ERITREA:
Eritrean to be awarded with prestigious Rafto Prize
Source: http://eri24.com/news3685.htm News, 25 SeptemberPaulos Tesfagiorgis from Eritrea is to be the first sub-Saharan African ever to receive the prestigious human rights award from the Thorolf Rafto Foundation - also wrongfully dubbed the 'Human Rights Nobel Price'. Mr Tesfagiorgis has been in exile since 2001 and is working for peaceful dialogue to achieve democratic reform in Eritrea. The decision was hailed by the exiled Eritrean opposition.
The Foundation, based in Bergen (Norway), today announced the winner of the Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize for 2003. It is known to afrol News that several strong candidates had been presented this year - although it is the policy of the Foundation not to publish the candidates' names. The strong competition from other candidates however gives extra weight to Mr Tesfagiorgis' award.
- For more than 20 years, Paulos has worked for the empowerment of the people of Eritrea, the creation of opportunities for genuine democratic participation, and the widening of space for human rights, the
Foundation writes in its presentation of the 2003 award, which is to be presented at a ceremony in Bergen on 2 November. "He has maintained that this aim must be pursued peacefully and through popular and constructive dialogue."The Rafto Foundation clearly states it wants to "contribute towards an international focus on the situation in Eritrea, and the opening of space for political discourse in the country" by giving this year's prize to Mr Tesfagiorgis. The Foundation further wished to acknowledge and assist "the growing number of people in Eritrea who struggle to reverse, through non-violent means, the descent towards a one-man rule
and the militarisation of society."On Mr Tesfagiorgis, the Foundation informs that he has been a central figure in the independence fight against Ethiopia - headed by current President Issayas Afewerki - which led to Eritrea's independence in
1991. As leader of the Eritrean Relief Association (1976-1990), Mr Tesfagiorgis was responsible for securing access to food supplies and health services for the civilian population in the liberated areas.After liberation, he finished his law studies, and then went on to co-found a 'Regional Centre for Human Rights and Development' in Asmara, which however was closed down in 2003, following direct orders from President Afewerki. Mr Tesfagiorgis then became appointed to the Constitutional Commission, securing that human rights and democracy became a basis for the draft constitution. While the Constitutional Assembly ratified the constitution in 1997, the Eritrean President has, thus far, refused to sign it into effect.
The prelude to Mr Tesfagiorgis' exile started with his signing of the so-called 'Berlin Manifesto' of 2000, calling for dialogue on democratic reform. The year after, 15 leading members of the ruling party also
called President Afewerki to initiate democratisation, only leading them to be imprisoned by the regime. This was followed by a crackdown of the press and more repression. Faced with imprisonment, Mr Tesfagiorgis chose exile.Since that, he tries "to bring together Eritrean people in exile around a non-violent, democratic alternative for Eritrea," the Foundation notes. "In the spirit of national reconciliation and power sharing, Paulos believes [President] Issayas should be a part of the democratisation of the country. Inviting Issayas to cooperate in this process would aid in achieving a peaceful transition."
Mr Tesfagiorgis fears what he calls "two dangerous tendencies emerging within the Eritrean opposition groups" - the drive towards Islamic radicalisation, and partly overlapping with this, the attempts to organise new armed resistance movements. "Whoever comes to power through violence and the barrel of the gun, would not be democratic, for he would not be accountable to the people" says Mr Tesfagiorgis.
The Rafto Prize for Mr Tesfagiorgis immediately was hailed by other exiled Eritreans. Mussie Ephrem, the European Representative of the opposition Eritrean Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said the
decision filled him with joy. "It is joyful that a person working for human rights in Eritrea, which has one of the world's most repressive regimes, has become the focus of the Foundation."On Mr Tesfagiorgis' comments regarding "new armed resistance movements", the MDC representative however only partly agrees. "First, we must use all political means to get rid of Mr Afewerki. If that doesn't work, we however must sit down and also consider military options," he says. Mr Ephrem further emphasises that the current situation, with an increasingly isolated regime in Asmara, holds much hopes for dialogue.
Arne Lynngård, Chairman of the Rafto board, told afrol News that the Foundation had given weight to Mr Tesfagiorgis' peaceful approach. "It is a signal to others that one should use a peaceful approach to achieve changes, but this also demands international solidarity and support," which was something Mr Lynngård hoped to achieve by this year's Rafto prize.
Concerning international solidarity, Mr Lynngård found it surprising that most people in Europe still have a positive image of the situation in Eritrea, originating from the first few years of independence when Eritrea was presented as the "hope of Africa". Very few were conscious of the country's negative developments, he holds, indicating that also the Norwegian government now should get more engaged in human rights in Eritrea.
Eritrea is still a one-party state, the Rafto Foundation emphasises in its release. "The political development in the country is marked by increasing repression." President Afewerki demands the people's "blind
loyalty and unconditional servitude. No alternative expression of opinion is tolerated and the government controls all news media. Military conflicts with neighbouring countries had further allowed the
Eritrean regime to "suppress all criticism, using national security as a guise," the Foundation concluded.
