ብህልቒት ኤርትራዊያን መንእሰያት ኣብ ላምፐዱሳ ኢጣልያ ፤ መን ኢዩ ተሓታቲ ፧

312 ሬሳ ግዳያት ኤርትራዊን ብምትሕብባር ሓለዋ ባሕሪ ኢጣልያ ካብ ባሕሪ ምስ ወጽአ

"ግደ ሓቂ ንምዝራብ
ብድሕሪት ሰይጣን ብቕድሚት ባሕሪ"

 

  ልዕሊ 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።
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።
ሽግርና ሰብ ዝሰርሖ እዩ። ስለ’ዚ ከኣ ሰብ ዝፈትሖ። ኣምላኽ የርህዎ! ሕልናኡ ናይ ዝዓረበ መህደሚ እዩ። ኣምላኽ ንዘይሰርሖ ሽግር ስለምንታይ ኣምላኽ ዘርህዎ? ስለምንታይ ባዕላትና ንዝሰራሕናዮ ሽግር ናብ ኣምላኽ ንድርብዮ? 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!
እሞ እንታይ ግበሩ ኢኻ ትብለና ዘሎኻ? ዝብል ሕቶ ከተሕሸሽኹ እስምዓኒ። እቲ ሓቂ ንንገሮም። ሃገር ንበላዕቲ ሓዲግካ ምህዳም መሰረታዊ ፍታሕ ኣይኮነን ጥራሕ ዘይኮነስ ንህይወት ሓደገኛ እዩ። ነዚ ሓቂ’ዚ ንንገሮም።
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።
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 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።

ህጻናት ግዳያት እቲ ሓደጋ ባሕሪ

እቶም ሓደገኛነት ናይ’ዚ መገሻ’ዚ እንዳፈለጡ “ኣብ’ዚ ሞት ኣብ’ቲ ሞት!” ኢሎም ዝነቐሉ ምዉታት ንባዕላቶም ተሳተፊ ናይ ገዛእ ቅትለቶም እዮም። እተን ህጻናትን ቈልዑትን ሒዘን ኣብ’ዚ ሓደገኛ መገሻ’ዚ ዝተሳተፋ ኣዴታት እውን ኣብ ምቕታል ደቀን ተሳቲፈን እየን። 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።
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።

                                                   ሓውኹም፣       ዳንኤል ሰ. ተስፋይ ጀርመን

Dozens Eritrean migrants die after boat sinks off Italy's coast

Dead bodies are covered with sheets at the port of Lampedusa

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.


Italian 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.
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.
"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.
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.
The vessel was thought to have left Libya, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.

some of the passengers rescued near Lampedusa early on Thursday.

Almost 500 people were reported dead or missing making the crossing from Tunisia to Italy last year, the UNHCR said.
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.
 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.

New sanctions on Eritrea

Security Council placed additional sanctions on Eritrea on 5th December 2011

Christian 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.
On 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.
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.
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.
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."
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."

"MeqaleH Forto (መቓልሕ ፎርቶ)" Underground Eritrean newspaper published

An 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 (Arbi Harnet) has announced. 
MeqaleH Forto, which means Echoes of Forto, is said to have been inspired by the attempted coup on 21 January 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.
Freedom Friday activists say that while their pilot circulations have been limited, there is plenty of room for expansion.
In its inaugural edition, MeqaleH Forto 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.
The paper is financed by supporters of the movement, who have are mainly been mobilised via Facebook and other social media platforms.
"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."
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.

Ethiopia opened new camp for Eritrean refugees

Eritrean refugee camp  Shimelba, Ethiopia

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. 

This 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.
The government has also set up a temporary medical clinic and reception facilities for arriving refugees.
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.

Eritrean refugees board a bus for transfer to a new refugee camp Hitsats.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Eritrean opposition members arrested in Sudan

Flag of Eritrean Islamic movement (Eritrean Jihad)

Eight members of an Eritrean opposition Movement have been arrested in Sudan’s border region, a leader of the exile group said on Wednesday.They were detained on Saturday around Kassala town, said a leader of the Eritrean Islamic Reform Movement, who asked not to be named.

