Eritrean Students and Refugees in South Africa (ESR-SA)
Interim Committee
On the occasion of this year’s World Refugee Day (20 June 2004), Eritrean students and refugees in South Africa, along with other refugees in the country, conducted a peaceful demonstration today the 21st of June 2004. The demonstrators, who departed from the corner of Brown and Prinslo Streets in Pretoria, marched through the main streets of the city and gathered in front of the UNHCR Office in Pretoria. The purpose of the march was primarily to highlight the problems refugees are facing in South Africa. Besides, it was aimed at exposing the injustices perpetrated against refugees in South Africa. Eritrean demonstrators also raised the predicament of innocent Eritrean refugees currently threatened to forcible deportation in Libya. Some of the placards displayed by Eritrean students and refugees on the march read as follows:
Ø UNHCR should not let the Malta case repeated in Libya
Ø UNHCR help Eritreans in Libya: they are in death raw
Ø Eritrean Embassy is a threat to South African Democracy
Ø We condemn the interference of the Eritrean Embassy in the internal procedures of South Africa
Ø Condemn dictators: they are the cause of our migration
Ø We call for the protection of all Eritreans in South Africa
In related news, Eritrean students and refugees in South Africa have also commemorated Eritrea’s Martyr’s Day by a candle vigil on the 20th June 2004.
Today’s demonstration which was organised on the occasion of World Refugee Day is a continuation of the relentless efforts towards the salvation of Eritrean refugees in Libya and the promotion of refugees’ rights in South Africa and else where. At the end of the demonstration, Eritrean students and refugees submitted the following petition to the office of the UNHCR in South Africa.
Eritrean Students and
Refugees in South Africa
Interim Committee
The Tramshed
P.O.Box 11595
Pretoria
Republic of South Africa
Email: esr_rsa@yahoo.com
Phone: +27 82 483 4640
20 June 2004
Ref: ESR-SA/O4/2004
UNHCR Office
351 Schoeman Street
P. O. Box 12505
The Tramshed
Pretoria (0126)
RSA
Dear Sir/Madam,
Please accept our warm greetings.
Eritrean Students and Refugees in South Africa (ESR-SA) is a civil society of Eritreans, which strives, among other things, for the promotion of the rights of Eritrean citizens in South Africa and else where. On the occasion of this year’s World Refugee Day, ESR-SA would like to present the following concerns to the attention of your office.
At a time when the observance of human rights norms has become an international concern of paramount importance, Eritrean refugees in many parts of the world are suffering a lot due to the interference of the Eritrean government in foreign countries’ internal procedures. Such has been the case, for instance, in Malta in 2002, where more than 200 helpless refugees have been deported to Eritrea forcefully. What happened to such people after their return to Eritrea is now a matter of common knowledge for all peace loving and democratic elements in the world. We believe that the incident took place because concerned international bodies, such UNHCR, did not attend to it appropriately. This has been a serious issue and the international community is making a debate out of the situation, which has led to the establishment of a commission of inquiry in Malta. Unfortunately, this would not be very helpful to the victims. Yet, it is supposed to be a lesson to the international community.
Similarly, this month again, more than 500 helpless Eritrean refugees in Libya are threatened to another episode of forcible deportation to Eritrea. Eritreans and their friends around the world are complaining about the matter incessantly. The deportation proceedings have already been arranged by an agreement reached between the governments of Libya and Eritrea. Consequently, we strongly urge your office to interfere into the matter and save the lives of these innocent and helpless Eritrean refugees before it is too late. In this regard, we find it exigent to mention our recent letter written on this particular issue. The letter, with Ref No. ESR-SA/O3/2004, dated 17 June 2004, was addressed to the Embassy of Libya in South Africa and copied to your office on the same day.
In addition to the above sad events, Eritrean students and refugees in South Africa, at times, have also been ill treated and harassed by the South African Department of Home Affairs. Such incidents happened mainly due to the unwarranted interference of the Eritrean Ambassador into South African domestic procedures and unjustifiable assistance accorded to him by the South African Department of Home Affairs. Although things have been improved in the last couple of months, due to the relentless assistance secured from concerned South African organisations, such as Lawyers for Human Rights and others, keen observation and scrutiny is still needed to the threat of the Eritrean Embassy against innocent students and refugees in South Africa.
The Eritrean Embassy in South Africa has arranged and instructed several instances of forced deportations of innocent Eritreans from South Africa by undue interference into the domestic procedures of South Africa. All democratic institutions, especially the UNHCR, which advocate for the rights of refugees, should not tolerate such kind of malpractice any more. Letting tyrants to interfere into the domestic procedures of democratic countries like South Africa, is meant nothing but applauding to dictatorship.
We are confident enough that your office will give appropriate attention to our plea as presented in this letter; for that we thank you in advance.
Best regards,
Eritrean Students and Refugees in South Africa (ESR-SA)
Interim Committee
CC:
Office of the Presidency: Pretoria
Department of Home Affairs: Pretoria
UNHCR: Geneva
African Union: Addis Ababa
Amnesty International: London
Human Rights Watch: Washington