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AMNESTY□INTERNATIONAL□
□
Public□Statement□
□
AI□Index:□ AFR□64/007/2005□□□□(Public)□
News□Service□No:□ □134□□ □ □
23□May□2005□
□
□□Amnesty□International□appeals□for□the□release□of□six□women□
prisoners□of□conscience□on□the□occasion□of□Eritrean□Independence□
Day□□
□
□
As□Eritrea□celebrates□its□12th□year□of□independence□on□24□May,□large□numbers□of□prisoners□of□conscience□
and□other□political□prisoners□– □possibly□amounting□to□several□thousands□– □languish□in□indefinite□
incommunicado□detention□– □held□without□charge□or□trial□and□without□access□to□friends,□family□or□lawyers.□
□
□ Amongst□those□prisoners□of□conscience□are□six□women□detained□solely□on□account□of□their□
peaceful□opinions.□None□of□the□women□has□been□allowed□to□see□her□children□since□her□arrest.□Their□
whereabouts□are□unknown.□
□
□ Amnesty□International□urges□President□Issayas□Afewerki□to□use□the□occasion□of□the□anniversary□of□
Eritrean□independence□to□release□all□prisoners□of□conscience□and□ensure□the□fair□trial□of□all□other□political□
prisoners.□Prior□to□their□release,□Amnesty□International□is□also□urgently□calling□for□the□six□women□to□be□
given□immediate□access□to□their□families□and□their□children,□and□any□medical□treatment□they□may□require.□
□
□ The□six□women□prisoners□of□conscience□are:□
□
Aster□Fissehatsion□□
Aged□in□her□50s□with□one□son,□Aster□joined□the□Eritrean□People’s□Liberation□Front□(EPLF)□in□1974,□
becoming□a□political□commissioner□and□representative□of□its□women’s□association.□After□independence□in□
1991,□she□worked□in□various□government□ministries□in□Asmara,□and□was□elected□to□the□central□committee□
of□the□ruling□People’s□Front□for□Democracy□and□Justice□party□(PFDJ,□formed□from□the□EPLF).□In□1996□she□
was□dismissed□from□government□employment□on□account□of□her□criticisms□of□the□government□but□was□
re-instated□in□1999□during□the□war□with□Ethiopia.□She□was□arrested□in□the□September□2001□round-up□of□
political□dissidents,□who□included□her□former□husband,□then□Vice-President□of□Eritrea,□Mahmoud□Ahmed□
Sheriffo.□
□
Aster□Yohannes□
Aged□46□with□four□children□(including□twins),□Aster□joined□the□EPLF□in□1979□when□she□was□an□electrical□
engineering□student□at□Addis□Ababa□University□in□Ethiopia.□Her□husband,□Petros□Solomon,□detained□in□the□
September□2001□round-up,□was□head□of□the□EPLF□security□and□intelligence□service.□After□independence□in□
1991,□she□brought□up□her□children□and□then□worked□for□government□departments□from□1995□while□her□
husband□held□ministerial□posts□including□Foreign□Minister.□Aster□herself□was□reportedly□not□engaged□in□
political□or□public□activities,□and□in□January□2000□went□to□study□marketing□at□Phoenix□University,□Arizona,□
USA□with□a□UN□grant.□Despite□her□husband’s□arrest□and□her□own□fears□of□being□arrested,□she□returned□
voluntarily□to□Eritrea□on□11□December□2003□after□graduation□to□be□with□her□children.□She□was□detained□in□

arrival□at□Asmara□airport,□despite□a□previous□government□guarantee□of□her□safety.□Aster□is□evidently□
detained□as□a□consequence□of□her□husband’s□detention.□She□is□reportedly□held□in□a□secret□security□section□
(known□as□Wenjel□Mirmera)□of□the□2nd□police□station□in□Asmara.□She□has□not□been□allowed□to□see□her□
children.□Aster□suffers□from□asthma□and□a□heart□complaint.□
□
Helen□Berhane□□
Aged□30,□a□well-known□evangelical□church□singer□who□has□recorded□several□music□cassettes□and□is□a□
member□of□the□Rema□church,□Helen□has□been□detained□incommunicado□since□13□May□2004.□She□is□one□of□
almost□150□women□members□of□banned□evangelical□churches□who□have□been□detained□without□charge□or□
trial□on□account□of□their□religious□beliefs.□She□refuses□to□abandon□her□faith□and□religious□singing,□despite□
promises□of□release□if□she□does□so.□Helen□is□held□at□Mai□Serwa□military□camp□near□Asmara□in□a□metal□
shipping□container,□hot□at□night□and□cold□in□the□day,□with□no□washing□or□toilet□facilities.□
□
Miriam□Hagos□□
Aged□in□her□50s□with□one□daughter,□Miriam□was□brought□up□by□Eritrean□parents□in□Addis□Ababa,□Ethiopia.□
In□the□early□1970s,□with□a□degree□in□commerce,□she□moved□to□the□USA□and□was□active□in□an□
EPLF-affiliated□student□association.□She□joined□the□EPLF□in□1977□and□worked□in□the□information□
department□in□EPLF-held□territory.□Miriam□was□detained□three□times□by□the□EPLF□during□the□liberation□
struggle□on□account□of□her□opinions.□After□independence□in□1991□she□worked□in□different□government□
