A Call from a Sister by Zeineb Ali

I wrote this article twenty-four years ago under the pen name Zeineb Ali. It was published on September 22, 2001, to memorialize the events of September 18th, when the nation's most prominent political leadership was detained and all independent newspapers were banned. The flame of a courageous political initiative launched twenty-four years ago still burns brightly. Let us ensure it continues to blaze.

In memory of all prisoners of conscience. Semere

A Call from a Sister

by Zeineb Ali

22 September 2001

An outrageous act of cowardice

An outrageous act of cowardice is being perpetrated in Eritrea today—a blatant practice of lawlessness and terror. On September 18, 2001, the regime detained numerous prominent members of the nation's political leadership and simultaneously banned all independent newspapers.

This crackdown was meticulously calculated. It followed a series of vicious smear campaigns against some of Eritrea's noblest and most dedicated patriots. It also came in the grim aftermath of the cruel punishment inflicted upon the University of Asmara's class of 2000. Most cynically, this move was timed to exploit the world's distraction, as global attention was firmly fixed on the events of September 11, 2001.

Putting it in historical perspective

This pattern is not new; it echoes countless episodes from the last decade that passed largely unnoticed, not to mention the many purges during the war of independence. Consider the 1993 peaceful demonstration by freedom fighters to demand minor economic benefits, which ended in mass incarcerations. Recall the government's ruthless crushing of disabled veterans' demands, the brutal closure of the first Human Rights Organization, the banning of Catholic newspapers, the detention of journalists followed by consistent government denial, the freezing of careers for high and middle-ranking civil servants, and the disappearance of many innocent Eritreans under various pretexts. The list is long indeed.

It also brings to mind the annual "the President facing the people" forum, a stage-managed event designed to project an image of presidential simplicity and transparency. I recall how he confidently retained the upper hand by declaring, “whether you like it or not, it’s Shaebia today, Shaebia tomorrow and Shaebia forever”—a clear message that he, too, intended to remain forever.

This reflection calls up his sudden call for "new blood" in the EPLF’s leadership just before the Third Organizational Congress of the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front. It reminds me of the proclamation of the Special Court, established to address the grave challenge of government "corruption."

I am reminded of the countless, single-handed cabinet reshuffles the President executed to show his displeasure with various ministers or ambassadors. It recalls the many unstatesmanly statements he made against international and regional bodies, statements that severely damaged Eritrea’s national interest and led to its isolation.

It brings back the memory of confidential "letters" written to President Meles Zenawi. I recall the unilateral orders he gave to the armed forces in response to border skirmishes—orders that escalated into a full-blown war, costing Eritrea an unimaginable price in human and material resources.

I remember his appearances on TV, bragging of "Eritrean might" right up until he was forced to make all the onerous concessions. I think of his erratic behavior during mediation efforts led by Burkina Faso’s President, his adventures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in pursuit of diamonds, and his nightly excursions to Enda Rita, Bologna, and Sham Rock.

All of these incidents, and so many more, paved the way for the events of September 18th.

The message

A very clear message was delivered to all well-meaning Eritreans on the day our eleven compatriots were detained. Their only crime was calling for change in a peaceful, legal, and civilized manner. This occurred at a critical time—when a UN Peacekeeping Mission was working to resolve the border conflict with Ethiopia and the peace process was making significant strides.

That same day, an equally clear message was sent to all democratic and peace-loving Eritreans when the independent newspapers were banned. They were shut down for no reason other than promoting independent thought and for refusing to become mere tools for the ruling elite’s propaganda.

It is true. It is happening in front of my eyes. On that day, a funeral procession was underway to bury ‘democracy’—to bury it once and for all. Eritreans’ hopes for a free and democratic state were cast under a dark shadow. What else can we conclude when the government reacts so fiercely to the simple demand for democratic rights? What else can we say except that an authoritarian regime has been consolidating its power all these years?

The regime has struck now, assuming the world’s attention is elsewhere. This is a cowardly act. Their rationale was to crush all practices of freedom and democracy definitively. But world history tells a different story.

The ‘ruling elite’  

A series of events over the years, culminating in the episode of September 18th, 2001, make the intentions of Eritrea’s ruling elite unmistakably clear.

There has never been any genuine political will to democratize, to conduct a thorough assessment of the post-independence era, or to express the slightest regret for past failures.

Similarly, there has been no will to muster forces for nation-building, to share power with those of differing political views, or to accommodate independent thought.

As long as the hegemonistic beliefs of this elite persist, there can be no political will to secure regional peace and stability. Pretexts will always be manufactured to maintain the impression that Eritrea is in a perpetual state of war—with its neighbors and with invented ‘fifth columnists.’ The existence of such internal enemies is a permanent feature of the regime’s narrative.

This manufactured crisis sustains a war economy. The nation’s youth are treated as a disposable resource to be mobilized at the regime’s whim, and its meager resources are squandered in the name of “crushing political dissension,” “preserving national unity,” and other such hollow slogans. The PFDJ, under President Isaias Afwerki, ensures it maintains a dominant role in this economy of conflict.

