Eritrea´s Repressive Rule Gets an Israeli Slap in the Face over Eritrean Refugee Repatriation Issues

AP photo: Eritrean refugees in an Israeli shelter

With Eritrean refugees continuing to stream into Israel, the Ehud Olmert Administration has blamed the large influxes on the repressive policies of the Asmara government. Israeli reactions confirm deteriorating Eritrean human rights abuses in recent months as the government introduces more deadly measures to stop citizens from fleeing the country.

Human rights abuses include torture, murder, and imprisonment without trial, disappearances, and mass starvation. No dissenting views are tolerated. The only way to protest against oppression appears to be by running off across the border defying shoot-to-kill orders. Refugees who are forced to return to the country face the maximum punishment.

An official Israeli report stresses that returnees "will be placed in rows and shot or thrown into torture chambers." In recent weeks, many have been pouring into Israel in search of justice and freedom. The Israelis appear to have welcomed the refugees for now while blaming oppressive Eritrean government measures as the root cause for the increased influx.

Contrary to Eritrean government claims, the refugees are not traitors but are regarded by many as real heroes for standing against tyranny and servitude. Nor is it right to write them off as deserters or draft dodgers as claimed by the Eritrean Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Tesfamariam Tekeste. The refugees are aware of Eritrea´s right to defend itself through national service or any other appropriate means. But no Eritrean believes the government has to starve or terrorize the people to achieve its objective.

Israel has rebuffed Eritrean government demands for the return of the refugees to that troubled Red Sea State. Instead the Israelis were looking for other countries to share the burden. The only message the Eritrean Ambassador, Mr. Tekeste, received from the Israeli authorities was their disapproval of Eritrean dictatorship.

Mr. Tekeste may want to keep denying his government´s repression against the Eritrean people without showing any proof to the contrary. Here is how a 16 year old fleeing Eritrean refugee describes her ordeal to a human rights group in Europe, "My three sisters were physically, emotionally and sexually abused in Eritrean army camps. To avoid further torture, my sisters had to flee the country. In retaliation for their escape from military camps, the authorities not only tortured and imprisoned my parents but also closed our shop in order to starve our family to death as a punishment. Risking everything, my parents later arranged my escape as they could not bear the thought and the responsibility of my being tortured and abused."

The Eritrean strongman, Isayas Afeworki, defends his ruthless actions as a requirement until his border dispute with Ethiopia is resolved. Human rights advocates are dismayed by this rationale. Mr. Isayas´s core motive appears to be to cling to power by all means possible. One thing is definite: The Eritrean people do not need tyranny and mass starvation to do what is right in defense of their homeland.

Sources: International Media.