VOA’s Unjustifiable Justifications for Continuation of Dictatorship in Eritrea

2015-04-28 12:22:09 Written by  By EPDP Information Office Published in EPDP News Read 3285 times

Bronwyn BrutonIn a recent Voice of America’s Press Conference USA program, Ms Bronwyn Bruton, former news correspondent and currently the deputy director of the Africa Center of the Atlantic Council, alleged, inter alia, that the flight of so many Eritreans from the country “is exaggerated” because those tens of thousands claiming to be from Eritrea simply to obtain asylum “are not actually Eritreans”.

This is unjustified and unfair comment because distressed Eritreans have been escaping from the regime in big numbers and those who may use the name “Eritrean” to obtain asylum can only be an insignificant in number, if any. That point should not have deserved a mention by the VOA interviewee. The comment is indeed a travesty of justice and extremely unfair to the victims of the brutal regime in Asmara that did its best to impress the official from the Atlantic Council.

Ms Bruton agreed with the dictator she interviewed that it was only “circumstances” that forced the regime to impose indefinite national service on its people. She also wanted others to believe that the regime demobilized 100,000 soldiers last year although the rest of the world knows the reality: that these were the young people who escaped taking big risks on their way.

The American expert, who also appeared to agree with security advisors who give exclusive concern to their national interests, mentioned Yemen and other chaotic places in the region and wanted to tell Eritreans that a dictator like Isayas is all what they deserve.

Ms Bruton did not want to mention that the regime has refused to implement a constitution it ratified in 1997; instead she said she was happy to hear from the president that a new constitution will be drafted in the future.

Readers know that the targeted and still unimplemented UN sanctions mainly focused on the travel of regime officials and their bank accounts. It is also known that those nominal “sanctions” had no effect on the regime and the life of the people. But the dictator and his clique used them as an excuse for their utter failure in ruling the country for a quarter of a century. And for little known reasons, Ms Bruton wished to accept as truth this and related brazen excuses and propaganda of the regime. It is really puzzling.

True, Ethiopia has failed to honour the border ruling and that is unjustified action both by the Ethiopian government and its US supporters. But that in itself should not have stopped Eritrea from having a constitution and allowing political, economic and other freedoms for its own good. It is for those freedoms that the Eritrean people fought so dearly for 30 long years. Ms Bruton seems to be one of those who won’t care what happens to others.

Regrettably, security and national interests of others are given priority to the extremely disquieting situation of the Eritrean people under the most repressive regime in Africa that one can think of at this moment in time.

Last modified on Tuesday, 28 April 2015 14:32