The commitment to the rule of law has vanished, along with any semblance of an independent judiciary. Instead, extra-legal bodies like the Special Court are deployed to punish dissent, right perceived wrongs, and silence opposition under the broad pretext of “corruption”—be it political, economic, or social. The worst is yet to come. Individuals are already being blacklisted, with their association with the G-15 serving as a primary criterion for lengthier prison sentences. Independent thinking will be “rewarded” with harsh punishment, and the slightest indication of deviation will have severe consequences.

Furthermore, the political will to engage peacefully with the international community has evaporated. The regime has successfully antagonized the West. The days of playing hide-and-seek with democracy and having its excuses accepted at face value are over. The recent donor meeting in Asmara (on or around September 14th) has made democratization and the rule of law explicit conditions for future cooperation—a clear signal that obfuscation will no longer be tolerated.

This is a significant development. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have already condemned the regime’s recent cowardly acts; others will undoubtedly follow. The regime has much to lose by its arrogance and by fighting against the tide of history. Ultimately, however, it is the Eritrean people who will bear the heaviest cost.

Our heroes

The detention of our heroes—and I call them heroes for their demonstrated valor and dedication during our struggle for democracy as they have displayed heroic acts during the war of independence—will not deter us from advancing the cause of freedom. The imprisonment of political opponents is a familiar tactic of repressive regimes seeking to crush the spirit of democracy.

History is filled with examples: Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, as was Kim Dae-jung, the former President of South Korea. The late Corazon Aquino of the Philippines, Lech Walesa of Poland, Václav Havel of Czechoslovakia, and Mahatma Gandhi all endured persecution before ultimately prevailing. Our heroes, too, will prevail because their cause is just.

They will surely reappear on the Eritrean political scene with grace and dignity. They have committed no "crime against the people and nation"; they merely followed a legal and peaceful path to make their voices heard. Theirs is a noble line of thinking, seeking to make the Eritrean people aware of the impending debacle if matters are not set right.

This article is a tribute to you and your noble ideas. Do not give up. Heroes never do.

The independent press

I call them the pioneers of independent thought. They are not dead. They will soon witness their own rebirth, done with grace and majesty. They have already introduced a new culture into the Eritrean body politic: a culture of decency, free flow of information, the exchange of ideas, public awareness, and courage. It is a culture daring enough to shake the foundations of a cowardly and lawless regime.

Nor will their closure deter the tempered will of Eritreans to fight back. Cyberspace stands ready as a substitute, a place to raise their banner high once again. Thank God we are part of the global community. Thank God we can make our voices heard using the technology offered to us by other human beings.

Fear and cowardice again

The regime’s deep-seated fear and allergy to openness, transparency, and differing political outlooks have been exposed to the bone by this cowardly act. Never in our history have we witnessed such a barbaric move—the purest expression of political insanity in the widest sense.

The regime believes it can get away with this. It thinks it has manipulated Eritrean public opinion by launching the cheapest, most outrageous campaign of defamation against innocent patriots, leveling the most childish and abhorrent accusations imaginable. It operates under the illusion that the Eritrean people are a tabula rasa, their minds meant to accept the regime's dirty tricks without question. It has forgotten the political ordeal our people have endured for over half a century, the awareness we have developed, and our ability to read between the lines.

Sheer arrogance will not help the regime in its endeavor to silence all opposition. One day, it will reap what it has sown.

A call

This is a call from a sister—a very concerned sister whose only dream is to see the Eritrea we all once dreamed of. An Eritrea where peace, democracy, and the rule of law reign supreme. An Eritrea whose history stands as a shining example to other nations. An Eritrea where people make informed decisions about their own futures. A nation whose unity is drawn from its diversity. Where value-added commodities reach the international market. Where the principle of good-neighborly relationships is both a core belief and a daily practice. Where all vestiges of arrogance, complexes, and intolerance are thrown into the dustbin of history. And above all, an Eritrea where our children and grandchildren, nurtured by our orderly upbringing, go on to become Nobel Laureates in Peace, Science, and beyond.

It seems that we are witnessing the opposite. All the indicators seem to speak otherwise. The regime seems to be engaged in an effort to drive us way back to history. To the days of the Spanish Inquisition. To the days of ‘communist’ purges similar to those of Stalin and Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution.

It seems that all our expectations are being shattered, our dreams frustrated, and our hopes curtailed. As long as this ruling elite is in power, there is no way that we could guarantee what we aspired for.

Let me call upon all Eritreans to make their voices heard against this ruthless practice. Let me call on everybody to work tirelessly in search of truth and justice. Let’s all exert the maximum pressure on the government to release the prisoners of conscience immediately. Let’s all call for the reinstatement of the private press. Let’s call upon all human rights organizations, international organizations, NGO’s, and all friends of the Eritrean people in general to intervene on behalf of democracy.

Let’s also work for a political alternative.

Eritrea will prevail!