Author: Awate Team
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Eritrea: US State Department Report 2010
There were credible reports that several military conscripts died following torture and beatings. Security forces tortured and beat army deserters, draft evaders, persons living near mining camps, persons attempting to flee the country without travel documents, and members of certain religious groups. Examples of torture and mistreatment include: prolonged sun exposure in temperatures of up…
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Eritrea: Amnesty International Report 2010
The authorities interrogated, tortured and otherwise ill-treated critics of the government in an attempt to deter dissenting opinion. Prisoners were often whipped, kicked or tied with ropes in painful positions for prolonged periods. Prison conditions were dire. Many prisoners were held in underground cells or shipping containers and denied access to daylight. Conditions were overcrowded,…
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April 18 2011 Eritrean Demonstration In San Francisco
The Bay Area Committee for Peaceful Demonstration is holding a rally in San Francisco, CA on Monday, April 18, 2011. The theme of the demonstration is “Enough Is Enough: Isaias Must Go Now!” “Alena ms hzbna: We Are With Our People”, “We Are The Voice Of The Muzzled Eritreans.” Here are the specifics of the
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This Land Is Your Land, And So Are The Minerals
“This is like walking into Kalgoorlie before it was discovered … it’s a relatively stable country with an authoritarian government … No, we don’t expect an uprising.” That was Tim Goyder, CEO of Australian mining company Chalice Gold Mine. The “stable country with an authoritarian government” he is talking about is Eritrea. And the Kalgoorlie
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Eritrea: The 2010 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report
The United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office released its “Human Rights And Democracy: The 2010 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report in March 2011. The reports includes a detailed analysis of the status of human rights and democracy in 26 “countries of concern” which, of course, includes Eritrea. Also included in the 26 countries of concern
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What Eritrea Can Teach South Sudan
On the eve of the actualization of its long-dreamed statehood, South Sudan is showing worrying signs of hazards ahead. Each of the three driving forces in itself is a challenge, but combined they pose a threat so potent that it will require wisdom and some good fortune to avoid this calamity. And much of it
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Flawed Elections Are Better Than No Elections
The supporters of dictatorship (including the supporters of Isaias Afwerki’s one-man rule) often state that it is better to have no elections than “sham elections.” Djibouti is scheduled to hold presidential elections on April 8, 2011. The current president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has been Djibouti’s president since May 8, 1999 is expected to be
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Fox News Gets It Wrong On Eritrea
In a news article entitled “Eritrea to UN: Take This Aid And Shove It”, foxnews.com characterizes a letter from Berhane Abrehe, Eritrea’s Minister of Finance, to Dr. Mamadou Diallo, the UN Resident/Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Asmara, as a case of Eritrea offering a “stinging rebuff” to the United Nations. While this description may please those who hate
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An Editorial That Raises One Question: Is Isaias Afwerki Sane?
When Isaias Afwerki is finally removed from power, he will, like his sole friend Moammer Gaddaffi, have no friends to shed tears for him. This is because Isaias Afwerki has, in 20 long years, exhausted the patience of the world with his embarrassing behaviour. The recent undated press release which appeared on March 5th on the
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On Sanctioning The Eritrean Regime
On December 23, 2009, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea over “its role in Somalia” and its“refusal to withdraw troops following conflict with Djibouti.” This may be a good time to remind all that only Qaddaffi was opposed to the sanctions. The UNSC Resolution 1907 “stipulates arms embargo, travel restrictions, asset freezes” on
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2011: An Inspirational Year
Inspiring events are engulfing the Middle East region. So far, the Tunisian dictator has been overthrown, quickly followed by the Egyptian despot. Third in line is the Libyan mad man who will hopefully, along with his spoiled brat of a son, be thrown away soon. As these dynamic events are unfolding for the world to see, Eritreans
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Addis Abeba 2011: It’s 2002 All Over Again
Addis Abeba, 2002. The Eritrean alliance of opposition organizations is discussing the fate of the Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council (ELF-RC), which had been split into two wings. One wing, led by the late Seyoum Ogbamichael, stages a walk-out: subsequently, in the bitterness and recriminations that ensue after the split, the Seyoum Ogbamichael-led ELF-RC, describes the
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Alnahda.com: PFDJ Snares Ansaba And Meskerem
The following item was published in Arabic at www.alnahda1.8m.com. Awate.com has translated it and is publishing it for the benefit of its English readers. Awate Team The Eritrean Regime Begins The New Year With A Public Information Campaign Through Agents Nominally Affiliated With The Eritrea Opposition: Ansaba.com brought news and it was translated into Tigrigna by
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A profile of A Poet: Kiros Yohannes
Some say he is a reincarnation of the late poet Dr. Reesom Haile; others say he is a case of the student surpassing his teacher. But however you see him, Kiros Yohannes is a talented poet. He was born in Asmara in 1973. He completed his elementary schooling at Amanuel (now called Awet); his
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Eritrea: The Madness Of King Isaias Afwerki
“In views the President expressed regarding the confidential secretes [sic] leaked by the Wikileaks online network, President Isaias noted that the issue is not something surprising. “For some countries, diplomacy means lies, intrigue and hegemony, and as such an exposure of this type only demonstrates concrete evidence,” he elaborated. The President underscored that the dissemination
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Plagiarism And Quotation Marks
On Dec. 14, 2010, Mr. Goitom Emam, in an article which appeared at harnnet.org, (EPDP’s official website), accused one of our columnists, Amanuel Hidrat, of plagiarism. Amanuel has explained his position in his article of today, Dec. 29, 2010. Some writers have an understanding contrary to our understanding of plagiarism. We have informed Amanuel that our editorial
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Eritrea Every Year: “We Will Get’em Next Year”
In five months, Eritrea will be celebrating 20 years of freedom from foreign rule. Unfortunately, that is all we will be celebrating because, certainly, we won’t be celebrating freedom. For the last 19 years, the Eritrean tyrant has addressed the nation by expressing false progress for the year that just ended and making empty promises about
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2010: A Turning Point In Eritrean Politics
This website has been observing and reporting on the state of Eritrean opposition for the last ten years. In our view, the event with the most impact on the development in Eritrean opposition over the last ten years happened this year in Addis Abeba: the convening of the National Congress for Democratic Change (NCDC). 2010 is
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A Qatari Reporter’s Expose: The Dictator Has No Clothes
(The president’s face was irritated a little, his minister was resentful, and the other officials wrinkled, a moment of silence prevailed that was only disturbed by the voice of the president saying): By God, I do not know about this issue. This issue can be considered forgotten! (Interrupting, I said:) And we remind you of…
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PFDJ’s Eritrea: Klashnikov Diplomacy
Eritrea, under the despotic rule of the People’s Front for Democracy & Justice (PFDJ), has rushed to war and strolled to peace, and it has always accepted peace under terms much worse—after a lot of blood, toil, tears, and expenses—than the initial peace deals. The regime has had direct wars with Yemen (1995), Ethiopia (1998-2000),