He said all the detainees are members of the group’s military wing and include its chief, Abu Abbas.
Sudanese state security agents surrounded their homes and took them away, the activist said.
“Since then there has been no contact with their families. We are worried about them,” he said.
A United Nations expert said last week that the “dire” human rights situation in Eritrea is leaving its citizens no option but to flee.

founders of Eritrean Islamic Reform Movement at declaration of unity fusion between Eritrean Islamic Congress And the Islamic Council ,(27th May 2011)

Sheila Keetharuth told reporters in Geneva that thousands have escaped despite a shoot-to-kill policy for those trying to cross into neighbouring Ethiopia or Sudan.
Eastern Sudan is home to tens of thousands of ethnic Eritreans.
Opposition parties are banned under the regime of Issaias Afeworki, who has ruled the Horn of Africa nation since its independence in 1993.
  This news was originally posted by www.capitalfm.co.ke  click here to see the original post.

Swiss 'back' stricter asylum law

Switzerland a country which is a shelter for more than 18,000 Eritrean refugees had made new & stricter asylum law for Eritreans.  


The 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.
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.
The amendments 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.
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".
Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga insisted the changes were needed and stressed that they have significantly speeded up the application process.
"Leaving people and their families for so long wallowing in uncertainty is unacceptable," she said recently.
Switzerland currently counts 48,000 people in the process of seeking asylum, including 28,631 who arrived in 2012.
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.

"We are living a dream" Daniel Teklehaimanot and Natnael Berhane

Eritreans Teklehaimanot and Berhane are ensemblesur race World Tour

Daniel Teklehaimanot and Natnael Berhane, These two Eritreans are participating this week in the Critérium du Dauphiné 2013 France .

This is the first time that two Africans come together in a single World Tour race. "We are living a dream," 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 (*) with their many victories as an amateur, and Daniel Natnael integrated the World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle (Switzerland) to advance and foresee professionalism.
"Cycling is one of the most popular sports in our country, says Teklehaimanot (24) and pro since last year in the Australian team GreenEdge Orica, based in Italy. Eritreans enjoy cycling. When I ' was young, I watched the big races on television, I thought it was unattainable ... And now there is "To achieve this, the World Centre was an obligatory point of passage for many young people as cyclists from emerging countries.
"Without the World Cycling Centre, it would not become pro" (Daniel Teklehaimanot) 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) "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, says Daniel Teklehaimanot, the pioneer past by MCC between 2009 and 2011. Otherwise, we would not become professional. "
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 arrived at CMC in 2011, says neo-pro Europcar. Had a year together, Daniel helped me a lot."
That's an understatement! The second was even a "model" 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. "Since he was little, I know he is capable of excellent performance, says the elder, returning to competition after a seven-month absence due to a visa problem. 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! "
"Daniel has opened a way, I followed. Hopefully others will follow" Natnael Berhane
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 won the most difficult step, a summit finish at Elmali, which allowed him to wear the leader's jersey for three days. "I could not imagine having these results, it was amazing ", 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 am happy and lucky to be there, repeats at Natnael. This is a great race and more, we have the jersey yellow, with David Veilleux. This is perfect! "
However, the overall shows that they still bearing a cross:. Daniel is 98th in 12'47 "and the leader is ... Natnael 99th at 13'04" "For three years, I saw a dream, but I know it takes much work continues Europcar rider. Daniel has opened a way, I followed and now I hope that more of our countrymen succeed in becoming a professional. "
This modesty does not prevent them from having "a lot of dreams." 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.
Hope to participate in the 2014 guide there every day.

UN Urges the World to Keep Eritrea Under Scrutiny

Sheila B. Keetharuth  was appointed last year to the UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea.

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 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.”
Despite repeated requests,
theSpecial Rapporteur has not been granted access to Eritrea 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.

“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.”

patriarch Abune Antonios,under arrest since 2006

“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.”  
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.
“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.”
 
“Severe curtailment of freedom of movement, opinion, expression, assembly, association and the right tofreedom of religion 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.”
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.
“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.”

Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia

“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.
“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.
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.
“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.
  Click here to Check the SpecialRapporteur first report to the Human Rights Council

New York : Eritrean refugee gets 18 years in prison

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.
 

