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Canada expelling Eritrean diplomat for using consulate to shake down citizens for ‘national defence’

TORONTO — Canada is expelling an Eritrean diplomat after he was caught using his consulate in Toronto as a fundraising front for the repressive African regime and its military in violation of international sanctions. Consul Semere

TORONTO — Canada is expelling an Eritrean diplomat after he was caught using his consulate in Toronto as a fundraising front for the repressive African regime and its military in violation of international sanctions.

Consul Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael was ordered home Wednesday after a government investigation confirmed his office was soliciting money from expatriates — some of it explicitly for the Eritrean armed forces.

The fundraising scheme was illegal because the United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on the Eritrean military over its support for armed groups in the Horn of Africa such as the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab.

“Canada has taken steps to expel (declared persona non grata) Mr. Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael, Consul and head of the Eritrean Consulate General in Toronto, effective immediately,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement.

Mr. O. Micael must leave Canada by noon on June 5. As is typical in such cases, the government gave no explanation for the expulsion. The statement said only that Ottawa had repeatedly told Eritrea to respect international sanctions and Canadian law.

“Today’s actions speak for themselves,” Mr. Baird said.

The expulsion is meant to send a message to the Eritrean regime that its illicit fundraising practices would not be tolerated in Canada. It comes after Foreign Affairs had repeatedly warned Eritrea in diplomatic notes to stop.

But the consul continued anyway and last week the National Post revealed that as recently as two weeks ago he was still using his office to pressure Canadians to hand over 2% of their wages to the regime, as well as an additional $300 to $500 for the country’s military.

“I think it had to happen. The consulate was warned and ignored the warning,” said David Matas, the Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group’s senior legal counsel.

“The people who were being victimized were Canadian dual nationals and permanent residents. It was essential that the government of Canada stand up for Canadians being victimized on Canadian soil by a foreign government.

In an interview Monday, Mr. Micael denied he was collecting taxes and insisted he was only providing “information” on how donate to his impoverished government. He also said he had not collected money for the military for “five, six years.”

But an internal letter distributed by the consulate last August explained how to send money collected in Canada to the regime’s military. “Victory to the masses!” read the one-page letter, obtained by the National Post.

It told consulate “representatives” how to use a German bank account to transfer “payments” from Canada meant for Eritrea’s Ministry of Defence. Dated Aug. 31, 2012, the letter was evidence of an organized attempt by the Eritrean consulate to fundraise for the state and its armed forces in defiance of Canada’s repeated demands that it stop.

Eritrean-Canadians had long complained about the taxation system, calling it extortion. The Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group recently provided new evidence of the ongoing fundraising scheme to the Post as well as to Foreign Affairs, which was already conducting its own investigation.

Mr. Micael was Eritrea’s only accredited diplomat in Canada. The government statement said Eritrea was welcome to send a replacement “but that person must be prepared to play by the rules. Our resolve should not be further tested.”

Since winning independence 20 years ago following a war with Ethiopia, Eritrea has fomented instability in the region by supplying weapons, training and cash to several armed groups. As a result, in 2009 the UN imposed sanctions on Eritrea.

A one-party state, the country is one of the world’s most repressive and impoverished. It has failed to develop a formal economy and is dependent on “diaspora taxes” imposed on the large number of expatriates who have fled the country.

The taxes are collected at embassies and consulates around the world, including until recently in Toronto. The UN reported that “threats, harassment and intimidation against the individual concerned or relatives in Eritrea” were used to extract tax payments.

National Post

Link: Canada expelling Eritrean diplomat for using consulate to shake down citizens for ‘national defence

 

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125 COMMENTS
  • gidewon May 29, 2013

    Good news!!!!elelelellllll.

    • Nahom May 29, 2013

      very soon Eritrean people will declare that dictator Isiyas Afwerqi a persona non Grata and will expel him to the hell to meet his friends Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam, Ghadafi etc.

  • Samuel May 29, 2013

    That money was going to prolong the regime’s life in power .The poor Eritrean people is suffering under brutal leadership. Also the Canadian government has to take the same measures for those who are puppets of the regime living in Canada. “Today’s actions speak for them selves”

  • Awet May 29, 2013

    Thank you Canada! You made my day. The brutal dictator is hit where it hurts. I wish other governments follow with the same initiative.

    Samuel, indeed I hope the Canadian government will go after individuals who are funding the terrorist regime that is terrorizing our people and the people of the Horn of Africa.

  • Tes May 29, 2013

    Well done Eritrean Human right agents in Cansda. Your hard work paid off and thanks Canadian gov for your bold stand against the tyrant.

