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EHDR-UK in Collaboration with NECS-Europe
An Appeal to African Union
London, 29 October 2002
Mr. Amara Essy,
African Union
The Secretariat
PO Box 3243
Addis-Ababa
Ethiopia
Your Excellency,
Allow us to start by congratulating you warmly, for being the
first Chairperson of the nascent African Union of which Eritrea is a
member. Your tireless
commitment is credit to yourself, your country and the continent of
Africa.
Article 3 (e), (g) and (h) of The Constitutive Act of The African
Union stipulates that the objectives of the Union shall be to encourage
international cooperation, taking due account of the Charter of the
United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; promote
democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good
governance; promote and protect human and peoples’ rights in accordance
with the African Charter on Human
and Peoples’ rights and other relevant human right instruments.
Based on article 3 (e), (g), (h), and the African Charter on Human
and Peoples’ rights we would like to address the following:
Your Excellency is well aware of the national crisis that the
Eritrean people find themselves in. The Government of Eritrea has been
and is still committing violations against the basic rights of its own
citizens. The nature and details of these violations have been
consistently reported by major news outlets, international organisations,
human rights groups and neighbouring countries. For quite sometime now
Eritreans themselves have been forwarding strong demands to the Eritrean
Government which but went in
vain.
Eritrea: Government critics
and journalists held in incommunicado detention
Amnesty International called on the Eritrean authorities to
immediately and unconditionally end the unlawful detention of dozens of
prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders, as it released a new
report Eritrea: Arbitrary detentions of government critics and
journalists.
"These arbitrary detentions place Eritrea in contravention of
international and regional human rights treaties which the government has
only recently ratified. They also foster a climate of impunity on the
part of authorities," Amnesty International said.
Amnesty International
press release
18 September 2002
Call for sanctions to free 18
journalists still in jail a year after ban on independent media
Reporters Without Borders called on the international community to
take sanctions against the rulers of Eritrea to force them to lift their
year-old ban on all privately-owned media and to free 18 jailed journalists.
‘It is unacceptable that, with complete impunity, a government can
deprive a whole people of their right to be informed’, said Reporters
Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard. ‘We especially urge
the United Nations and the European Union to take action and we appeal to
the Eritrean authorities, notably President Issaias Afeworki, to allow
all privately-owned media to operate again’, wrote Ménard
Reporters Without Borders
17 September 2002
European Union Parliament
condemned the human rights violations in Eritrea,
Reference: Presidency statement on behalf of the European Union on
Eritrea: Bull. 10-2001, point 1.6.13 Adopted on 7 February.
‘ ... Condemns the human rights violations in Eritrea, in
particular the crack-down on students in August 2001, as well as the
arrest of the 11 dissidents and the shutting down of the independent
press in September 2001; Calls for the release of all political prisoners
in general and the 11 public figures in particular, known as G15, who
wrote an open letter to the President of Eritrea, criticizing his
authoritarian leadership of the country; Calls for the ban on an
independent press to be lifted’.
US State Department’s voicing
Concern About Human Right Violations in Eritrea
On 18 Oct 2002, the State Department reiterated U.S. concern about human
rights violations in Eritrea. The message stated:
‘The Eritrean government has shut down independent
media, detained journalists and implemented new restrictions on the
freedom of religion, while refusing to implement a constitution and
postponing national assembly elections that were to have been held last
December. [The US] called on the government of President Isaias
Afworki to return to the basic values of democracy and human rights as,
he said, ‘it has repeatedly committed itself to do’.
US State Department – 18 October 2002
In general, the prevailing conditions in Eritrea are of immense
violation of human rights, of a state of lawlessness and of the arbitrary
application of force to herd people to perform services in breach of the
relevant provisions of the Eritrean Constitution, various international
treaties and accords that Eritrea is signatory of.
In addition to the social unrest, dissatisfaction, mayhem and
violations of basic human rights, the starvation of millions of Eritreans
that is hanging like a dark cloud over the lives of innocent and helpless
Eritreans is an indication or a symptom of layers of extremist attitudes
or policies of the Government of Eritrea. Kenzo Oshima, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, as he
wrapped up his three-day mission to Eritrea said ‘Right now, Eritreans need to commit many of
their resources to coping with the residual effects of war, but can't
because of the drought. It makes my heart heavy to think what will happen
a few months down the road if the international community does not
respond quickly’. (source: UN news centre).
As you are well aware, another major problem is emerging at this very
moment. The country, as it is being broadcast in major media outlets, is
on the verge of going to war with another neighbouring country, the
Sudan. Three of the neighbouring countries, namely, the Sudan, Yemen and
Ethiopia, have recently held a meeting in Yemen on matters of mutual
concerns with regards to Eritrea’s unfriendly activities in the region.
We have learned with much relief that the AU's Conflict Resolution
body decided to send a delegation to help diffuse the tension between
Eritrea and the Sudan following a meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis
Ababa (source: IRIN 14 Oct. 2002). Your Excellency has also expressed his
deep concern over the recent disturbing developments in the relations
between the two countries. We would like, in particular, at this stage to
commend the role that African Union is playing in this regard and express
our gratitude for your quick reaction that permitted the AU to send a
delegation. The people of Eritrea want peaceful coexistence and mutual
respect with their neighbours and would resolve, if they had the power,
any conflict through dialogue and diplomatic channels.
The African Unity has had ample experience of mediating between
Ethiopia and Eritrea during the border war. We are confident that
experience was quite useful to the fact-finding mission of the OAU of the
unnecessary and undiplomatic nature of the Eritrean regime in handling
discords.
Your excellency,
At this point in time, the people of Eritrea, particularly those
inside the country, are hostages of the system. Riddled by deep fear and
locked up in an implacably closed society, they cannot express what is
really in their hearts and minds. And there is apparently little they can
do to control the unbridled powers of the Eritrean leadership. But not the African Union. But
not the champions of human rights and advocates of Eritrean democracy
outside the country.
Taking into account all the above mentioned violations of human
rights perpetrated by the Government of Eritrea against its own citizens,
Your excellency would agree with us that there is a violation of article
3 and systematic and generalized violations of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ rights.
Serious concerns have already been expressed by the African
Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, hence, Network of Eritrean
Civic Societies - Europe would like to take the case a step further.
Our organisation is ready to provide all necessary evidences and willing
to meet the relevant authorities of the African Union in order to discuss
the tragic situation of our people as soon as possible.
We believe democratic and free Eritrea is the sine-qua-non
condition to bring sustainable peace and stability in the region. This is
in the interest of the Eritrean people as well as the entire Horn of
Africa. That’s why we call upon the African Union to resolutely stand by
them.
Thank you,
Eritreans for Justice and
Democracy - Benelux
Eritreans
for Human- and Democratic Rights - United Kingdom
Eritrean League for
National Reconciliation - Sweden
Eritrean Association for
Peace and Democracy - Sweden
Popular Movement for
Democracy in Eritrea - Sweden
Eritrean Association for
Peace and Democracy - Sweden
Unionen För Eritreanska
Kultur Förening - Sweden
Eritreans For Peace and
Democracy - Switzerland
Eritrean free discussion in
Baden-Würrtenberg - Germany
Coordination Committee For
Eritrean Democrats - Italy
Eritrean Reconciliation
Forum - United Kingdom
Eritrean Unity Forum - Germany
fdsafsa
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