Awet 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.

“We do believe he will be subject to torture and perhaps execution,” said defense lawyer Andrew C. LoTempio.

Awet Gebreyesus

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.

Prosecutors have said the wound to her skull severed an artery, putting the victim in the hospital for several weeks.

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.

The judge ordered Gebreyesus to stay away from his wife and son for 25 years.

“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?”

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.

Gebreyesus, LoTempio said, had been the 500-meter cycling champion for Eritrea.

“He was somewhat of a noted celebrity,” LoTempio said in court.

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.

Gebreyesus’ behavior, however, had become a problem after he suffered a traumatic brain injury from a cycling fall, LoTempio said.

His symptoms were undiagnosed and continued after he resettled in the United States, his attorney said.

“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.”

“We are not using anything I say as an excuse,” LoTempio told the judge, “But there is an explanation to how this developed.”

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.

Israel Plans To Resettle Eritrean Migrants

An unidentified African country has agreed to take in Eritrean illegal immigrants living in Israel, if Israel gives them agricultural training first. according to Israeli court documents.

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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
She told the court she could not reveal the name of the country because the hearing was open to the public.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
“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.
 

Christians in Eritrea face extreme persecution

Eritrean Refugees worship at the Ebenezer Church in a camp in Ethiopia

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.

 WWM reports the stories of Christians around the world under pressure for their faith.

It indicated that the leader's name would not be used because of security reasons.
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.
Up to 3,000 Christians are imprisoned because of their faith in Eritrea.
Open Doors ranks the country 10th on its World Watch List and gives it the designation of "extreme persecution" on its scale.
Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) say many prisoners are held in metal shipping containers without ventilation or toilet facilities.
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.
Since then, it says the Eritrean government has jailed, tortured and jailed numerous Eritreans for political and religious reasons.
As a result, Eritrea has been called "the North Korea of Africa".
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.
"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."
"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."
There are 2.5 million Christians in Eritrea, mostly Orthodox, according to World Watch List.
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.
It said that there is "rampant repression" in the country 20 years after it split from Ethiopia and became independent.
"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.
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.
A report by International Christian Concern (ICC) indicated that Christians who try to flee have been kidnapped by human traffickers.
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."
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.
Even if the ransoms are paid, human traffickers may sell their victims to other criminal groups.
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.
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.
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.
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."
VOM says on its website that a religious liberty report indicated that Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki wants to restrict the right to assembly.
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.

Eritrean Natnael Berhane heading for WorldTour debut

Natnael Berhane celebrates his victory in stage 3 at the Tour of Turkey

Natnael 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. 
The 22-year-old Eritrean is racing his first season at the top level, and has already impressed with a stage victory in the Tour of Turkey, where became the first black African to win in an 'HC' ranked race and finished second overall.
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.

“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.

“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.”

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.

“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.

“They saw me win in Turkey and I received lots of messages of congratulations afterwards”

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.

“We spent two years together at the World Cycling Centre, first at Potchefstroem in South Africa then in Aigle, in Switzerland,” Berhane explained.

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.


The route for the race was announced on 15 April 2013.

Stage	Route	Distance	Type		Date
1	Champéry (Switzerland) to Champéry (Switzerland)	121 km (75.2 mi)		Medium-mountain stage	2 June
2	Châtel to Oyonnax	191 km (118.7 mi)		Flat stage	3 June
3	Ambérieu-en-Bugey to Tarare	167 km (103.8 mi)		Flat stage	4 June
4	Villars-les-Dombes to Parc des Oiseaux	32.5 km (20.2 mi)		Individual time trial	5 June
5	Grésy-sur-Aix to Valmorel	139 km (86.4 mi)		Medium-mountain stage	6 June
6	La Léchère to Grenoble	143 km (88.9 mi)		Flat stage	7 June
7	Le Pont-de-Claix to SuperDévoluy	187.5 km (116.5 mi)		Medium-mountain stage	8 June
8	Sisteron to Risoul	155.5 km (96.6 mi)		Medium-mountain stage	9 June

Eritrea calls Canada ‘bully’ after envoy’s expulsion

Eritrea accused Canada of bullying after Ottawa expelled its envoy for demanding money from expatriates to fund its army, said a statement seen on Thursday.

