Politics
Where are the comrades President Isaias has imprisoned for 25 years? What were their demands?
BBC · last week · Read the Full Story on BBC
AI SUMMARY
It has been 25 years since Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki detained high-ranking officials known as the G15 who publicly demanded political reforms and the implementation of the country's constitution.
- Fifteen senior officials, known as the G15, wrote an open letter on September 18, 2001, demanding political reforms and the implementation of Eritrea's drafted constitution.
- Following the letter, 11 of the officials were immediately arrested by security forces, while four others avoided arrest and went into exile.
- The detained officials have been held for a quarter of a century without formal charges, legal representation, or court appearances.
- The Eritrean government has informally accused the detainees of treason and acting against national sovereignty during the border conflict with Ethiopia.
- International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have condemned the indefinite detention and categorize the prisoners as prisoners of conscience.
- The G15's demands included the rule of law, the establishment of an independent electoral commission, the adoption of a political parties law, holding elections, and the dissolution of special courts.
- The detained group includes prominent former EPLF and PFDJ figures such as Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo, Haile Woldetensae, and Petros Solomon.
- President Isaias Afwerki has never directly addressed the detentions, previously telling journalists that he knows nothing about the matter or that no such prisoners exist.
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