By Samuel Gebre
June 27, 2019,
- State officials, ruling party supporters cited in report
- They use death threats, physical assault against activists
Eritrean priest, Father Mussie Zerai in 2015, Photographer: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
Human-rights activists who risked their lives and fled a brutal regime in Eritrea are still not safe to criticize the government from outside the country, according to Amnesty International.
Eritrean government officials and supporters of the ruling party have attacked activists in countries including Kenya, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K, Amnesty said in a report on Thursday. The rights group said it documented attacks on several people including Eritrean Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Father Mussie Zerai. The perpetrators use several tactics including “death threats, physical assault and spreading of lies,” Amnesty said.
For activists, “fleeing Eritrea has not provided them with much respite from the repression many people die trying to escape,” said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. They “have to constantly look over their shoulders and watch every word they say,” Nyanyuki said.
Eritrean information minister, Yemane G. Meskel, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.