The brutal crack down on dissent by the Eritrean government has been ongoing for decades. As of now, Eritrean prisons remain filled with journalists, activists, dissenters, and their family members - where they are detained under inhumane conditions with insufficient access to water, food, and medical services.
Many of these prisoners, including journalist Seyoum Tsehaye and Ciham Ali Abdu, the daughter of a former minister who was arrested at age 15 as she was trying to flee to Sudan, have been held in detention incommunicado for years.
The spread of COVID-19 has presented even greater threats to prisoners in Eritrea, Human Rights Watch report, and international calls for the release of prisoners of conscience and political detainees in Eritrea are gaining momentum.
One Day Seyoum is a youth-led non-profit organisation working to end human rights abuses against Eritreans and support Eritrean refugees worldwide.
Founded in 2013 by the niece of Seyoum Tsehaye, One Day Seyoum continuously campaign for the release of political prisoners in Eritrea - an effort they escalated even further since the outbreak of COVID-19. The NGO devotes an entire campaign for the release of Ciham, and are in the process of producing a short documentary about her case.
One Day Seyoum’s work is divided into three main areas: human rights advocacy and the launching of projects and campaigns raising awareness of human rights violations committed by the Eritrean government; running a refugee clinic through which they assist Eritrean refugees and connect them with sources providing legal representation and other forms of support; operating ODS TV, a human rights media channel that will broadcast to Eritrea through satellite on Eri Sat and internationally via YouTube.
You may join One Day Seyoum by going on their website and becoming a member of their NGO. As a member, you will be given information about their ongoing campaigns, as well as be able to support their fundraising and advocacy efforts.
You can also check out their Twitter account, help spread their updates on your platforms, and amplify their demand to release political prisoners in Eritrea and terminate the authorities’ onslaught on their own people.
Image: Karim Haddad
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