As a matter of policy, Awate.com does not publish news or articles that highlight differences that are, or perceived to be, of personal nature.  We are publishing the following article because it dramatically demonstrates the total absence of due process and rule of law in Eritrea, the system of cronyism and corruption which uses politics to settle personal grudges, as well as the powerlessness of many in the government who are incapable of doing anything about injustice, except to whisper softly. 

This is the story of the perpetually suffering mother, Senait Debessai. 

Senait Debessai was arrested on 15th November of last year, as announced on the news, without viable reason and unlawfully. Her renowned long time fighter and older brother, Ermias �Papayo� Debessai, was arrested with her also unlawfully. After having inquired inside Eritrea for the real reasons for their incarceration the answers as expected were of unknown reasons and from higher authorities. To make Senait introduced to the public of who she was, below is the story.

Senait joined the Front from Khartoum at a very tender age, although her brother in Boston had secured her a visa to the USA. The road to the meda [field] was so tough that she had blistered feet and older tegadelti [liberation fighters] had to help her by carrying her from time to time. In the meda she was one of the stars of the "bahli" [cultural troupe] and she is remembered for some songs, such as Lemin Leminey. She was also an enthusiastic cadre of the Front.

At the time of her arrest in November 2003, she was the mother of three beautiful girls, namely Weini, Miriam and Mayna, aged between five and fifteen, who need the motherly care to go through their most sensitive and difficult progression from childhood to being adult. This is the age that needs the utmost attention and sensitivity (intuition) of a MOTHER! Nothing can replace the Mother for such a tender age! And this is the greatest tragedy of this cruel story - the incarceration of a mother who has shed her blood for the Eritrean hafash [masses]!

After a number of years of difficult life with her husband tegadalai Beyene Russom, Senait had no choice but to seek for a legal divorce. Among other things the husband used to come home in the wee hours of the morning after heavy drinking binges with his comrades and many a time, he became violent etc. This was a most unwelcome site to the tender children. In general, the husband was infected by the decadent morality prevalent among high-ranking party and government
officials.   As this is common knowledge in Asmara, it is not necessary to highlight it.

Among other things the battle was set for the custody of the children and the husband was shouting loud and clear that Senait would lose her children as he would  make sure of her disappearance (Kiketleki iye! Ketfiaki iye!). In fact, all the members of the immediate family were worried about his threats. Papayo had to suffer most from these threats as he was under house arrest and had no venue of thwarting the looming disaster! In the end, Beyene Russom did exactly what he meant to do. He made sure that Senait would lose the custody of her children by facilitating her transition to jail!!!!

The satanic envy and blind ambition of Beyene Russom (BR) is very well known among his comrades the tegadelti. Please ask any tegadalai you may who knows BR and it is certain that you will be told that he would sell his mother to achieve whatever he desires! Indeed greed and excessive self-love is what propels him forward! BR was envious that Senait was about to complete her university education  and was also envious of the support she was getting from her friends and family. Despite his philandering habit (constant womanizing and nightly carousing) he was a great pretender. Pretending to be a caring father and husband!

In the past couple of years or so he has been gate crushing any place, which is frequented by the President - such as billiard rooms and segretos! Although the President knows him well enough as a first class rascal, these days, he tolerates him - as he is able to use him to sow discord among the people (instrument of divide and rule). To one of the reformers he had the audacity to tell him that he should be on the side of the President as he (the reformer) is from Hamasien. What a cheap rascal! His shameless campaign against the reformers was heard in meetings, where he happened to be among those few who shouted "hang them"! All this despite the fact that he was very close (confidant) to the reformers during the hectic weeks - there are those who claim that he was in fact spying on the reformers!!!

During the divorce process, when it became evident that Senait would be granted the custody of her three tender daughters, BR worked feverishly to reverse the course of events. His devilish mind was set to trap Senait in some sort of pseudo-political activity.  He was desperate enough to conjure and fabricate (literally) any activity that could seem plausible. He did also guess that Issayas would only be willing to swallow without questioning anything that might implicate Papayo. Mind you Issayas is not yet keen to let Papayo go free (zereba kilte semi'ika fred! keykewin negeru!). Also it would look rather political if Papayo  was added to the formula. Only Senait, would look like rough revenge! Doesn't the higdefite regime pride in its astuteness?

So, some three or four days before the court was to give its final verdict in the divorce case, the police (security!) collected from their beds, Senait (in front of vulnerable daughters) and Papayo, at about five o'clock in the morning. This is not the first time that BR had arranged the intervention of the police in the divorce case. In fact, a couple of weeks before this incident, BR on his own private initiative, had illegally persuaded the police to snatch the two eldest daughters from Senait and have them taken to his residence (during the course of the divorce Senait was living with her daughters at her parents home with Papayo and other family members). However the two young girls managed to escape on their own and rejoin their mother! Isn't this something! It would look as dramatic as some of the Hollywood stories, if it weren�t every bit tragic!!! However it is also tragic that this kind of incident has become rather commonplace under the higdefite regime!

The incarceration of both Senait and Papayo has been the talk of Asmara for a while now.  It is extraordinary to learn first hand from seasoned tegadelti (ranking cabinet ministers and other high higdefite officials included) that they found the case of Senait shameful and they describe it as a vulgar manifestation of higdefite corruption - an assertion that absolute power corrupts absolutely! What is equally amazing is that the higdefite balloon is no more airtight and that it is leaking badly, as many higdefites (or rather tegadelti) are more than willing to expose the satanic corruption of the regime. Of course these tegadelti have no choice but to talk in private as otherwise the outcome is a forgone conclusion.

This shows how corrupted our country�s situation has become. Their story is only the tip of the iceberg of what actually is suffered by the innocent and peace loving Eritrean people. Let other investigative journalists also tell of other innocent Eritrean victims that the whole nation wakes up from this barbaric tyranny. Are we condemned to suffer from one generation to the next? What will the limit to this degradation and demoralization reach?