GENOCIDE 2008 The PFDJ regime and the Issue of Human Right are two diametrically opposite realities. 1. Introduction:- If the historical back ground of the Eritrean people is unfolded, it can be realized that tremendous sacrifices were made to secure the liberty of citizens so that to materialize an independent state. Finally the Eritrean statehood was actualized through referendum. In a general speaking, the people of Eritrea, apart from their physical participation in the course of the struggle, have paid a lot in money and labor including the precious lives of its citizens. In line with the contemporary situation, citizens of the state are made to bow down and obey if want to live under the yoke uplifted and endorsed by no other than those who have led the liberation war to its final page. Those dedicated and determined leaders became and turned their back and antagonize the natives of the newly forged state to whom they have liberated.Today, the citizens of this new state are suffering and made to question the meaning of the hard-won freedom. They all are under reign of terror.Evey national with Eritrean back ground, knows and accepts the sufferings as a daily bread. What has pressed me to disclose in such an exclusive way is nothing but the realities and the evil deeds of the regime for which I am fortuned to know. As a citizen of this badly led nation, therefore, I am not lured to choose silence while pure and innocent subjects are being purged unlawfully. Prior to dealing with the real subject on topic, I prefer to give a brief account of my self. Hoping this brief account will shed a light for the reader to grasp the item sequentially I joined EPLF in 1990and was assign to the logistics department and worked there till 1993, and then I was demobilized. While leading my ordinary life and working for a construction company, as the border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia broke out in 1998, I was ordered to join the 16th military intelligent unit of regiment 161. I, then, served as an expert of Information and Cartography in various military sections up to 2004. Further, I joined the intelligence unit of third operational zone, as investigator in the counter intelligence section till 9th month of 2007. Counting, sensing and having observed the crimes made up on me and other nationals on daily base, as a matter of luck and with the help of the Almighty God, I was given the opportunity to slip off and rescue my self like those youths who are lucky enough to get relieved from the criminal government of Eritrea. I finally want to praise and thank the Almighty God for the golden opportunity rendered to me to save my soul. 3. The Party that disrespect rule of law:- having observed the party’s inability to implement the ratified constitution and leading the country with jungle laws of DO OR DO NOT rules, and applying all the appalling and the ugly-facet crimes against its subjects, I am here to expose those compiled and organized crimes as an investigator in the intelligence unit I was assigned. I will especially delve in the specific crimes I came across as an investigator and intelligence worker. The objectives of the counter-intelligence section where I was assigned as an investigator and served for three years, were, to follow up, control and foil any conspiracy by external or internal dissidents against the military and governmental institutions. On top of that, surveying the over all counter offensive movements be it public or military and curbing such activities is also another duty of this section. These are those authenticated principles of any counter-intelligence institution. Contrary to the reality, on the base of the self-created problems and instead of solving them in a comprehensive way, as a lack of confidence and skill, the government is always at throats with those innocent and down-to-earth oppressed nationals of the state. It has developed an extreme mistrust with its subjects. Time and again, it creates unnecessary excuses and exploits them to the maximum level. Those helpless and genuine nationals, now and again are becoming targets of such pretexts. In Eritrea, there are several sites selected for such hidden and criminal activities. Ala 17 is among the several cells owned by the intelligence branch of the Third Operational Zone situated at Sasah Ala near the logistics section of the ministry of defense. It is a prison place built by the construction units of the 3rd OPERATIONAL ZONE in 2003.It’s a site carefully selected for its strategic and out of public sight, silence and “pacifism” and constructed amidst two hills that stands as a border line between Weqerti and Sesah villages. There are nine cameras or classes .An isolated room with 4x4 meters totally cemented so as not to transmit a sound serving for investigation or interrogation section. There is a wide room for guards, one room for the head of the section, a room for investigators and roofed cells for the prisoners and a kitchen. 4. Cases investigated in such sites and areas: The issue of the illegal flight (sigre dob). -Those nationals caught while crossing border to Ethiopia that is considered as “illegal immigration”, - People arrested without rhyme or reason even if they had no intention to escape and . Reasons why youngsters flee their country If stayed 18 months avoiding the decreed national service program they are liable to be caught as illegal. On top of the stated, 5. Conditions of the ALA 17 prison cell:-
Interrogation system
Decision Making There is no written penal code therefore, the decision maker’s construe their verdict and thus the weaknesses are:
Decision Makers:-The decision makers and those who sketch the punishments are the military elites, who believe in experience than academic excellence, and among them,
