The Eritrean Media and Information Task Force-Washington Metropolitan
Area
600 L Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
- THE WORLD IS A WITNESS: ETHIOPIA TARGETS INNOCENT CIVILIANS
- 1"Ethiopia on Friday [killed] a dozen civilians in
shelling attacks on villages near the disputed town of Zalambessa. There were around 12
civilians killed in the surrounding villages and around 30 homes destroyed."--
Alexander Last, Reuters, Feb 12, 1999.
- 1"An Ethiopian plane bombed an Eritrean village full
of homeless people Tuesday, killing at least five civilians as it escalated the border
dispute in northeast Africa. An Associated Press photographer and television cameraman
watched an Ethiopian Antonov aircraft drop two bombs just before dawn Tuesday on the
village of Lailaideda, where Eritrean civilians deported from Ethiopia had taken
refuge."-- Dianna Cahn, Associated Press, Tuesday, February 9, 1999.
- 1"Ethiopian forces [shelled] Adi Quala itself on
Sunday evening, killing eight civilians and severely wounding nine. There is no military
presence or garrison in the southern Eritrean town,… Ethiopian artillery shelling has
thus no military purpose and was simply aimed at targeting the civilian
population."–AFP, Feb 8, 1999.
- 1"An Ethiopian bomber launched a pre-dawn air raid on
a small Eritrean village near their disputed border Tuesday, killing five civilians and
wounding five others. . A Reuters correspondent at the scene said two women, two men and
an infant were killed when an Ethiopian plane dropped at least four bombs on Laili Deda, a
village of tents housing about 500 Eritreans who were deported from Ethiopia last year.
.The victims were all members of the same family. As relatives quickly buried the dead, an
Ethiopian MiG fighter jet launched another bombing attack about two km (1.5 miles) away.
The civilian victims of Tuesday's attack were killed in an almost direct hit on their
tent. The five people killed in the raid were all deported from Ethiopia last June, one
month after the first round of heavy fighting began in the long-running border dispute. An
Antonov high-altitude bomber attacked at 5:50 am (0250 GMT), dropping at least four bombs
as well as incendiary flares while Eritrean artillery opened up in retaliation."--
David Fox, Reuters Feb. 9, 1999.
- THE WORLD IS A WITNESS: ETHIOPIA’S POLICY OF UPROOTING
ERITREANS & LOOTING THEIR PROPERTY:
- 1"I was picked up at night, thrown into prison, not
allowed time to pack. I asked what my crime was. ‘You’re an Eritrean,’ they
said."–Amnesty International Witnesses cruelty of mass deportations, AI News
Release-AFR 25/02/99, Jan 29, 1999.
- 1"Not only Eritrean nationals, but lifelong Ethiopian
citizens with just one Eritrean parent were expelled, their bank account frozen, assets
siezed. One motivating factor may have been Eritrea’s embarassingly quick defeat of
the Ethiopian army. The expulsions may also be in part an attempt to focus discontent on
apparent external enemies, rather than on either economic crisis or the distribution of
power and resources domestically. Investment within Ethiopia has flowed heavily toward
Tigray." --Ethiopia’s Ethnic Cleansing, Dissent, Winter 1999.
- 1"Women, some of them pregnant, children, the elderly
— even hospital patients — are now being arrested and detained in the middle the
night. People of all ages, from babies to pensioners, are imprisoned in harsh conditions
for several days before being forced to board buses under armed guard with only one piece
of luggage each — it that — and being dumped at the border. They arrive hungry
and exhausted, and often ill…. Deportees have had to abandon their homes,
possessions, business and other property with no guarantee of ever recovering them.
Individuals who have protested have been threatened or beaten. The deportees were
arbitrarily stripped of their Ethiopian citizenship without any warning, legal process or
right of appeal." ."–Amnesty International Witnesses cruelty of mass
deportations, AI News Release-AFR 25/02/99, Jan 29, 1999.
- 1 "Amnesty says Ethiopian policy has now developed
into a systematic operation to deport anyone of Eritrean descent, many who were born and
bred in Ethiopia."-- BBC World Service, Jan 29, 1999.