departments,□and□was□Director□of□Cinemas□at□the□time□of□her□arrest.□She□was□detained□on□6□October□2001,□
apparently□on□suspicion□of□connections□with□the□detained□dissidents.□She□has□kidney□and□eye□problems.□□
□
Saadia□Ahmed□□
Aged□24,□a□reporter□for□the□official□Eritrea□Television□Arabic□service,□Saadia□has□been□detained□since□
February□2002.□She□was□arrested□with□two□other□members□of□the□Arabic□television□service□at□a□time□when□
questions□were□being□raised□among□the□Muslim□community,□which□comprises□almost□half□the□population□of□
Eritrea,□particularly□in□the□poorer□lowland□areas,□about□the□subordinate□status□of□the□Arabic□language□in□
Eritrea.□□
□
Senait□Debessai□□
Aged□in□her□40s□with□three□daughters,□Senait□joined□the□EPLF□in□1976,□initially□working□in□healthcare.□She□
later□joined□the□EPLF□folklore□cultural□group,□performing□as□a□singer□and□guitarist.□After□independence□she□
was□elected□to□the□executive□committee□of□the□National□Union□of□Eritrean□Women.□Senait□moved□to□Kenya□
in□the□mid-1990s□when□her□husband□was□appointed□Eritrea’s□ambassador□to□Kenya.□On□their□return□to□
Eritrea□Senait□entered□the□University□of□Asmara□to□study□accountancy.□She□was□arrested□on□15□November□
2003,□allegedly□through□the□influence□of□her□husband□with□whom□she□was□engaged□in□divorce□proceedings.□
The□arrest□may□also□have□been□connected□with□the□re-arrest□apparently□for□political□reasons□at□the□same□
time□of□her□brother,□Ermias□Debessai,□former□EPLF□representative□in□the□United□Kingdom□during□the□
liberation□struggle,□and□later□Eritrea’s□ambassador□to□China.□
□
□
Background□
Large□numbers□– □possibly□several□thousands□-□of□prisoners□of□conscience□and□other□political□prisoners□are□
held□in□Eritrea□in□indefinite□and□incommunicado□detention□without□charge□or□trial.□They□include□former□
EPLF□liberation□movement□leaders□and□government□ministers;□journalists□from□the□private□and□state□media;□
civil□servants□and□professionals;□trade□union□leaders;□members□of□minority□Christian□religions;□Muslims□
accused□of□links□with□Islamist□groups□in□a□Sudan-based□and□Ethiopia-supported□armed□opposition□coalition,□
the□Eritrean□National□Alliance;□asylum□-□seekers□fleeing□military□conscription□who□were□forcibly□returned□by□
Malta□in□2002□and□by□Libya□in□2003;□and□members□of□the□armed□forces.□Some□have□been□detained□in□
secret□for□over□a□decade,□such□as□General□Bitweded□Abraha□and□three□Jehovah’s□Witnesses□who□are□
conscientious□objectors□to□military□service□– □Paulos□Iyassu,□Isaac□Moges□and□Negede□Teklemariam.□
□
□ Eleven□former□government□ministers□and□EPLF□leaders□were□detained□in□September□2001□in□a□
crackdown□by□President□Issayas□Afewerki,□the□EPLF□leader□who□won□independence□from□Ethiopia□in□1991.□

The□crackdown□targeted□those□calling□for□democratic□reforms□after□the□1998-2000□war□with□Ethiopia.□All□
private□newspapers□were□also□shut□down□and□ten□leading□journalists□of□the□private□press□and□three□
state-media□reporters□are□still□detained.□Some□900□Christian□evangelicals□are□currently□detained□in□the□
continuing□pattern□of□arrests□of□members□of□minority□Christian□religions□since□May□2002,□when□the□
government□banned□religions□other□than□the□main□Orthodox,□Catholic,□Lutheran□and□Muslim□faiths.□None□
of□these□prisoners□have□been□charged□or□tried.□The□whereabouts□of□most□of□them□is□not□known□to□their□
families.□□
□
□ Countless□other□individuals□have□“disappeared”□into□secret□military□and□security□prisons□all□over□
Eritrea.□One□such□case□is□Said□Abdulmenan,□a□British□citizen□and□former□refugee□from□Ethiopian□rule□in□
Eritrea,□who□was□arrested□on□27□May□2004□on□a□visit□to□Eritrea,□and□has□been□detained□incommunicado□
without□charge□or□trial□or□embassy□access□since□then.□□
□
□ Some□of□the□prisoners□have□been□tortured,□particularly□conscription□evaders.□Many□are□held□in□
appalling□conditions□in□metal□shipping□containers□or□underground□cells,□without□adequate□medical□
treatment□or□sanitary□facilities.□
□
□ In□response□to□international□concern□about□these□serious□abuses□of□basic□human□rights,□the□
Eritrean□government□persists□in□denying□that□it□is□violating□human□rights.□Despite□the□evidence,□the□
government□attempts□to□claim□that□there□is□no□religious□persecution□and□refuses□to□communicate□with□
families□of□prisoners□or□international□human□rights□organizations.□□
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