The Rogue Regime in Eritrea is Entrapped as its Deceptions are Exposed

Recent developments indicate that the Eritrean one man, one party and despotic rogue regime’s transgressions within the country, in the Horn of Africa and in other parts of the world are increasingly getting exposed. The UN, US Department of State and various international human rights, religious and press freedom watchdog institutions have frequently and clearly made it a point that the rogue regime has been involved in various criminal acts from supporting, financing and officially harboring international terrorists to totally slighting religious and press freedom from torturing, enslaving, imprisoning its own people and using cunning illegal means of extracting money from its citizens across the world to money laundering.

That the regime has been in the headlines of current news stories in the international media for nothing but only such inhuman acts is known to everyone. In addition to all those which have been all over the media for a couple of years now, a look at just two of the news stories (below) from websites run by Eritreans is a clear indication that the regime is exposed and entrapped as is the case of any tyrannical regime towards its demise.

Court in Canada Confirms Isaias Regime is Extortionist: 2% and Other Collections Are Illegal (From Alenalki.net)

Written by nharnet.com

Wednesday, 21 November 2007

A brave Eritrean national, who sued in a court of law the Eritrean regime and its agent in Toronto, Canada, for illegal 2% “tax” and other fraudulent means of extracting money from citizens, has won the case and is now legally entitled to receive all money taken from him in addition to 6% annual interest of the illegally extracted money. The accuser is now legally entitled for refunding and compensation of well over $60,000.

Nharnet Stringer in Canada reported that the case was decided on 16 September 2007 by a Toronto court in favour of the claimant, Mr. Tewelde Yohannes, who fought the case in court for over a year demanding the following amounts from the Eritrean government and its money transfer agent of Beilul:

1. 2% illegal tax of his and his wife’s salaries for several years;

2. $18,000 taken from him with the excuse of selling to him a state-owned land;

3. Money extorted from him in the form of “a dollar a day” contributions for war-related activities;

4. $1000 taken the purchase of Eritrean government bonds;

5. $1000 taken for opening a bank account for him in Asmara.

According to the court decision, the PFDJ regime in Asmara and its agent, Beilul, shall be obliged to pay Mr. Tewelde Yohannes the sum of $52,132 plus an annual 6% of this money and the accuser’s petty expenses of $1,320. On top of that, the defendants will pay all expenses incurred by the accuser for his attorney at court.

It is to be recalled that the Eritrean rogue regime’s cover agency for money transfers (read: illegal extraction and money laundering), that used to be known as Himbol Agency for money transfers, was closed in the United States for illegal activities.

During the years, a certain Assefaw Sengal was the representatives of the Himbol Agency within the Eritrean Consulate in Ottawa. In Toronto, this same Assefaw Sengal has been running the Beilul Agency for money transfers together with a certain Estefanos Neguse; they were rendering this and other illicit services for the PFDJ office in Toronto. Mr. Assefaw Sengal pretended to be a “private businessman” with no relation with the PFDJ regime but to no success.

The Canadian justice has finally established that all the charges tabled by Mr. Tewelde Yohannes and his legal representatives were justified by documented evidences.

The plaintiff and his lawyer lost only the claim for $1000 that was taken to open a bank account in Asmara. This was because the Canadian law does not accept claims for things that took place over six years ago. Claunabts documents at court showed that the $1,000 for opening a bank account was an event that took place in July 1996.

Secret Meetings, Defections, Refoulement & Expulsions (From Awate.com)

By Awate.com's Gedab News - Nov 20, 2007

The Eritrean regime called and held a large meeting in Massawa last week. The meeting was attended by PFDJ politburo members, regional administrators, military leaders with ranks higher than brigade commanders, as well as ministers. The event was so secretive that even the regime’s own Ministry of Information, which usually provides a cursory summary of similar meetings, was barred from attending the meeting.

Meanwhile, disappearance of military officers even with the rank of colonel is increasing. It is unclear whether these officers are arrested in connection with the assassination attempt on Colonel Simon Gebredengel or whether they are simply joining their subordinates (regular soldiers) who have been deserting at the rate of 250 per month. Pressed for details, our source reveals that the escapees include those “who own government houses and [have] a family…and are fleeing from the country with their pistols.”

In this connection, there have been reports by the Khartoum-based Eritrean Center for Media Services (ECMS) that the government of Sudan has recently deported 74 Eritreans. In the past, the UNHCR has appealed to the Sudanese government to stop returning refugees to places where they fear persecution. Known as “refoulement”, this practice is prohibited under international law—the 1951 Refugee Convention as well as the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention.

The Government of Sudan has given directives to the government of the Kassala region to stop the practice of seizing and deporting Eritreans. It is unclear how long this moratorium will last, as the government of Sudan has regularly banned and allowed this practice. Often, the intelligence officers of the Eritrean regime treat Eastern Sudan as one of their provinces and do not seek permission to cross the border and snatch Eritreans.

In any event, Sudan’s actions do not seem to have deterred the flow to Sudan and Ethiopia: in the first week of November alone, 225 Eritreans entered Sudan through Hamdait.

Meanwhile, the Eritrean government has issued letters to 13 Catholic missionaries (locally known as Comboni) informing them that their residency permit will not be renewed. This order, which is seen as an expulsion by those who read the letter, is being explained as expiration of residence permit by the Eritrean regime.