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Eritrea: ‘10,000 political prisoners in awful conditions’ – BBC

Thousands of political prisoners are being held by Eritrea in "unimaginably atrocious conditions", says Amnesty International, and not one has ever been charged with any crime. The rights group says at least 10,000 people have been

Thousands of political prisoners are being held by Eritrea in “unimaginably atrocious conditions”, says Amnesty International, and not one has ever been charged with any crime.

The rights group says at least 10,000 people have been jailed for political reasons since President Isaias Afewerki came to power 20 years ago.

It says torture is widespread in a network of detention centres.

Eritrea’s ambassador to London Tesfamicael Gerahtu denied the charges.

He told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme that the number of 10,000 people imprisoned was a “mythical” figure and that people were free to express their view in the country.

The Eritrean ambassador also confirmed that Eritrea’s long-time Information Minister Ali Abdu had fled the country “about six months ago” but did not say why.

Some of those imprisoned are journalists or critics of the government, the Amnesty report says. Others have practised an unregistered religion, or tried to flee the country or avoid conscription into the army.

In most cases, prisoners’ families are not informed of their whereabouts, and often never hear from their relative again.

“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’s Eritrea researcher.

Continue reading the main story

Eritrea in focus

  • Once an Italian colony, Eritrea gained independence from neighbouring Ethiopia in 1993 after a 32-year armed struggle
  • Relations with Ethiopia, a key US ally, deteriorated and the neighbours fought a border war between 1998 and 2000 in which some 100,000 people were killed
  • The UN imposed sanctions on Eritrea in 2009 after accusations that President Isaias Afewerki’s government was backing anti-Ethiopian Islamist insurgents in Somalia
  • Eritrea is the only African country to have no privately owned news media
  • The UN estimates that 3,000 Eritreans left the country each month last year – often fleeing poverty and national service for men until the age of 40
  • Eritrea is said to be on the brink of a mining boom, but economic progress is hampered by the proportion of those in the army rather than the workforce

“Twenty years on from the euphoric celebrations of independence, Eritrea is one of the most repressive, secretive and inaccessible countries in the world.”

Helicopter position

The facilities used as detention centres include underground cells or shipping containers, Amnesty says.

The group says some prisoners are left for days in what is known as the helicopter position – lying face down with their hands and feet bound together.

It says it has received many reports of deaths in detention resulting from torture, the bad conditions or suicide.

A former detainee held in a detention centre in Barentu told Amnesty:

“The room was about 2.5m by 3m [8 by 10 feet] and we were 33 people. It is very, very hot. The door is closed, the ceiling is low, about 2m. The temperature was about 50C.

“A boy, about 17 years old, was about to die. We were not permitted to speak, but we banged the door. They [the guards] told us they would kill all of us if we did not stop shouting. We couldn’t do anything to help him.”

Amnesty is calling for all prisoners to be either immediately charged with a recognisable crime or released.

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78 COMMENTS
  • ማሊሻ May 10, 2013

    wedi Zere said,

    Dear Kalighe,
    Its kind sad that we are more concerned and waste most of our times worrying about a nation that is 20 times larger than we are and endowed with abundant natural resources but best of all,a nation where the rule of law prevails when we have our little Eritrea that has become a nightmare to the region in general and to its own people that fought so hard to be free in particular.The magnitude of the atrocities that have been committed in our little land against our poor people in the last 22 years can ONLY and ONLY be compared to that of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge rule(1975-1979)
    We should be worried and more concerned about the motherland we all love that is falling apart and dying slowly in the hands of yesteryear’s tegadeltti and today’s shefatu.We should spend our valuble time on how to save our youth that are vanishing in the deserts,deep sea,African prisons and in the hands of Bedouins.We are too little and too insignificant to be compared with Ethiopia.Speaking of border demarcation,I think its stupid to be obsessed and argue about demarcation when we have a nation that can’t survive without the cooperation of Ethiopia.If truth is to be told,Eritrea is a nation that can’t stand on its feet and with no viable economy to live on and neither Djibouti.Our colonizers,the Italians and later the British knew it and that was why the Italians renounced their claim officially in 1947. It makes me sad and sick that even our stupid educated ones failed to understand that we still had to turn to Ethiopia to make use of our stupid ports to survive after we fought them tooth and nail.I am not saying that the previous Ethiopian repressive regimes shouldn’t be fought but they should have been fought to be replaced with a democratic ones.The end always justified the means though,after the end of our 50 years madness,neither freedom nor a nation with a viable economy achieved but a nation that is totally left to the mercy of a lunatic man with all kinds of power under the sun.I regret to be part of a generation that applauded the flawed,unrealistic and fake revolution that we call “gedlli” that has become the source of all the miseries,agonies and sufferings of our people and always will.

