'Enough Is Enough: Stand for Change in Eritrea'

PR Newswire

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June 19-21 Marks Weekend of Events to Raise Awareness About the Human Rights Crisis in Eritrea

WASHINGTON, June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- June 19-21 people from around the country will be converging on Washington, DC to raise awareness about the ongoing human rights crisis in Eritrea. On Friday, June 19 there will be a march demanding human rights and democracy in Eritrea (leaving from Dupont Circle, 10 AM) followed by a candlelight vigil (Jefferson, Memorial, 7 PM), and on Saturday, June 20 there will be a symposium on the human rights crisis in Eritrea (The Carlton - 4600 S. Four Miles Run Drive, Arlington, VA, 9 AM-5 PM). The weekend of events is being called for by Eritrean Global Solidarity and the Eritrean Democratic Alliance.

The weekend of events aims to raise awareness about the ongoing human rights abuses in Eritrea and the growing refugee crisis. Following a 1998 border skirmish with Ethiopia, President Isayas Afewerki refused to enact Eritrea's democratic constitution, and began to drastically restrict basic freedoms in Eritrea. Today, there are no independent media outlets in Eritrea, and journalists are often subject to arrest. Citizens are forced into indefinite military service, and those refusing are often jailed. The use of torture on prisoners is reported to be widespread.

"The world can not continue to ignore what is happening in Eritrea. Through this march, we hope to raise global awareness about this crisis. It is past time for the torture to end, it is past time for the arbitrary detentions to end. My hope is that people will come together in DC to say 'enough is enough'," says Petros Heile, an executive of Eritrean Global Solidarity and coordinator of the Symposium.

According to a report issued by Human Rights Watch, " Eritrea's extensive detention and torture of its citizens and its policy of prolonged military conscription are creating a human rights crisis and prompting increasing numbers of Eritreans to flee the country."

SOURCE Eritrean Global Solidarity

2009-06-18 10:48:00