Press Release: Reasons for Boycotting the Eritrean
Government Sponsored Fund-raising and Political Campaign
The Eritrean government sponsored fund raising and
political campaign activities are due to start on Friday January 5th,
2007. Despite the futile attempt by the regime’s representatives in
Australia to disguise this manifestly political event and making
it to appear as a cultural celebration is cynical at best, and at
worst, it is a reminder of the old practices of totalitarian
governments. A free society doesn’t need to be lectured by ham-fisted
totalitarian governments how and when to celebrate their cultures. The
aim of the so-called “festival” is to raise money and get
political legitimacy. Thereby, the Eritrean Australians for Justice and
Peace extends its call for all Eritrean Australians and their friends to
join the peaceful demonstrations to be held in the vicinity of the
Melbourne City Town Hall on the 5th and 6th of
January 2007. Our contentions of arguments for the boycott and peaceful
demonstration against the festival are as follows:
Unconstitutional Government:
The tyrannical regime has sidelined the ratified
constitution for more than 10 years, and is ruling the country without
any legal mandate. No elections have ever been held and all the pillars
of democracy i.e. separation of power, due process and legal constraints
on executive power are foreign to the dictatorial regime.
Human Rights Violations:
Human rights violations are highest under the
tyrannical Eritrean regime. Arbitrary arrests and prolonged imprisonment
without trial is the rule of the day. This is not limited to political
dissidents only, but to all Eritreans across the board. The regime is a
highly repressive which does not tolerate different/opposing views.
Prison conditions raise serious human rights concerns. Many of those
arrested are held incommunicado in secrete detention sites. Prisoners
are subjected to psychological and physical tortures. These human rights
violations have been attested by Michael Clough, African Advocacy
Director for Human Rights Watch, in his testimony to US House of
representatives on May 5, 2005, European Parliament Press Release of
November 19 2004, and Amnesty International Covering Events from January
– December 2004.
Freedom of Press:
The tyrannical regime has banned all free press in Eritrea, including
national and international and has imprisoned all journalists who once
run independent press. In fact, Eritrea is the only African country
without free press. Such measures have been condemned by all freedom
loving people and press institutions and associations, but to no avail.
To date, many of the journalists are still in prison and their
whereabouts is unknown.
Religious Persecution:
There is no freedom of conscience in Eritrea. All
religions including Islam and Christianity are persecuted. Minority
religions such as Pentecostal and Jehovah Witnesses are banned and their
followers are detained.
Economic Deterioration:
Economically, Eritrea is in a mess. There is little
productive activity. Most of the working age people are in trenches in
the so-called border war. For many years now, the general population and
the youth in particular have interrupted their regular work and study.
Thus productive economic activity is at its lowest state. In the absence
of conducive business environment, foreign and local investors have
shunned the country. Consequently, the people are getting poorer and
poorer and unemployment is rampant.
Social & Cultural Deterioration:
Socially, the crisis is getting worse by day. As Balsely Olsen UNICEF
representative in Asmara said “child and maternal malnutrition is the
highest in Africa. There is a rise in commercially sexually exploited
children and 5% of prostitutes in Eritrea are under the age of 18.”
Eritrean youth are living without hope and future, and what kind of
adults are they going to be? Eritrea is going to have a generation of
unskilled and untrained youth. Under such conditions, the future is
bleak and it is very frightening to contemplate.
Diplomatic Isolation:
in the last decade, the regime initiated three wars with its neighbours
that resulted in an economic disasters and immense human misery. And as
if that is not enough for this tortured country, the regime is now
actively involved in a proxy war in Somalia. The self-appointed
President barks and attacks all international institutions and
personalities such as the UN, the UN secretary General, NGOS, US, EU and
even foreign diplomats are not immune from his tasteless commentary.
Women’s Rights Violations:
The regime’s morally corrupt generals are notorious
in raping girls in the so-called national military service training
camp, Sawa. On Thursday December 5 2002, Xavier La Canna of Age
wrote an article titled: “When Rape is a Requirement of Military
Service”, exposing the worst kinds of rape perpetrated by the
generals in the training camp.
It is time now to take the country in the path of
democracy; it is time now to release all political prisoners, prisoners
of conscience, journalists and civil-rights activists and many others
languishing incommunicado for indefinite period; it is time now to build
the foundations of transparent and accountable institutions; and it is
time NOW above all for peace!
Eritrean Australians for Justice and Peace
5 January 2007
eritreanres@yahoo.com.au
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