Former minister sentenced to six years in prison without trial

Berhane died in prison after six years without trial

Berhane, 79, has been imprisoned for six (6) years without ever being tried to find out what he is guilty of, according to a statement issued by one of the Eritrean human rights NGOs Human Rights Concern Eritrea (HRCE) on Thursday, August 22, 2024.

RTL.Info newspaper reported that Berkan was arrested in September 2018, when he published a book harshly critical of the Eritrean regime. Since then, the man, who is a member of the Eritrean government, has been kept secret, according to a statement from a British non-governmental organization.

Eritrea is a country often referred to by some as the “North Korea of ​​Africa” ​​because it has been led by President Isaias Afwerki since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1991 and has been fighting for independence for nearly 30 years.

The late Berhana was also a member of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF), the political party led by President Isaias Afwerki during the fight for independence, and became a prominent politician in Eritrea, serving in various positions in the government before becoming the president of Eritrea.

After he started expressing his dissatisfaction with the management of the President of Eritrea, he also wrote about it in a book he wrote titled “Hagerey Eritrea” or “L’Erythrée, ma nation” where he showed that his country needed democratic reforms and that the President of Eritrea was a dictator who should resign.

At the time of Berhane’s arrest, human rights group Amnesty International wrote that Eritrea had further damaged its image in promoting human rights.

The country of Eritrea is one of those countries that is often mentioned as not respecting the rights of those who want to express their opinions, not respecting human rights, not respecting the rights of people, and it is also one of the countries that is at the lowest level of economy.

The BBC reported that the family of the late Berhane said the story of his death was told to them by those who had imprisoned the dead dictator, and that they were told he would be buried in the “Patriots of Asmara” cemetery where those who fought for Eritrea’s independence are buried.

Only his body has not yet been handed over to his family, who have even declared that they do not know the date of Berhane’s death or the reasons behind his killing.