a. Journalist Ahmed Bahja- Arabic desk, Yonas Berhe with the intention to flee to Ethiopia was caught at Egela a village between Adi-Keih and Senafe, hit by three bullets. When he was being taken to Asmara, for medical care Kibrom Seyoum chief of the branch of counter intelligence of the third operational zone stopped the vehicle and forced the victim to sign saying that he was wounded trying to cross the border with Ethiopia, in case he is dead on the way to hospital. He was so weak to sign and prints of his four fingers were taken. After staying for eight months in hospital he was made to be handed over to the authorities by his own mother He was sent to Ala-Bazit prison for 7 years because he cant serve in the military due to injuries on his right arm and lung. No one knows who took the 3227 US dollars in his person when he was caught. Mehari, a teacher who taught for more than 30 years in Elementary and Junior High School of Kudubour in sub-zone Emny Haily was fired, because he admitted a student in breach of the regulation that prohibits any one above 18 years of age to learn in elementary and junior high schools. Tekle Tewolde Yakob graduate of Asmera University in Educational Administration and who was awaiting placement was arrested on visit to his family in Segeneity on the pretext that he escorts people to Ethiopia and Sudan for money. Though there was no evidence for the charges against him, he was sentenced, any how, to three years in prison. Daniel Netsereab, a former teacher in sub-zone Golluj in Gash-Barka zone was sentenced, without any evidence, to 4 years in prison for trafficking youngsters to Ethiopia and Sudan. He is now in Adi-Quala prison. Utban Mohammed, Counter Intelligence the third operational zone was sentenced to 3 years in prison. He was maliciously accused by the chief of counter Intelligence of the zone Kibrom Seyoum of passing secrets from prisoners to prisoners. He died of health problems after serving a year in Ala-Bazit prison. Letemichael Hebtemariyam was detained for 4 month on the ground that she was illegally sending females to Bahren. Although she insisted that she works legally together with her Eritrean colleague in Bahrain she was maliciously accused by Paulos a staff member of the Asmara National Security and by the help of his friend Teklebrhan Hagos. The diabetic Letemichael suffered for 4 months in custody until Tesfai came from Bahrain and proved their legitimacy. Mehret Beyene from the village Deqi shahai in the Asmera zone was caught with her husband trying to cross to Ethiopia. She was 3 months pregnant and was held until she was two weeks due to give birth, after her poor parents’ few cattle were sold and paid 10 thousand Nakfa plus a bail. Usually when women were detained pregnancy tests were carried out and were outright released on bail if they are positive. Around 40 followers of un-permitted religion (most of them women) were arrested by security authorities of Mendefera and Dekemhare towns and forced to choose either prison or change their belief. Thos who said religion is personal but we will do what ever our country requires of us were imprisoned for a long time in the prison of the third operational zone Ala-Bazit under Warden Colonel Gebremedhin. One of these, Tesfaldet Abai was arrested for 3 years. Girmai Gebrezghi, Hannes, Afeworki, Gebremariam from the villages of Hebo and Meala, Segeneity sub-zone are among the old men imprisoned for 3 months on the pretext that their children evaded conscription. Tecleberhan Berhe a soldier and former university student Melaku Feseha were executed allegedly intending to flee the country. The most painful thing is Melaku was shot in front of his uncle Debesay Tewelde and his other close relation Tsagai Mesfin. The list of the atrocities is so long for it is the daily acts of the dictatorial regime. Let’s now see the genocide committed by the 3rd and 5th operational zones after they have changed and exchanged their places on Jan. 2007. The commander of the fifth Operational zone Colonel Wedi Welela came to replace our station from Asmara and we went to Mendefera. The commander of the third operational zone Major General Omer Tewil and his cronies were so eager to resume the unfinished ethnic cleansing plan that has been on function by the previous commander Major General Philipos W/yohanes and zonal administrator Mustafa Nurhussien. As soon as the shifting of places is finalized, our command leaders brought all the containers (prison cells) from Dekemhare loading them in heavy trucks and put them in a place called Adi Tsetser some 3 kms away from Mendefera. They put the containers in private garage. After the transformation of the prison sites, they resumed hunting members of the Kunama ethnic group. Under the previous plan and order of Mustafa and general Philipos, around 70 Kunama ethnic members were already in custody under horrific conditions in Barentu. Their crime is said to be nothing but their actual and practical resentment and rebellion against the PFDJ regime. Surprising enough, leaders of the 3rd operational zone had come up with a new mechanism and pretext to proceed with the brutal gunning down and detention of the Kunama labeling them as members and supporters of the Kunama resistance movement-the Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Eritrean Kunama (DMLEK).The labels conjured and tagged against the innocent Kunama were cynical as feeders, fund raiser and contributors be it in kind or finance, providers of hiding places, spying for, ambushing and planting land mines. Under the pretext of the stated accusations, around 300 Kunama ethnic members were already in prison. This massive and indiscriminate detention has covered overwhelming parts of the rural areas where member of the Kunama ethnic groups used to live for centuries. The age limit of the detention ranges from 9 to the doddering ages. The rural sites included in this appalling ethnic cleansing project were Faulina, Boshoka, Shambako, Bimbilna, Tolegamuja, Aymaba and Koyta biya. Further, to intensify and finalize the projected campaign on time, reinforcement forces were called up to take part in the campaign with the command force of the third