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.

Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael head of the Eritrean Consulate in Toronto

Eritrea condemned the expulsion and rejected the accusations, saying the services given at the consulate were “fully consistent” with diplomatic agreements and “do not violate international or Canadian laws”.
“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.
“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.
Canada asked the consul to stop the alleged fundraising in September after it was first revealed. The consul said it would comply.
But Canadian media reported last week 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.
 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”.
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.
Eritrea’s economy is struggling, and the government demands its expatriates pay a two-percent income tax via its embassies.
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.

Eritrean Afar refugees demonstrated

Thousands of Eritrean Afar refugees demonstrated at Berahle refugee camp located in Ethiopia's Afar region only few kilometers away from the Eritrean border.

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.

"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".

Rashid Saleh, the chairman of the Afar refugees youth association at Berahle camp was one of the

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.
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.

Eritrean Afar refugees kid playing in Berahle refugee camp

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.
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.
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.
Afwerki's regime has a zero-tolerance policy to dissidents and targets any citizen in suspected of being against the regime.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.

CALL FOR JUSTICE:

Meanwhile an exiled Eritrean opposition group has called on the international community to intervene on the ongoing atrocities against innocent Eritreans.
"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).
"We renew our calls on the international community to take actions in bringing the president and his inner circles to the International Criminal Court".

Canada orders Eritrea's consulate leave the country

Semere is under investigation over its alleged role in financing the repressive regime.

Canada has ordered an Eritrean envoy to leave the country following claims he demanded contributions from expatriates to pay for Eritrea's military.

Semere Ghebremariam O Micael, head of the Eritrean Consulate General in Toronto, has been under investigation

The 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.
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.
"Today’s actions speak for themselves," Baird said. "Canada has repeatedly made clear to Eritrea to respect international sanctions and Canadian law."
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.
Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to Baird, gave more of an explanation when he spoke to reporters Wednesday morning.
"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."
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.
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."

Eritreans say tax collection ongoing

The CBC's Rick MacInnes-Rae reported last week 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.
The consulate later indicated in writing that it would comply.
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."
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.
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.

Eritrean rep must 'play by the rules'

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.
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.
Canada later adopted them, meaning those who pay are violating UN sanctions and may also be breaking Canadian law according to past reports.
"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.
"Our resolve on this matter should not be further tested," he said.
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.

African Civil Society Calls for AU Action On Eritrea

African Civil Society 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

 EXCELLENCIES,

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
* 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;
* 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;
* 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.
Excellencies, we thank you for your attention to these concerns. We remain available to provide further information as may be useful.
                 signed by Organizations &  Individuals

Eritreans in Canada : consul still demands cash from them

The entrance to the Consulate General of Eritrea, located in Toronto

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.
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.
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.
"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."
What would happen if he didn't?
"My family [in Eritrea] would get in trouble if I don't pay," he said.

Threats and intimidation

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.
"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.
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.
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."
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.
The consulate later indicated in writing that it would comply.
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.
"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.
"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."

Refusing to pay

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.
"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."
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.
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.
Hagos, a former journalist in the Eritrean capital of Asmara, speaks for HIDMONA, the Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group of Manitoba.
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.
"They said they were very concerned about it. They said they would seriously study the matter and take the appropriate action," Hagos said.
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.
"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.

Reliance on diaspora for cash

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.
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.
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.
Canada later adopted them, meaning those who pay are violating UN sanctions and may also be breaking Canadian law according to past reports.
Through it all, the consul has not been shy about his country's intention to keep collecting cash no matter how Canada views it.
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.
"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.
"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."
To that end, Ghazae Hagos of HIDMONA says Eritrea has adopted some opaque banking methods.

Money wired to Germany

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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
"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."
Ghazae Hagos of the Eritrean-Canadians Human Rights Group of Manitoba said he would like to see the Eritrean Consulate closed.
"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."
CBC News contacted the Eritrean Consulate three times in the past week to request comment, but telephone calls were not returned.