Words by Asmeret Kahasay Neguse (she/her)
CW: Sexual and physical violence, trafficking, racism
Oppressive, abusive, cruel, dictatorial. Words that sadly describe the last 30 years of Eritrea. When I think of Eritrea, my heart fills with love for my people; simultaneously, it shatters because of my love for them. The level of physical and mental torture that many Eritreans have had to endure is simply shocking. Join me in exploring Eritrean history, and in telling the stories of courageous Eritreans living under political persecution.
From Mussolini To Afwerki: The Long 20th Century
The second half of the 20th century was tumultuous for many African states—Eritrea was no exception. Decolonisation efforts after World War Two saw Eritrea finally free from ~60 years of Italian colonial rule; then came ten years under British military administration, and a further ten as a constituent state of the Ethiopian Crown. 1961 saw the beginning of armed struggle for Eritrean independence from Ethiopia.
The Eritrean War of Independence, as it would become known, was further complicated by global power dynamics—Ethiopia, under a Marxist military junta, was supported by the Soviet Union, while the Eritrean Liberation Front was backed by the People’s Republic of China until 1972. After decades of intense fighting and shifting alliances (including the loss of Soviet support for Ethiopia during the European Revolutions of1989), the war concluded with the overthrow of the Ethiopian government by the EPLF and its allies on May 24th 1991; the happiest day of many Eritreans’ lives.
Eritrea officially gained independence in 1993 following a UN-supervised referendum. As the leading guerrilla group, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) formed a provisional government for Eritrea, led by Isaias Afwerki.
Despite Eritrea gaining independence, citizens are still facing harsh conditions. A new constitution defining legislative, executive and judicial branches of government and establishing a National Assembly, was drawn up in 1997. Under Afwerki, it was never enacted. The National Assembly has not met since 2002, and the legislative and executive powers are both held by President Isaias Afwerki.
By September 2001, the government had closed independent newspapers, banned all private media, and arrested several journalists and senior government officials. The very few channels and newspapers left are all run by the unelected and only political party in Eritrea. What makes matters worse is that only 1% of the population can access the Internet. An absolute dictatorship.
Bitweded Abraha
Only a few months after the country gained independence, in October of 1991, Bitweded Abraha was arrested for expressing his concerns about Isaias Afwerki’s dictatorial tendencies. Abraha has never been charged with any crime or had a trial. Nevertheless, he was put into solitary confinement in 1994, then released briefly in 1997. During his release, he spoke publicly about his unlawful detention and voiced his concerns about the direction Eritrea was heading under Afwerki.
“We should not be afraid of any one person but should be aware or afraid of breaking the law of the land and the laws of God, the creator. If we want to make social justice a reality, we need to have bravery and dedication. The Eritrean people need to shout openly and ask that these prisoners receive due process of the law and be bought before a judge. Do not be afraid! I will fight until justice is realised”.
Subsequently, he was arrested again (only four months after his initial release), and placed back in solitary confinement. His current whereabouts and status remain unknown. The story of Abraha has become a powerful symbol of resistance. People soon realised that speaking out or protesting was dangerous. Shortly thereafter, Isaias Afwerki (boldly) renamed his political party to the ‘People’s Front for Democracy and Justice’ (PFDJ).
Yirgalem Fisseha Mebrahtu
Yirgalem Fisseha Mebrahtu is another courageous Eritrean with a heartbreaking story. She co-founded the Adi Keyh Literature Club and worked as an independent journalist, publishing poetry for literary magazines until the ban of private media in 2001. Yirgalem then worked as a writer, presenter, and program director for a radio station managed by the Ministry of Education called Radio Bana.
After six years at Radio Bana, on a random Wednesday in February 2009, Yirgalem and her colleagues were summoned to a meeting. They were instructed to board a truck, and taken to the Adi-Abeto prison centre.
Here, she was interrogated and accused of “calling for the assassination of the president”; baseless accusations.
After a couple months, Yirgalem was transferred to Mai-Serwa Prison, “notorious for its harsh conditions and mistreatment of inmates, many of whom are political prisoners”. During her interrogation, she was accused of writing poetry and short stories that allegedly suggested she did not support President Isaias Afwerki. She was also questioned about her email address, “justice-seeker”. Since exiled Eritrean activists often use the term “justice-seekers” to describe themselves, having such an email address was deemed unacceptable.