- 1 "The United States views with deep concern the
detention and expulsion of ethnic Eritreans in and from Ethiopia. There are fundamental
humanitarian and human rights concerns raised by the forcible separation of families, the
undue hardships of those detained or expelled to Eritrea, and the financial losses caused
by sudden expulsions. We urge the government of Ethiopia to respect international human
rights norms and standards and follow appropriate due process in handling its security
concerns. We further urge the government of Ethiopia to allow all those who were
wrongfully expelled to return and to establish a compensation commission to investigate
and recommend compensation for the claims resulting from undue financial loss and hardship
as a result of rapid, forced expulsions." --US Department of State, August 6, 1998
- 1 "Heads of mission are of the unanimous opinion that
the statements made by the deported Eritreans that they have been harassed, mistreated,
sometimes arrested, separated from their dependants and forced to forfeit their property
for no other reason than being Eritreans or, albeit Ethiopian citizens, of Eritrean
descent, are true and proved." --European Ambassadors' report to the European Union,
July 29, 1998
- 1 "I am deeply concerned by the violation of human
rights of Eritrean nationals being expelled from Ethiopia... These are serious violations
of the rights and freedoms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well
as in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Ethiopia is a
party." --Mary Robinson, United Nation's High Commissioner for Human
Rights, July 1, 1998
- 1 "Compelling evidence pointed to a deliberate
campaign by the Ethiopian authorities to expel Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin
to Eritrea. ... Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in an interview with Radio Ethiopia on July 9
said the deportees were -foreigners, adding that". . . any foreign national, whether
Eritrean or Japanese etc. . . .lives in Ethiopia because of the goodwill of the Ethiopian
government. If we say Go, because we don't like the color of your eyes, they have to
leave." --Human Rights Watch, "Ethiopia", Jan 1999
- 1 "It has become absolutely clear that Ethiopia is
responsible for serious human rights violations." ---Christian Science
Monitor, July 7, 1998
- THE WORLD IS A WITNESS: LIES OF THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT
EXPOSED:
- 1"No evidence had been found to support Ethiopia's
allegations that 40,000 of its citizens had been seriously ill-treated and forcibly and
forcibly deported from Eritrea since May 1998."–Amnesty International Witnesses
cruelty of mass deportations, AI News Release-AFR 25/02/99, Jan 29, 1999.
- 1"To the best knowledge of the heads of mission there
have not been mass deportations, arbitrary arrests or anything else regarding the
Ethiopians. Those who wanted to leave Eritrea were not hindered... The Eritrean government
has openly declared that these people are free to leave. The ICRC is allowed to look into
this matter. ...Heads of mission can confirm that allegations of mistreatment of
Ethiopians in Eritrea have not come to their knowledge. Through intensive interviews with
Ethiopian citizens in Asmara and elsewhere it can be confirmed that that they are treated
mostly in no way other than before the conflict between the two countries." --European Ambassadors' report to the European Union, July 29, 1998
- 1"There is no systematic or official action directed
against Ethiopians in Eritrea."---OAU High-Level Delegation Report,
November 8, 1998
- 1"We questioned the representative of the Ethiopian
Embassy in Asmara to determine whether this was true. He stated that Eritrea was not
forcibly expelling Ethiopians from Eritrea but said that they were being "indirectly
expelled" because they were losing their jobs and lived in fear of discrimination.
...Ethiopians are leaving Eritrea on a voluntary basis under the supervision of the ICRC.
The main problems being faced by Ethiopians in Eritrea is a lack of employment (arising
primarily from decreased business at the Eritrean ports) and the consequent lack of funds
to procure transportation or to pay for exit visas to leave Eritrea." --MASS
EXPULSIONS FROM ETHIOPIA, Natalie S. Klein (Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court
of South Australia; a doctoral candidate at Yale Law School), September 9, 1998
- 1" As far as I know there has been no orchestrated
violence or harassment of Ethiopians in Eritrea, you can challenge me on that." -Martyn Ngwenya, The resident coordinator of the United Nations in Eritrea as
quoted by Reuters, August 1, 1998
- THE WORLD IS A WITNESS:ETHIOPIA’S ILLEGAL DETENTION
& DEATH OF ERITREANS IN THE HANDS OF ETHIOPIAN AUTHORITIES
- 1" Amnesty International is reiterating its appeal to
the Ethiopian government to put an immediate stop to the deportations and ill-treatment of
deportees, and arbitrary detentions of thousands of other Eritreans, including 38 students
in Blattein military camp. They contravene Ethiopia’s laws and Constitution, as well
as the international human rights treaties Ethiopia has ratified." –Amnesty
International Witnesses cruelty of mass deportations, AI News Release-AFR 25/02/99, Jan 29, 1999.
- 1" Hundreds, perhaps thousands, are languishing in
jail. In June 26, 1998, Mathew Bigg, a correspondent for Reuters interviewed some of the
prisoners held at FICHE and wrote "Detainees said some in the main camp had been
beaten..." Between November 1998 and January 1999, eight Eritreans were reported to
have died in jail.
For more information visit Dehai: at
http://www.dehai.org or Media and
Information Task Force Page at http://www.denden.com/Conflict/ or Visafric at htttp://www.visafric.com