A couple of months ago I wrote an article for a magazine here in Brussels about Eritrea. Eritrea is a nation struggling to come to terms with conflict, with a looming food crisis and human rights abuse.
In November, Eritrea’s dismal human rights record was put in the spotlight at the United Nations. A month later, the UN imposed sanctions on Eritrea.
Eritrea is the promise that never materialized and of a freedom fighter turned dictator who has an iron grip on his nation. Reporters without Borders ranks the press freedom index in Eritrea as the worst in the world….now officially worse than North Korea.
The article created some contraversy on those who defend this nation at all costs. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the whole gamut of refugees who’ve managed to flee, are witness. Their testimonies cannot simply be disregarded.
Eritrea’s Ambassador to the EU, Girma Asmeron, wrote a counter-response to my piece. This was then followed by another article from a think tank here in Brussels who defended my article.