operational zone. The prison cells of Shambako, Barentu, Boshoka, May Dima and Mendefera were actually administered under the intelligence unit of the ministry of defense, intelligence units of the 2nd and 3rd operational zones, and the intelligence unit of the 25th regiment respectively. The prisoners were bloodily harassed, molested and tortured to say yes to the accusations which are alien to them and know nothing about. Here, the main motive behind the curtain was to paralyze and to put an end or stoppage to the ongoing struggle being waged by the Kunama movement-DMLEK. Since DMLEK was getting strong backing and had intensified small scale military operations through which it became popular in the Gash-Barka regional administration; and to retaliate and foil the resistance, the regime has piled all the crimes and punishments up on the innocent civilian Kunama.The calculations of the regime was to cripple the movement of DMLEK by revenging up on the parents, close relatives and wives of the fighters. The purposes of the torture, harassments and killings are nothing but emanated from the frustration the regime is getting on daily bases for which it has failed to keep up with the opposition’s pace. Detailed cases abuses on the spot were as follows;
4. 12 individuals were used for propaganda purposes,. 5. 2 individuals died during interrogation, 6. 26 people were poisoned and killed, and 7. 28 Kunama ethnic members were brutally executed. Explanations for the cases abused under items 4, 5, 6, and 7; It took 5 months (01/2007-05 /2007) to wrap up the out lined atrocities. To accomplish the project, the regime (PFDJ) has come up with a new dramatized fiction. The authors (writers of the fiction) were first, major General Omer Tewil, the commander of the third operational zone, Major Tekleberhan Hagos (weddi ayney) and the Minister of information, Mr. Ali Abdu .The prime motive was to look for Kunama individuals who are well articulated in Tigrinya language so that they can easily deceive Eritreans through mass media or propaganda. They were forced to confess and blame themselves that they were those who planted anti- vehicle mines in Shambako, Geze, Erab, Bimbilna, Sinshale, and Adi Teklehimanot at the beginning of 2001. Underlining the shortage of propaganda materials at hand, Mr. Ali Abdu was so grateful and once things are arranged well by the commanders of the third operational zone, he agreed to send the best camera man and journalist. He thought it to could be a great opportunity to blackmail the Woyane (Ethiopian government) in the eyes all Eritreans Next, the leaders of the third operational zone, Major Teklebrhan Hagos and Kibrom Seyoum have selected 12 Kunama prisoners from Mendefera for the mission at hand and took them to Boshoka. In order to make the mission successful, those prisoners were treated well in all conditions by stuffing them with food, clothing, cigarettes etc. Hereafter, they were taken to the sites where mines were blasted to rehearse and took lessons on how to plant a mine though they were all soldiers. They were told by the mission organizers that they will be free once they accomplished the given task. Later, completing the first phase of the fictitious operation, Ali Abdu sent Girmay Debesay as a Journalist, Mohamed as a camera man and Alem as a driver with all the needed media equipments to report and record the drama in Boshoka. To decorate the drama in utmost level and color, the prisoners were well advised, taught and trained to say --they were stooges sponsored by the government of Ethiopia and planted mines ….etc. On the other hand they were also told to praise and thank the PFDJ regime for the good handlings albeit to their wrong doings. Amazingly enough, the contribution of Girmay Debessay–the journalist in organizing that drama was marvelous. What else can he do if ordered from Ali Abdu?
Since I was in person in the process, I had been astonished by the drama; and the following were the innocent victims during the scandal.
After the successful completion of the dramatized project, the prisoners were immediately taken to the prison site of Maydima for which the intelligence unit of the 25th regiment is accountable. There after, the prisoners were told to dig a 4m x 4m hole with 5m depth around their prison cells. Additional 14 Kunama prisoners were also brought from Adi qaula to “help” the 12 prisoners in digging the hole. Now and then, the personnel of the prision site have used to tell the purpose of the hole as for a toilet. At other times they said for a water reservoir. Unfortunately they were digging their own permanent home with out their knowledge. First, Major Tekle Berhan Hagos “wedi Ayney” has brought two containers of twenty litters each containing chemical zed poison from Meanderer to May Dima. Then, the previous securities of the Maydima prison cell were given 10 days leave to stay at home so as not to observe the end of the beginning. They were replaced by the following committed and loyal individuals who were selected and brought from Mendefera to carryout that massacre. Names of the individuals selected to carry out that massacre were;
4. Sergent Kiflay (wedi Gash) group leader, 5. Sergent Tsegab Measho (Chealo group leader), and 6. Sergent Tsegay Abraham-interrogator. All the 26 prisoners were poisoned together in one day and murdered in April 2007. Out of the 26 massacred Kunama, I have the names of six victims in my mind and these are;
Names of the two individuals died while being interrogated were;
Evidences of my testimonies about the Genocide
Victims for another propaganda mission but Kibrom Seyoum told him that they have gone. I was with Kibrom while the two giants were talking over the mobile cell phone. Ali Abdu has expressed his dissatisfaction and regret by the measures taken so swift.
Profile of the poisoned and killed:-
2. Major Tekleberhan Hagos (Weddiayney)-staff intelligence member of the third operational zone,
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