Month: January 2018

Inhumane Acts by Extremist Eritreans in Israel Against Pentecostal Church Members (Christians)

On 23/01/2018, I have encountered a shocking video via facebook links. I tried to see it again and again simply because I can not believe the inhumane acts I saw in the video. It is extemely shocking.

It is not only the video that made me shocked but remembering the inhumane treatement Eritreans are facing back home under the brutal dictatorial regime of PFDJ, especially in the religious minorities like Jehovah, Pentecostal Church Followers, Orthodox Reformist Movement members and other Islamic sects.

Eritrea is one of the worst abusers of Human Rights, especially Right to religion and worship. According to USA, Eritrea is considered as “country of particular concern(CPC)” since 2004.

In the USA International Religious Freedom Report of 2017, the report summary says;

“The Eritrean government continues to repress religious freedom for unregistered—and in some cases registered— religious communities. Systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations include torture or other ill treatment of religious prisoners, arbitrary arrests and detentions without charges, a prolonged ban on public religious activities of unregistered religious groups, and interference in the internal affairs of registered religious groups. The situation is particularly grave for unregistered Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses. The government dominates the internal affairs of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Eritrea, the country’s largest Christian denomination, and suppresses the religious activities of Muslims, especially those opposed to the government-appointed head of the Muslim community. In light of these violations, USCIRF again finds in 2017 that Eritrea merits designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). The State Department has designated Eritrea as a CPC since 2004, most recently in October 2016.”

This being the fact, Eritrean refugees who are living across the world are also going at war on different religious followers, especially against the Pentecostal Church members. As you can in the link below, three Eritreans who live in Tel-Aviv are beating two Christian Street Preachers. The victims are yelling in the name of Jesus the Lord while they were beaten.

 

I have tried to get some information what the reason could have triggered such violent act. What I got left me rethink if violation of religious freedoms is only limited to state sponspored acts.

According the information I got, Eritreans who live in Israel have almost “zero tolerance” to Pentecostal Church followers and it is not unusual to victimize the members who happen to preach in streets.

I have given a thorough presentation about the event via live facebook. The feedback I received is encouraging as many came to condemn the acts but very few Eritreans who happen to live in Israel tried to prove that what happened to victims was right. These few people are of course with the ring of extremists who are working to discriminate the Church members.

This proves me that acts of Eritrean Christian Extremists in Israel over Pentecoste followers is a continuation of the evil acts that is happening in Eritrea. And this extremism has extended to Israel, where there is freedom of beliefs.

This is an extreme violation of human rights and it has deep roots in the Eritrean religious freedom violations and Discrimination on religious minorities (Article 18 and Article 2). Even in the Commision of Inquiry -Eritrea(COiE) 2015 and 2016 report United Nations Human Rights Council, the report has conclude that widespread and systematic human rights violations that amount to crimes against humanity has been happening in Eritrea since 1991. And religious rights violations is the top list.

Article 18 says:

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Therefore, what has happened in Israel against the Pentecostal Church members is not a normal phenomenon. The world needs to acts and we Eritreans must come out and condemn such acts. We can not keep silence when our rights are continuing to be violated even when we are living outside our country.

And I call Israel to take all necessary measures to arrest and give justice to those who committed these inhumane acts. It is against Israeli’s law. Hence, Israel has an obligation to observe its rule of law.

Additional Links/References

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONevo1O9n5k

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2JF0rf-SmU

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84e9hwFl6_8

4. https://tesredie.blog/…/%E1%8A%A3%E1%8B%B5%E1%88%9B%E1%88%…/

5. http://www.claiminghumanrights.org/udhr_article_18.html

6. http://www.uscirf.gov/countries/eritrea

7. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-relig…/…/2635339

8. https://berhet2.wordpress.com/…/%E1%89%B5%E1%89%83%E1%8B%8…/

Structuring Eritrean Liberal Democrats

Nothing is early if idea exists. And to envision this idea, the whole picture of organization structure has to be outlined so that people who embrace these ideals can take their share to enrich it at a national level. Since the idea of Liberal democracy for Eritreans emerged from the existing political chaos, its mandate it to give a push factor by providing a platform where every Eritrean who embraces Liberal Democracy value can be accomodated in his/her area of groupings.

In the mean time, Eritrean Liberal Democrats is coming with an idea of organizing its members into three clusters.

  1. Awraja based Groupings of ELDs
  2. Independent ELDs
  3. ELDs for Special Interest Groupings

Eritrean Liberal Democrats

Eritrean Liberal Democrats will be organized in a Decentralized Unitary Party System – where each region will have its own organizational structure and Autonomous Administration. And A Special Interest Group will be established in each Region/Awraja to work for the interest of their Groups within the Liberal Democratic values.

All regions and Independepent Liberal Democrat Nationals will be United at a national level through their regional representatives to form Eritrean Liberal Democrats General Assembly. And, the leader will be elected through a democratic system.

Conception Process

Eritrean Liberal Democrats are Eritreans who are coming together on the bases of Liberal Democratic ideological values. And our central claim is that the source of these values are human beings and we stand for the Human rights of Eritreans by organizing ourselves in a democratic system. Our core values are

  1. Human Rights based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(1948) and all other conventions or declarations that reflect these rights
  2. Sovereignity of Eritrea
  3. Democratic System of Governance that Reflects Liberal Democractic values
  4. Rule of Law
  5. Transparent and based on mutual interest diplomatic relationships with countries.
  6. Free market

Our ideological framework is as given in the figure below.

Pyramid

A Call to Every Eritrean

Do you have any Idea/s you have on the Future Structure of Eritrean Liberall Democrats Party? Please leave your notes in the comment section below. We will appreciate your inputs.

GoFundMe.com has to delete fund Raising campaign for an alleged perpetrator – Lieuetenant Colonel Tesfagebriel Embaye

On 12/01/2018, A fund raising coampaign has been launched by person identified as Amanuel Dawa Cloud from Washington DC through a fundraising platform called GoFundMe under a cover reason of medical expense help. The objective is to raise 25,000 USD.

Though the reason given is for medical expense purpose, there is a risk of being exploited by the beneficiary to defend himself in a legal court process which he is alleged of crimes against humanity he committed while he was a military officer in Eritrea.

The cover of a c riminal 1

GoFundMe has a social responsibility to look after the money which is collected using its platform. According to UN Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights, any business or social services that has a potential to violate human rights has a responsibility to conduct due diligence process. Here is therefore addressing my concern to the Social platform to look after this case seriously.

L/Colonel is under investigation for raping women and other related crimes against humanity he committed while he was a military officer starting from 1991 to 2004.

He had occupied various military office positions and was leading one of the heavily mechanized groups where national service conscripts were forced to work as slaves.

He left Eritrea in 2004 to USA for medical service and never went back since then.

While in USA, he continued to train groups specialized in cyber bullying. Some of his trainees are working in facebook and youtube channels to bully, defame and isolate Eritreans.

Therefore, I call GoFund to delete this fund raisng campaign from its platform as it is violating the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.

My address to those who initiated the fundraising campaign and people who may contribute

Instead of helping the victims of this criminal, fund raising campaign is running to help a perperetor, accused of crimes against humanity.

This funding is irresponsible.

Gofundme has to stop this campaign and the person who initiated this fund raising might be accused as a collaborator of a criminal.

And any person who contributed may share the acts of crime of this perperator has committed during his life time.

I call to all Eritreans to refrain from any contribution.

I call the person who initiated this fund raising campaign to retract it.