21 STOLEN YEARS
In May 2001, a group of 15 senior officials of the ruling party People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), now referred to as the G-15 or Group of 15, met and signed an open letter to President Isaias Afwerki urging him to implement the constitution and to hold open elections. The letter described and made proposals for solving what it called the “crisis of Eritrea”, making “a call for correction, a call for peaceful and democratic dialogue, a call for strengthening and consolidation, a call for unity, a call for the rule of law and for justice, through peaceful and legal ways and means”. The letter contended that the President and the PFDJ were obligated by the Constitution to call internal party meetings, follow correct parliamentary and government procedures and implement a number of promises the party had made, particularly in regard to judicial reform. The Secretary General of PFDJ accused the G15 of attempting to destabilize the country.
Amnesty Internationa
ERITREA: REPRESSION PAST AND PRESENT
TELL THE ERITREAN GOVERNMENT TO IMMEDIATELY AND UNCONDITIONALLY RELEASE ALL THE PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE
The Eritrean govt has refused to acknowledge the detention of the G15, journalists and other human rights activists. The Eritrean authorities must disclose information about the fate or whereabouts and immediately and unconditionally release them. #19StolenYears
THE WORLD MUST STAND WITH THE DETAINEES AND CALL FOR THEIR IMMEDIATE AND UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE.
Eritrea is one of the most closed countries in the world and remains an unsafe place for political dissenters or anyone who attempts to escape its indefinite national service program. Government critics outside the country are often harassed, intimidated or even threatened by members of the government’s party (the only party permitted to operate in Eritrea). Those inside the country who publicly criticize, or who are perceived as critical of the government are frequently arrested without being formally charged and are usually detained indefinitely, usually without access to a lawyer. Many human rights defenders and independent journalists have been subjected to enforced disappearance, with friends and relatives deprived of information about their fate or whereabouts for many years after their arrest. While serious human rights violations occurred beforehand, 18 September 2001 was a historical turning point as it marked the beginning of a government campaign of repression that continues to date.