Editor: The following document was sent to President Isaias Afwerki on August 2, 1999 by the family members of 20 teachers who had been imprisoned on December 4, 1994.  A day later, a similar letter was sent to the then-Interior Minister, Mahmoud Sheriffo (who is now, along with 11 other parliamentarians, also in jail.) Awate published these documents on June 21, 2001.  Almost ten years since their arrest, there has been no word--official or unofficial--about their whereabouts.  There have been two independent reports, unconfirmed, that they were executed in June 1997.  Family members have contacted us recently to appeal to us to ensure that their fate is not neglected; we are hereby republishing the English translation of the letter to President Isaias Afwerki, origininally drafted in Arabic.  

English Translation

(Be compassionate to those on Earth; and the one in the Heavens will be compassionate to you)

2/8/1999                                                                 State of Eritrea

                                                                             Office of The President

Asmera

His Excellency the President of the Eritrean Government Mr. Isaias Afwerki,

After extending our best regards and high respect, we wish that the Almighty and the able would guide your steps and enable you towards what is beneficial to the country and the worshipful.

Subject: a complaint, an appeal and petition

His excellency the president, we are saddened by the situations that our dear country and the Eritrean individual is going through materially and morally due to instability, anxiety, and total deterioration of the security and social aspects. We ask God to change our situations to an everlasting peace, stability and serenity, God willing.

Your Excellency Mr. President, on Monday December 5, 1994, a considerable number [of people] were jailed and imprisoned. That happened on the day that the Eritrean government severed its diplomatic ties with the Sudan.  From those imprisoned, we presented a list of twenty, and we complained collectively and individually to all concerned government offices, but we didn�t find any response from any authority regarding [the fate of] these Moslem teachers of Quranic studies and the teachers in Arabic schools. It has now been four years and eight months since they were jailed, meaning about five years, and we, their families and relatives, do not know any news about their situation or what might have happened to them and we do not know of their fate until now and throughout the last five years. This is an unbearable suffering for us. Thus far, they are under the control of the government, under the security and intelligence unit.

We appeal to your kind highness to issue a decision of general clemency to all the teachers who were imprisoned for security reasons, and we ask of God to put compassion and pity in your heart to issue a general clemency.  Maybe God will forgive us all and prosperity, stability and serenity and peace will prevail because of the clemency that you would issue, God willing.

The names of the imprisoned on whose behalf we presented our appeal:-

1- Mohammed Hagos Ibrahim
2- Mohammed Said Abdulrahim
3- Said Abdulkadir
4- Hassen Mohammed Shum
5- Jemal Mohammed Nur
6- Salahaddin Omer Abdulkadir
7- Nasser Abdellah
8- Abdu Idris Ali
9- Mohammed Nur Abrara
10-Ahmeddin Omer
11-Abdelrehim Abdulkadir
12-Abubeker Mohammed Idris
13-Abdelrahman Mohammed Defellah
14-Mohammed Yassin
15-Abdulrazak Mohammed Hagos
16-Ali Ibrahim Idrisai
17-Mustapha Abdelhadi
18-Ali Mohammed Mussa
19-Fuad Mohammed Omer
20-Ali Mohammed Musa

God leads to a better way.

Presented by Omer Abdulkadir Omereddin
P. O. Box 826 
Asmara
[End]