ኣሜሪካ ድማ ማስተርስ ዲግሪ ተቀቢሎም‘ዮም።</span></h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: orange;">ምንጪ ራድዮ ኣሜርካ VOA</span></span></h1>
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FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-43610978967672521532013-05-16T12:29:00.003-07:002013-05-16T12:29:58.106-07:00US updated Travel warning for Eritrea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80UVnGYbvwWQEHK6TkiKx9YqHkjrA6V_rKrjMO6Gl_mapp2B7Bz7KvMmesgZLg_1D3jBkV1Md8URdaUX9TeYH0bU8vaHAnjZlfLH5AvFrXKPEWLKTgw311KrzkKsTiw1Hz2Kt6iO_6ig/s1600/usdeptofsateseal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80UVnGYbvwWQEHK6TkiKx9YqHkjrA6V_rKrjMO6Gl_mapp2B7Bz7KvMmesgZLg_1D3jBkV1Md8URdaUX9TeYH0bU8vaHAnjZlfLH5AvFrXKPEWLKTgw311KrzkKsTiw1Hz2Kt6iO_6ig/s400/usdeptofsateseal.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
<span style="color: orange;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">The U.S. Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens of the
risks of travel to Eritrea and strongly recommends U.S. citizens defer
all travel to the country. This replaces the Travel Warning for Eritrea
of November 29, 2012, to update information on additional travel
restrictions, and to remind U.S. citizens of ongoing security concerns
in Eritrea. </span></i></span><br />
<br />
The Eritrean government continues to restrict the
travel of all foreign nationals. These restrictions require all visitors
and residents, including U.S. diplomats, to apply 10 days in advance
for permission to travel outside Asmara's city limits. Permission is
rarely granted. As a result, the U.S. Embassy is extremely limited in
its ability to provide emergency consular assistance outside of Asmara.<br />
Travelers
should also be aware that travel permits are valid for the approved
final destination only, and do not allow for additional stops along the
way to or in the proximity of the approved destination. In addition,
travel to religious institutions, for example, monasteries, requires
separate travel permission even when such facilities are located in or
near approved destination cities. Foreign travelers not adhering
strictly to the terms of travel permits have reported being detained by
law enforcement authorities, and their drivers have been jailed.<br />
A
number of U.S.-Eritrean dual citizens have been arrested and some are
currently being held without apparent cause. Once arrested, detainees
may be held for extended periods without being told the reason for their
incarceration. Conditions are harsh - those incarcerated may be held in
very small quarters without access to restrooms, bedding, food, or
clean water. The Eritrean government does not inform the U.S. Embassy
when U.S. citizens, including those who are not dual nationals, have
been arrested or detained. Should the U.S. Embassy learn of the arrest
of a U.S. citizen, the Eritrean government rarely allows consular
access, regardless of the reason the U.S. citizen is being held.<br />
Starting
in 2012, the Government of Eritrea began arming its citizens with
automatic rifles, forming citizen militias. These armed civilian
militias patrol at night and are ordered to check individuals for
documentation. You should carry appropriate documentation with you at
all times. Those not carrying documentation of their identity and
military status may be subject to round-ups, sometimes by armed persons.
U.S. citizens should use extreme caution when encountering armed
persons.<br />
In observance of the Independence Day holiday of May 24,
travelers will notice an increase in the presence of military and police
personnel throughout Asmara during the months of April and May. It is
during these two months that military and police personnel most
frequently check documentation.<br />
The Eritrean government-controlled
media frequently broadcasts anti-U.S. rhetoric, and has done so
repeatedly since December 2009, when the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) first imposed sanctions on Eritrea. Anti-U.S. messages scripted
by the current regime, which often appear as cover stories in the sole
English-language state-run newspaper in Eritrea, have grown even
stronger since UNSC sanctions were strengthened in December 2011. <br />
Although
there have been no specific incidents of violence targeting U.S.
citizens, U.S. citizens are urged to exercise caution, stay current with
media coverage of local events, and be aware of their surroundings at
all times. <br />
U.S. citizens are strongly advised to avoid travel
near the Eritrean-Ethiopian border and the Southern Red Sea region. U.S.
citizens should be aware of the presence of large numbers of Eritrean
and Ethiopian troops along the Eritrean-Ethiopian border and of
political and military tensions between the two countries. In March
2012, Ethiopian troops attacked three locations approximately 10 miles
inside Eritrean territory. In January 2012, a group of tourists was
attacked in Ethiopia not far from the Eritrean-Ethiopian border. Five
tourists were killed and four others kidnapped. In May 2010, 13 people
were injured when a bomb exploded on a bus just over the border in
Ethiopia. In April 2010, a bomb near the border in Ethiopia killed five
people and injured 20. In January and February 2010, skirmishes between
Eritrean and Ethiopian troops resulted in military fatalities. Although
Eritrean forces have withdrawn from disputed territory at the border
with Djibouti, tensions in this area remain high. <br />
U.S. citizens
on ships and sailing vessels are strongly advised not to sail off the
Eritrean coast or to attempt to dock in Eritrean ports, refuel in
Eritrea, or travel through Eritrean waters. U.S. citizens are also urged
to avoid remote Eritrean islands, some of which may be used for
Eritrean military training and could therefore be unsafe. The Eritrean
government does not issue visas to persons arriving by marine vessel.<br />
Piracy
on the Red Sea continues to occur. Recreational vessels are strongly
encouraged to avoid the region entirely, and commercial vessels without
explicit agreements with Eritrean authorities are urged to avoid
Eritrean territorial waters. There have been incidents involving the
seizure of ships attempting to refuel at the Port of Massawa by the
Eritrean government as late as the spring of 2012. These seizures have
resulted in lengthy detentions of international crew members, including
U.S. nationals. Though the incidents were ultimately resolved and both
ships and crew released, the concern for future seizures is ongoing.
