AIUSA Group #612

A letter to the editor on behalf of Petros Solomon and his wife, Aster Yohannes
By Rich Doberstein of Group 612

Stand up for democracy!

Since the founding of our country, Americans have always believed in freedom and democracy. Even today we are encouraging democracy in Palestine and fighting for it in Iraq and Afghanistan. We know freedom never comes for free and no one should know that more than the brave individuals in the world who, at grave risk to themselves and their family, stand up for freedom and democracy. Such a man is Petros Solomon.

Petros Solomon is a husband, father, one of the founding members of the ruling party People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), and the former minister of fisheries in Eritrea. Solomon was sacked for criticizing Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki and calling for a new generation to lead Eritrea. Solomon was quoted as saying Eritrea needed a "more flexible leadership that will be more tolerant of opinions from different political organizations, which will be more responsive to the demands of the people". Solomon was among 15 senior members (the G15) of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), who signed a letter critical of the president, accusing him of working in an "unconstitutional manner", for being undemocratic, for lacking transparency in the government and calling for open debate of Eritrea's problems.

In response, the security authorities arrested 11 members of the group in Eritrea's capital city, Asmara, and ordered the closure of all independent newspapers in an apparent crackdown on dissent. Four members escaped arrest: three were out of the country and one withdrew his support for the group.

The 11 were all members of the Central Committee of the PFDJ and had been senior military or political leaders during the independence struggle from Ethiopia. All were longtime members or co-founders of the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF), which secured independence for the country after a thirty-year war, and now rules as the PFDJ under President Isayas. As PFDJ Central Committee members, they automatically became members of the first National Assembly under the 1997 Constitution and should therefore have enjoyed parliamentary immunity from arrest. The National Assembly, however, declared "by committing such a crime, defeatism, they have removed themselves from the National Assembly." All were dismissed from their posts prior to their arrests. Moreover, since the Constitution was never implemented after its ratification, the rights and laws it specifies remain out of reach for all Eritreans.

None of the 11 has been brought to court or formally charged with an offense, although the Constitution and the Penal Code require that detainees should be charged before a court or released within 48 hours of arrest. The maximum period for holding a suspect for investigation is 28 days. No lawyer, however, has dared to bring a habeas corpus action to challenge the detentions and to demand that the authorities produce the detainees in court.

The government said the 11 "had committed crimes against the sovereignty, security and peace of the nation". In February 2002 the National Assembly "strongly condemned them for the crimes they committed against the people and their country". It was claimed that the G15 had committed treason during the war with Ethiopia. Although no death penalty has been carried out in Eritrea since independence, treason is a capital offense.

In 2003, Petros Solomon's wife, Aster Yohannes, was also arrested while attempting to return to Eritrea from the United States to reunite with her children following their father's arrest. She was getting a college degree on a UN scholarship in Arizona. Like Petros, she has been held without charge and in incommunicado detention.

The G15 detainees are considered to be prisoners of conscience who have not advocated violence but were arrested because of their peaceful criticisms of the government and for promoting democracy. The treason allegations have not been clarified or substantiated. There is concern that the 11 could be detained indefinitely without charge or trial, or unfairly tried. It is also feared that by being held incommunicado in secret locations, with no contact with their families or lawyers, they are at risk of ill treatment, including being denied adequate medical care. Some of them have health problems. There have been various unconfirmed reports about where they might be detained or what their condition is, but the government continues to say nothing.

Please stand up for democracy! Petros Solomon is a defender of democracy and now needs our help. Americans standing up for democracy in the world can write to:

Secretary Hillary Clinton
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Ask that Secretray Clinton request the Eritrean government representative in Washington DC to disclose the whereabouts and health status of Petros Solomon and his wife Aster Yohannes.