  • TwoWayStreet May 29, 2013

    As TwoWayStreet
    -I don’t pay 2%, don’t want to pay 2%, because I believe duties and rights go together. The reason: the Eritrean government is happy to receive my duty but is not protecting my civil rights.
    -I believe the UN and other organizations and countries have no right to block the payment of 2%tax paid willingly by Eritreans abroad. The issue here is that the Eritrean consulate is forcing Eritreans abroad to pay 2%. But they can not force you to pay, you are out of Eritrea. The only thing they can do is deny you services like entry visa, buy a house, run a business in Eritrea. Some may also say the government is harassing our families back home. So the only thing that the international community should do is find a way to stop the human rights abuse by the Eritrean government.
    -PFDJ supporters in Canada, How do you feel now? are you feeling sad the your boss is becoming increasingly isolated, or are you happy that you no longer have to pay the 2%? Was your support a lip service, or you are a true supporter and will find a way around this to pay your duties? I guess it is a mixed feeling?
    -PFDJ: this is the result of 22 years or wrong diplomatic, political, social and military policy. The rope is tightening around your neck. What is your next move???????

  • Andebrhan Ekube May 29, 2013

    Thank you Canada for the right action against the dictator regime.
    I hope all countries will do the same .
    You really got him where it hurts to the dictator servant Semere Ghebremariam .
    Mr Semere when you leave in Eritrea you will find it out how the people are suffering under the dictator . You learn the hard way .

  • mender May 29, 2013

    እቶም ደንጎላታት ሓደ ልቦም እንታይ ክብሉ እዮም ሕጂ? በሉ ንሶም እዮም ዘይከፍሉ 2 ካብ ሚእቲ ኣብ ዓዲ ሓድጎም ኣብ ወጻኢ ዝነብር ክንደይ ግዘ ከፈራርሑ ፧እዞም ኣብ ወጻኢ ዘሎና ድከቶም ክነስትዮም እሎና ነዞም ምስሉያት ንኢሰያስ ዘምልኩ ኤርትራ እንታይ ኢሎማ፡ ማንኪ ነይድሕን

  • Genet May 29, 2013

    Now, that is an action by Eritrean-Canadan that is impressive. Good Job Guys! Proud to be Eritrean.
    Genet

    • Asmara2 May 29, 2013

      Miss. ጠራዕራዕ (Ghenet, Genet – same shit)

      Let us put your Eritrean-ness and your truthfulness to test:

      Do you still have family inside Eritrea?

  • Salim May 29, 2013

    Torture by Army Peacekeepers in Somalia Shocks Canada

    By CLYDE H. FARNSWORTH
    Published: November 27, 1994

    The snapshots, entered as exhibits in court-martial proceedings, show Canadian soldiers at a desert outpost in Somalia posing with a blindfolded, bruised and bloodied Somali teen-ager, who was tortured until he died a few hours later.

    Mr. Arone ( 16-year-old Shidane Abukar Arone) was seized at 9 P.M. and taken to a holding area where he was blindfolded and tied up. According to testimony, he was punched in the jaw, kicked with heavy military boots, struck with a baton, burned on the soles of his feet with a cigarillo and smashed in the shins with a metal bar.

    • Genet May 29, 2013

      Salim
      My brother, YOU NEED TO FOCUS; WE ARE TALING ABOUT OUR PEOPLE, WHO ARE SUFFERING UNDER A DICATOTR. WE WILL NOT HAVE A FUTURE IF THEIS CONT.
      Genet

      • Salim May 29, 2013

        You are living in your own small world. That is your problem. There is not such thing as dictatorship in Eritrea.

        • Genet May 29, 2013

          Salim
          That is it! I lost you for ever! I think you are genuinely naive and you blong to PFDJ PARTY NOTING ELSE. It is just sad. ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE ERITREAN?
          Genet

    • Genet May 29, 2013

      Salim
      This is only the beginning. Eritrean are starting to act like they are Eritrean. If the Dictator send anther gutless and soulless PFDJ operative, to replace the disgreace Mr O.Micael, Eritrean-Canadian will be on his tail. There is a possibility that Mr O.Micael may not go back to Eritrea; That will be funny story.
      Genet

      • Salim May 29, 2013

        Geneta,

        It has more to do with qurmdna than politics.

    • Tes May 29, 2013

      Salim,

      get something to pass your time. You are all over mixing things like a toddler painter. Here is discussion for adults. Look you are talking about Somalia where every one is talking what happen in Canada about Eritrean diplomat. And don’t call names if you have any thing say, say it in civilized manner then we will take as adult.

      • Salim May 29, 2013

        Tes-Tas ugum. nay men memhr ktkewn iKa tftn zeloKa::

  • Ghenet May 29, 2013

    Thank you Canada!!!!!!!!!!!
    I am sure all the Eritreans in underground prisons and Sinai desert would say thank you. We hope many more countries to follow suite.

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