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The
London Rally
Letter Submitted
to Downing Street
London, 9 June, 2002
Esteemed Mr Prime
Minister!
The end of
the twentieth century is distinguished with political processes, which
have radically changed the world. The Eritrean people were not
indifferent to these processes and finally grasped their dream of
becoming independent. The attainment of this victory by the Eritrean
people was the logical result of the protracted war for independence and
social-political processes that was going on in the Horn Africa. It
suffices to state that there was so much agony in bringing an end to the
Ethiopian reign of terror and in the process too many people suffered and
far too many young fighters sacrificed their lives for this beloved
country of ours.
Acquisition of our
independence should have complimented the lives of all Eritreans with
non-judgmental attitudes; instead, the leaders of this newly independent
state turned against their own people and created a renewed
post-independence reign of terror in the country. Instead of
improving the well being of its citizens, they turned the country into a
police state by viciously deviating from the promises laid by our
martyrs. The leaders created a high-handed political organisation
called the Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) and
unhesitatingly disowned citizens who did not endorse its skewed
ethos. The PFDJ leadership targeted those who advocated for
fairness, rule of law and political pluralism. It appallingly
dismissed the needs of its citizens by denying them basic human and
democratic rights.
PFDJ, inconsiderate
of public concerns, plunged the country into successive wars with the
neighbouring countries. The 1998-2000 war with Ethiopia, which
could have been avoided had diplomats taken charge of the situation
instead of the generals, caused unimaginable human suffering and material
losses to the country, and left deep scars in the region. The
unnecessary war created:
·
Tens of thousands dead (19,000
according to conservative government estimates).
·
Over 100,000 deportees.
·
Over 200,000 internally displaced people.
·
Tens of thousands of refugees.
·
Tens of thousands of broken families as the
breadwinners were forcefully drafted to go to war.
After all these
successive disasters another crisis is in the making with regards to the
Sudan. The PFDJ government has intensified its interference in the
Sudan's internal affairs and that will lead to further catastrophes in
the region.
Eritrea has had its
share of calamitous period under the current regime and we demand that
this reckless adventure come to a halt. Eritreans need human
liberty, freedom of speech, freedom of association, religious freedom,
freedom of conscience and most of all freedom of choice. We believe
those values will enable us to create a humane, democratic and civilised
society in Eritrea.
Esteemed Mr Prime
Minister!
Eritrea is being
ruled by a dictator who:
·
Believes democracy is not a necessity for the
country's welfare.
·
Stalwartly reacts to criticism.
·
Is insensitive to the citizens' plight -
unaffordable living conditions.
·
Exercises personal rule and he conducts himself
as if he is elected by the people.
·
Unleashes his security agents unto those who do
not endorse his policies.
·
Considers opposition groups enemies of the
people.
President Isaias
Afeworki has:
·
Thrown the country into war by rejecting peace
proposal by the
·
international community.
·
Isolated Eritrea from the world community.
·
Excluded opposition groups from taking part in
the country's politics.
·
Imprisoned high government officials who
campaigned for reforms.
·
Banned free press and imprisoned eleven
journalists.
·
Closed down places of worship.
·
Denied a large section of our society the use
of a preferred language of communication.
Based on the above
mentioned upheavals that shook Eritrea violently we demand:
·
To have our human and democratic rights
respected.
·
Governance based on democratic principles.
·
Freedom of choice to elect our own
representatives.
·
Release the country's economy from PFDJ's
stranglehold.
·
A free press that voices the concerns of the
subjugated.
·
The release of all political prisoners.
·
The unconditional homecoming of the opposition
to take part in the political process of the country.
·
Freedom of worship and use of preferred
language.
·
Free movement of civic societies and other
non-government institutions.
·
Abolition of the Special Court.
·
No meddling in other countries' affairs.
If Eritrea is to
co-exist as a free and peaceful country, the current leadership should be
pressured to adhere to universally accepted human and democratic
principles. Neither the subjugation nor the consuming repression
that exist in Eritrea today should be considered as internal affairs of
the country. Eritrea cannot be an island but part of the world
community. We Eritreans in the UK plead with the Prime Minister to
help save Eritrea from further destruction by applying appropriate
pressure that actuates the necessary change.
Glory to our Martyrs
Eritreans for Human
and Democratic Rights - UK,
Alliance of Eritrean
National Forces,
Eritrean Cultural
Forum,
Eritrean Reconciliation
Group.
fdsafsa
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