Eritrean soccer players
who defected
say they live in fear
By JUSTIN LYNCH AP
10/14/2019
PALERMO, Italy (AP) — Soccer gave Mewal
Tesfai Yosief hope in an Orwellian nation, a job in a country of
forced military conscription and, possibly, freedom at last.
After scoring two goals for Eritrea's national under-20 soccer
team during a tournament in Uganda late last month, Mewal
defected with three teammates. But after applying for asylum
they are in hiding in Uganda, fearful that authorities from home
are looking for them.
"The only way for you to survive is by getting out (of Eritrea)
and we all know this," Mewal told The Associated Press in a
telephone interview this week. "I had to take this opportunity
because if I didn't take this one who knows how long it would
have taken me."
Eritrea's government under President Isaias Afwerki is one of
the most tightly controlled regimes in the world, ranked with
North Korea and Syria by Freedom House. Opposition parties in
the East African nation are prohibited, and human rights
monitors say an independent judiciary is nonexistent. Eritrea's
system of indefinite national service and forced military
conscription are meant to control the population, according to
Human Rights Watch.
Questions sent to Eritrea's soccer association and government
brought no response.
The four young Eritreans described their life as part-time
soccer players and part-time military conscripts, where they
were required to build roads, guard buildings and follow the
army's whims. Though they had special status as soccer players
they were still arrested for basic activities like walking in
the street in a group.
"If you are more than two people hanging out there is always
suspicion that you are organizing something," said one player, Hermon Fessehaye Yohannes. Everyone is required to have
"permission papers" from the government that allows them to
travel in the streets, the players said.
Hermon recalled being stopped one night while walking from his
work to his home, a distance of roughly 100 meters. His
permission papers were at home and a policeman stopped him and
refused to listen to his pleas.
"He started beating us up with a stick," Hermon said, asserting
that he was then briefly taken to jail. "This is our daily
normal life, this is how we live."
It was impossible to independently confirm the incident.
Eritrean athletes, especially soccer players, have been known to
defect while traveling abroad. In 2012, 17 soccer players
defected while in Uganda. Some players reportedly have been
forced to pay a bond worth nearly $7,000 to ensure their return.
The newly defected players said their interest in soccer was
sparked by the professional team Manchester United. While
playing in the streets of the capital, Asmara, they heard that
the team was the best in the world.
"They were our first inspiration," Mewal said.
The players said their love of soccer transformed into a way to
support their families and eventually escape the country.
"I knew since I was a child the only way to get out of Eritrea
was to be a footballer," said Simon Asmelash Mekonen.
The players said their escape plan began when they landed in
Uganda. "The previous days whenever we tried there were a lot of
people guarding over us, watching us, it was just impossible," Mewal said.
But after defeating Zanzibar and scoring five goals, the team
was in a celebratory mood. The players asked permission to go
for a walk, then called the only person they knew in Uganda and
defected.
But now they fear that Eritrean authorities are searching for
them as they wait for word on their asylum claims with the
Ugandan government.
"We don't know what will happen to us next," Hanibal Girmay
Tekle said. "We cannot go outside."
The lawyer representing them, Kimberley Motley, said in a letter
to the United Nations requesting support that "my clients
believe that they will be repatriated back to Eritrea by the
authorities and therefore respectfully request to be resettled
to another country." The letter describes how the players were
forced into military service at the age of 17.
A spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency in Uganda, Duniya
Aslam Khan, said Uganda's government is responsible for granting
asylum and that she could not share information regarding the
players' claims.
A spokesman for the office of Uganda's prime minister, Julius
Mucunguzi, said he wasn't aware of the asylum claim but said the
Eritreans might not have included the detail that they are
soccer players.
"Our doors are open to anyone from anywhere who is seeking
safety and security and is fleeing from danger," he said. "The
doors of Uganda are open to get the safety they need."
Building a strong and inclusive Yiakl movement in
DC. brick by brick.
Looking good DMV!!
( Brief eyewitness report, meskerem)
10/14/2019
It was a milestone meeting that will uplift the spirit of
pro-democracy forces in the DMV, around the nation and the
world. As what happens politically and diplomatically in DC is
felt around the world, what happened in last Saturday's meeting
will also have profound uplifting impact on the fight for
democracy and justice all over. All eyes are on DC!!
Building a strong and inclusive
movement, brick by brick
DC Yiakl is not rushing to create a Bayto Yiakl. It is soaking
and benefiting and using the experiences of other Yiakl sister
cities; taking in the good and staying away from the mistakes
and stumbles. Moreover, there are huge opportunities and
challenges that need to be properly understood and carefully
addressed and handled.
DC is a pioneer in the fight for justice and democracy; in DC,
first all-inclusive conference in 1999, first demonstration in
front of the Eritrean Embassy in 2000 and first opposition radio
program in 2000. Unprecedented demonstration, symposium and
festival this summer is an attestation to what can be achieved
in DC by creating a people's movement where all Eritreans
without exclusion take ownership of the Yiakl movement.
It is with this history and backdrop of struggle as point of
strength and asset that DMV Eritreans are moving to reclaim
their role as leaders, facilitators, liaison, and
organizers to benefit the struggle for democracy and justice.
They intend to do so by creating DMV-wide strong and inclusive Yiakl movement.
DMV Yiakl leadership has been conducting meetings to discuss how
to organize DMV-wide meeting to create and launch Bayto Yiakl
and Yiakl movement. To this effect and based on strong
recommendations from participants of the numerous meetings, the
three hard-working, a bit-slow, but deliberate Yiakl
representatives, Freta Solomon, Mahfuz Denish and Tekeste Beraki
established a committee to reach out and initiate dialogue with
different organizations and entities that have stake in the
movement. This committee met with the leadership of ECJ and
after a lengthy discussion made things to move to where they are
today.
In the aforementioned meeting on Saturday 08/10/2019 in SE,DC.,
and after constructive and mature discussion, the meeting that
was called last Saturday by the Eritreans for Justice (ECJ)
board to discuss the proposal, by majority vote of the
membership meeting, endorsed the proposal.
It was a great milestone in the journey to create a strong,
inclusive, sustainable and unified Yiakl movement in the heart
of the world's power center.
"Multi-national, inclusive, diverse, where no one is left
behind" seemed to be in the minds of those who attended the
meeting. One participants stated, with many nodding their heads
in support, that, we in DMV, need to create a movement where no
one is left out or excluded. A brother dotore said, we should
look for our people, find them and bring them to this great
people's movement. He called for the august meeting to reach out
and make the the emerging youth, women and professional groups,
veteran opposition as well as civic organizations to be part and
stakeholders of the DMV Yiakl movement.
"The time when our meetings are attended by few should end.
Massive campaign in social media and other means should be
conducted to bring large numbers to the meeting", added a
brother who pledged to take meeting invitation flyers to all
areas where Eritreans congregate.
