Global Policy Forum

By Tom Malinowski and Peter Takirambudde

Dear Mr. President, In recent weeks, the Eritrean government has lobbied the United States to use Eritrea's Red Sea ports as military bases in the war against terrorism. Secretary Rumsfeld left open the possibility during his trip to Asmara in December. Human Rights Watch is deeply concerned about the impact a deepening U.S. military relationship with Eritrea might have on efforts to end the Eritrean government's gross abuses of civil and political rights - abuses which not only harm the Eritrean people but undermine the struggle against terrorism.

Political repression in Eritrea has intensified dramatically in the last two years. During this period, the Eritrean government has arbitrarily detained numerous persons who have criticized its domestic policies. These include eleven leaders of the ruling party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) who wrote a mildly-worded letter to President Isayas Afewerki calling for elections, as well as two dozen editors and reporters from the private and government press.

It includes people who criticized the detentions or who attempted to mediate between the government and its critics. These political prisoners, jailed for their peaceful, nonviolent expression of their political beliefs, are held in secret prisons. Their exact numbers are unknown but are believed to number several score. Many have been held incommunicado for more than a year, without access to legal counsel or family members. None have been charged with any criminal offense, much less brought to trial.

Even if they had been, the likelihood of a fair trial would be slim. Eritrean courts are closely controlled by the government. Last year, the chief justice of the supreme court was dismissed after he criticized government interference with the judiciary. Among those detained are two U.S. Embassy employees of Eritrean nationality arrested more than a year ago, on October 11, 2001, a few days after the U.S. Embassy protested the government's human rights abuses.

Two months ago the Eritrean government rejected a public request by the U.S. Department of State for their release or for a fair and open trial, and instead accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency of attempting to overthrow the government during Eritrea's war with Ethiopia between 1998 and 2000. No private newspapers or magazines have been allowed to publish in Eritrea since September 2001. The government controls all access to information in the country, radio, television, and print.

A recent survey by the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders classified Eritrea as 132nd in its index of press freedom of the 139 countries surveyed, below even Iraq. During the past year, the government implemented severe restrictions on the right to freedom of religion. Churches and religious organizations affiliated with evangelical Christian sects have been banned. Jehovah's Witnesses have been banned from receiving government services, including drivers licenses. No national elections have been held since Eritrean independence in 1991.

An election law enacted in January 2002 prohibits political parties other than the government party, the PFDJ, from competing if a national election were to be called. The United States ought to be particularly concerned that the Eritrean government has tried to associate its crackdown on legitimate dissent with the U.S. led war against terrorism. Regrettably, Secretary Rumsfeld appeared to buttress that view during his visit to Asmara, when he said that "this country has been dealing with the problem of terrorism as our country has." Secretary Rumsfeld was the most senior U.S. official to visit Eritrea in recent memory, yet in his public comments he made no effort to press the government to end its repressive policies.

The visit reinforced our concerns that deepening military ties could undercut U.S. efforts to promote respect for human rights in Eritrea. The Eritrean government could well become convinced that its new strategic importance to the United States shields it from U.S. pressure in other areas of vital concern. Indeed, we believe that this is one reason why the Eritrean government is seeking a closer military relationship in the first place.

The United States must continue to press Eritrea to release political prisoners, to respect the rights to freedom of expression and belief, and to build a more open, democratic society - making clear that a better relationship depends on progress in addressing these U.S. concerns. As you have rightly argued, political repression undermines the struggle against terrorism, by denying people peaceful avenues for expressing dissent, and fueling support for violent movements. For this and countless other reasons, the appearance of U.S. support for an increasingly abusive government in the Horn of Africa would not be in the United States' long term interest, or anyone else's.

Escalating repression in Eritrea should be met not with a closer, less critical relationship with that country's government, but with stepped up pressure for human rights improvement.

Sincerely,

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C íŸ 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.