    Ezi Wedhanka,

  • bihat May 10, 2013

    Eventhough i can understand the bitterness of the late eritrean history i would like to see the couse from two different perpectives.
    The innocent tegadelti who gave their life and dignity and those who abuse it which we unfortunatly fail to understand until it was too late.
    The Eritrean peaple have done the undone to wright its history of independence.And obviously any sane human being understands that we deserv much better but do we have the right to victimize the gedli and tegadelti generaly?NOOOOO…
    Folkens we should not forget that thos who passed intentionally for our best those whom we use to remember on “20 SENE”are part and parcel of the sacred gedli though it was not what they passed for

    To my understanding the scenario looks like as a full loaded bus and a car were on the race but the car made it first to the line and raised the flag while the bus remained behind without understanding the intention of those who were in the car ALAS! Hijacked.

    Bus this should not bring us to underestimate our identity,our values as to victimize our nation becouse it is not our choice to be where we are now.
    We should instead try to see beyond the cloud and shape the aftermath cos based on the law of natur all and averything has the end as it has the begning.EZIWIN KIHALIF EYU

    Yes Eritrea can stand on its feet as a nation proveded it gets the chance of stability and there is harmony and respect for ourselves and our compatriat eritreans.

    Lets not forget what our fathers and mothers thought us and did for us not to mention those who passed for us.

    The U.N.the U.S. HIDEF sanction or not sanction,Ethiopia,security council…is not the solution.
    The solution is first and formost starting to liberate ourselves from within ourselves becouse unfortunatly pertoday Eritreanism is not as it used be and the worst part is the generation gap is geting wider and wider to make the case worse.

    The solution is in our hands!
    May god forgive us and bless Eritrea!

  • sidiabdu@gmail.com May 10, 2013

    I think we should work with the break of Eritrea. Those who want to stay and continue life with the Issias can do so with impunity. Those of us who believe that there is a better way can experiment with our dream. I assure our dream can not be as worse as life under Issias;not close.

  • Ahmed Omer May 11, 2013

    Dear Amanael amaaneal thanks for your doing good job
    In calling the victims and talk them you concentrated in one side which is sinai’s our brothers tragedy in case when you call and talk with the victims only you talk about limited criminals who share in these unique criminals but you are not talking about the main incariger .Amaaneal please be honest and talk about this bloody issue clearly in this case four countrie’s has a main responsible directly or in directly Rashaida and badouin are small parts in issue the country who should protect these victims is Eritrean regime on the other hand Sudan Egypt and Israel .look the amazing is Eritrean regime has strong relationship and ssupporting the three countries .Did you hear about (inda clawit
    some cars and some houses

    • A.A Yassin May 11, 2013

      Many Arab and Islamic countries have good realtionship with Saudi Arabia but they can not have influence on the country on matters concerning the treatment of their nationals working and living there.

  • hagos May 11, 2013

    There are serious human right violation in Ethiopia also.Amnesty International report is baseless and masterminded by some woyane groups and diaspora elements.PIA will soon reveal the drama plotted behind the scene.

    • T.hiwot May 11, 2013

      Does the fact that there is human right violation in ethiopia justify what is happning in eritrea .hagos when the topic is Eritrea dont jump to acuse Ethiopia.There are enough Ethiopians to do that .do your own home work.

    • jonas May 11, 2013

      Hagos
      What crap are you talking about? Who cares what happens in Ethiopia, besides Ethiopia must be a better alternative than Eritrea for thousands Eritrean refugees who cross the border into Ethiopia every month.

    • Amir Akeza May 11, 2013

      Dear Hagos,
      Stay focused on the the relevant matter. Tell PIA, when he is ready to reveal the drama:
      1. all prisoners to be either immediately charged with a recognizable crime or
      released.
      2. Improve the prison conditions where the charged prisoners are detained
      3. Treat lawful prisoners humanly and allow relatives visit them and reveal
      their whereabouts.

      Do not try to justify human right violation in Eritrea by telling us something grave is being done in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. If you really love Eritrea and its leadership, let us tell the government what it has to do to fix the problems on ground in a constructive manner before situations are out of hand.

      • MightyEmbasoyra May 11, 2013

        What surprising me the most is that people who depend on government coupons, for almost their US lives, complain about this government and praise isayas. How absurd is this? If isayas’s government is better than the US, what the heck are they doing here?
        Weak mind always complains on non sense things, while strong minds seek for solutions.