Yirgalem was beaten because of her poetry and short stories. The interrogator interpreted and bent her words to imply she was speaking ill of the government. She denied this, and they tortured her. Yirgalem was in critical condition after repeated abuse and was taken to Halibet Hospital. After she regained some health, she returned to prison until she was released in 2015. Then, in 2017, she attempted to flee Eritrea and was arrested at the border and returned to jail for four months. After being released, she successfully escaped to Uganda. Now, Yirgalem lives in Germany and continues to tell her story of the horrible things she endured in Eritrea.
Despite the atrocities committed by the President, there are still Eritreans who support the regime and unquestioningly believe in patriotism at the cost of their people. Yirgalem perfectly describes these people in the letter she wrote to the prisoners she left behind. “To your surprise, there are Eritreans who believe that there is no one who is unlawfully imprisoned in Eritrea. There are those who argue that Eritrea is governed in accordance with the principles of human rights; there are those who do not mind walking on fire with someone else’s feet and grind stones with someone else’s teeth. There are those who consider questions regarding rights and justice as crimes. There are those who still instil a culture of indifference. There are those who do not consider the conditions in Eritrea a problem until they touch their immediate family members.”
Ciham Ali Abdu
One of Yirgalem’s many poems is about Ciham Ali Abdu. Ciham, who has American citizenship, was imprisoned in 2012 at the age of 15 because her father, the former Minister of Information, had fled the country. She has never been formally charged or given a trial, and has not been seen since.
Saron Getachew
Saron Getachew is another strong and brave Eritrean woman who has experienced “hell on earth”. In 2015, she fled Eritrea at only 16 years old. She left to avoid the mandatory military conscription, which requires almost every boy and girl to enlist, for an indefinite period, as soon as they turn 17. She planned to go through the Sahara Desert, into Libya, across the Mediterranean Sea, and into Europe within a week; she had been told it would be a smooth journey.
Saron had not anticipated the traumatic experience she would go through instead. Once she made it to Libya, she was held for ransom by kidnappers. While being held captive, she heard people being tortured, and grown men screaming out “yima”, which translates to “mum”. A man named Filmon was the torturer; he held a machete, a gun and a phone. With him was a man named Mohammed; he tried to sexually assault Saron. Saron called her brother to ask for money for the ransom. She told her brother she was not going to make it; she had witnessed people being killed and feared she was next. He repeatedly told her: “Saron, you're going to make it out, just focus, you're going to make it out”, but she didn't have much hope left.
The money came through, and before long Libyans were transporting her and a group of others to the capital, Tripoli. En route, they were stopped at a checkpoint by men claiming to be Libyan government officials. At night, these men kidnapped some of the group, Saron included, from the Libyans they were with. They then sold them to other smugglers. Saron was sold to three different men within six months while trapped in Libya, and witnessed and endured deeply disturbing abuses.
The torture that Saron endured is too graphic to share in this issue. However, that does not mean that it should be unspoken. If you want to learn further about the abuse she endured, you can click the button at the bottom of this page, to hear directly from Saron.
Eventually, Saron managed to escape and to get on a boat across the Mediterranean Sea. Thousands of Eritreans die trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea; see the 2013 Lampedusa tragedy, when a trawler carrying
asylum seekers from Eritrea and Somalia capsized off Italy's Lampedusa, killing 368 people.
However, Saron made it out alive. She is now living in Sweden and has been diagnosed with Stockholm syndrome. To function as a “normal person”, she must take several medications. Saron feels she will never be the same person she was before Libya. She says even though she made it out alive, she will forever be mentally scarred. Saron continues to speak out for those suffering in Libya today.
There are many alarming issues in Eritrea. Eritreans in Eritrea have no human rights; those who flee due to this find themselves facing massive danger. Eritreans want to be able to work and make a living and not have to live in fear every day. They yearn for freedom and free speech, and for their human rights to be respected. Which is why many flee, regardless of the consequences. More than 580,000 Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers were recorded abroad in 2021; Eritrea has a population of 3.8 million people. Eritreans are suffering inside and outside of Eritrea; men and women like Bitweded, Yirgalem, Ciham, and Saron are a testament to this.