U.S. citizens are cautioned that commercial/tourist ships are not
allowed to dock at Eritrean ports, even to refuel.<br />
If transit
around the Horn of Africa is necessary, vessels should travel in
convoys, maintain good communications contact at all times, and follow
the guidance provided by the Maritime Security Center - Horn of Africa
(MSC-HOA). U.S. citizens should consult the Maritime Administration's
Horn of Africa Piracy page for information on maritime advisories,
self-protection measures, and naval forces in the region.<br />
Landmines
and unexploded ordnance remain a serious problem throughout the
country. There are reports of accidents and incidents in which vehicles
or people occasionally detonate mines. Many detonations occurred on
relatively well-traveled roads in and near the Gash Barka region of
western Eritrea; subsequent investigations indicated that several mines
were recently laid. In September 2011, press reported that a vehicle in
Senafe, 60 miles south of Asmara, ran over a landmine; five people were
killed and another 34 injured in the incident. Vast areas of the country
still have not been certified free of mines and unexploded ordnance
following the 30-year war for independence and the subsequent 1998-2000
conflict with Ethiopia. You should avoid walking alone and hiking in
riverbeds or areas that local government officials have not certified as
safe.<br />
U.S. citizens choosing to travel to Eritrea despite this
Travel Warning must obtain an Eritrean visa before their arrival.
Persons arriving in Eritrea without a visa are generally refused
admission and returned on the next flight back to their point of origin.
However, the Embassy is aware of persons being jailed for several
months after arriving without a visa. The Embassy urges U.S.-Eritrean
dual citizens to obtain an Eritrean visa in their U.S. passport before
traveling to Eritrea and to enter the country as U.S. citizens.
U.S.-Eritrean dual citizens who enter Eritrea with an Eritrean ID card
may find it difficult to obtain the required visa to legally exit the
country. The Embassy is aware of numerous cases in which U.S.-Eritrean
dual citizens have not been permitted to leave the country. The Embassy
cautions travelers not to stay beyond the period of time granted at the
time of admission by Eritrean Immigration. <br />
Crime in Asmara has
increased as a result of deteriorating economic conditions accompanied
by persistent food, water, and fuel shortages, and rapid price
inflation. The combination of forced, open-ended, low-paying, national
service for many Eritreans and severe unemployment leads some Eritreans
to commit crime to support their families. Eritrean authorities have
limited capacity to deter or investigate crime or prosecute
perpetrators. FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7480347765223944155.post-26000138915226661122013-05-10T12:50:00.000-07:002013-05-14T13:13:15.100-07:00Eritrea response Amnesty International"s new report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">E</span></span>ritrea Rejects Amnesty International's Wild Accusations</span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /> Eritrea rejects in the clearest of terms Amnesty International's wild
accusations that it has "jailed at least 10,000 political prisoners."<br /> Amnesty's transparently political assault on Eritrea
is totally unsubstantiated, with the organization unable to b<span class="text_exposed_show">ack its claims with facts. It is hardly surprising that it admits that it does not "know the exact figure."<br /> Amnesty claims that the prisoners are kept in "unimaginably atrocious
conditions." Once again this merely reflects its own fanciful
flights of imagination and is not based on credible evidence.<br /> Amnesty's cynical manipulation of human rights does not only
further erode its credibility but it is also a disservice to human
rights and the thousands of concerned people who back its
campaigns.<br /> Amnesty International knows full well that
Eritrea was born in a remarkable thirty year struggle for
human rights. The consolidation of the human rights of the people
of Eritrea in their diversity- ethnic and cultural groups, women,
youth, children, the disabled- remains an overriding priority for the
government and people of Eritrea.<br /> Eritreans are the first
to admit, and need no prompting to remind them, that they
still have a long way to go to secure a life of dignity and
prosperity for themselves in their young nation. By the same
measure, they don't hesitate to strongly rebuff all those who
abuse the vital cause of human rights in the pursuit of a political
agenda aimed at undermining Eritrea's efforts at comprehensive
nation-building.<br /> Stepping boldly into the political,
Amnesty International claims that "Twenty years on from the
euphoric celebrations of independence, Eritrea is one of the
most repressive, secretive and inaccessible countries in the
world." Eritreans and the thousands of foreigners from all over the
world who work and live in Eritrea cannot but wonder how far off
the mark Amnesty chooses to be, as the sordid picture it paints
resembles little to the reality.<br /> Undeterred, Eritreans and
their friends, not just in Eritrea, but all over the world will
be participating this month "in euphoric celebrations of
independence." Of course, Amnesty International will take no notice
of these indicators of the Eritrean people's stance, smug
in its self¬ righteous belief that it can, with impunity,
attack and denigrate a young nation, which despite many
odds, manages to progress and improve the lives of its citizens.</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Eritrean Foreign Ministry Press Statement, 09 May 2013 </span>FU BERHANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13788763550482878251noreply@blogger.com3