  • hagos May 11, 2013

    Am quite surprised to hear the annual report of amnesty international out come .How do they get this figure in the first place.as we know that eritrea has no opposition at all at home.secondly unless other prisoners of believe or who committed crimes in general where did these prisoners come from ? it is totally comes from those who have anti eritrea agenda otherwise.it is baseless and untrue.As we eritreans aware that we are under the west sanction based on lies and propaganda for their own self interest in purchasing minerals and resources of countries after they plant the the yes sir leader in africa in general and in africa in particular.when you preaching us how good life is under democracy we learn a lot from its result in afgan iraqi,libya egypt,sirya,and others.mister super powers go to hell with all that staff called democracy.

  • hagos May 11, 2013

    show us how democratse you are by the rule of low as a garantier of algers agreement first so then we will assess how good is your plan in our country

  • Truly truly i say to you May 11, 2013

    Part 1
    Ladies and Gentlemen allow me today to share you something strange idea to which i say it it could be helpful for our society; to which is widely known and believed by developed society, but to that is ignored in our undeveloped mostly ignorant society, because the knowledge is strange to us. When i say this, it seems like i am saying i am educated person, i am going to teach you something like that. But even i am not ashamed to tell you the fact as i have no higher education completed like most of you have for instance the first degree. So above the knowledge of God i somehow little know and believes that, believe me i am not a mathematician or physicker or something like that , i am poor ordinary guy, but who with his God who have strong courage and hope . However like i believe in only one God Jesus Christ, i believe too God as has given knowledge to human being every thing to do what ever likes to do as well. Because of that reading the interesting Semeres comment above like This, ” This is not new to Eritreans. The real challenge is what the International community will do with this information. On other regions they are quick to respond and to disseminate information. What about for Eritrea?” And reading to the given interesting answer by Haben like this,” No petrol no intervention!” i would say you this…

  • Truly truly i say to you May 11, 2013

    part 2
    First of all i somehow disagree with the answer, ” No petrol no intervention!” The western quick intervention in our nation like , i don´t think it is based because of oil, or mine exploitation interest only, like most of you meek assumeing, but there is also a political, ideological or other strategicakl interest as well. Above Petrol or others natural resources interst , weather you believe it or not. The human knowledge capacity this time, has a big role to influence every nations natural resources if you like to be stolen or to be transfered systematically from one nation to the other neighboring state by using human technical or physics knowhow. This could be for most of you a strange or in your little mind could be un imaginable. But i say you if for instance there is oil in Nigeria, Nambia or Sudan it is possible technically to transfer it to the neigbouring state be it by direct influence nature even it be considering like stealing, or by other system indirectly. Don´t ask me how! I already told you as my self have no knowledge, but i believe as it is possible as far as their is wisdom. For instance to that reported in Bible story ; how the Israelites was crossing the Red Sea,” As Lord told Moses to lift up his walking stick and with the stick after Moses hold it out over the sea, and the the water because divided the Israelites as able to walk through the sea on dry ground reported , ( Read all the story “Exodus 14; 13-21)you better yourself to understand if you will!) I heard it one Russian physiker when explained it, as it is possible to do same again and again by using Physic sciences and human knowledge. I know this as it could be a threat for most believers like me, but sorry like it is written,“ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. He will show him even greater things to do than this, and you will all be amazed.“(John 5; 20) .without hestitae i can say you everything is posible to do like God do to do. So my people either for good or bad i say you too in human science knowledge as possible is even climate to change or (migrate)as like as it needed to certain needed place, state or continantes. In other word what i am saying is human knowledge science can causeing rain or can forbid rain as well, sothat to some porticular area to make priviageous or missprivilageous . Like it is written, Prophet Elijah was the same kind of person as we are. He Prayed earnestly that there would be no rain , and no rain fell on the land for three and a half years. Once again he prayed, and the sky poured out its rain and the earth producesd its croups“ (James, 5; 17-18, or 1st king 17;1) like that is all the matter.

  • Truly truly i say to you May 11, 2013

    Part 3 and final
    Even to that we call it most time it is a natural catastrophe when earthquake, tsunami, famine what ever you call it happened naturally, i believe too with deliberate human activity as possible is to cause the same if it needed. So my my point is as far as human knowledge and wisdom is since that much is so sophisticated and advanced to do both good and bad, i don´t think the westerns are intervening in one nation for only economical reason, but there is also like i said, it be a political, ideological strategy agenda too, which i couldn´t totally say it for wrong or egoistic agenda, but it could be also for good and right motive God´s agenda as well. As about our nation regards, the reason up to now we don´t see an imidate intervention most likey it seems to me, because they like to favorite Ethiopia politically could be than ours. Ofcourse without denying the ongoing illegal mine exploitation of our Gold and others mine resources. So it is must everything to see in other perspective too. Thanks!

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