Amb. Sophia Tesfamariam · @stesfamariam
11th Jan 2013 from Twitlonger
#Human Rights Watch has leaked a damning report on #Eritrea's nascent mining industry hoping to scare off investors.
Not surprisingly, in an effort to thwart Eritrea's nascent mining industry, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has produced yet another damning document on Eritrea and has chosen to circulate it in the western press before allowing Eritrea or the parties mentioned to provide responses. The timing is curious as it was just last month that the 2nd very successful Investors Conference was held in Eritrea. HRW's intentions are transparent.
HRW's anti-Eritrea campaigns have mimicked and run side by side with that of Eritrea's enemies for the last 12 years. From attempting to strangulate Eritrea's economy, to maligning and vilifying Eritrea's leadership, to unprecedented interference in Eritrea's sovereign affairs, HRW has disproportionately focused on condemnations of Eritrea and its 12-year long publications related to Eritrea have lacked balance and credibility.
HRW has no presence in Eritrea and none of its members have visited Eritrea and has relied on dubious sources such as Elsa Chyrum and other notorious Eritrean quislings working closely with the minority regime in Ethiopia for its information about Eritrea.
My sources tell me that the Report is filled with accusations against Eritrea's budding national companies and mining companies operating in Eritrea. Unable to convince the UN Security Council to impose crippling economic sanctions against the mining industry in 2010, Eritrea's enemies are hoping to use the UN Human Rights Council to advance that agenda. It is yet another futile attempt that will only expose the hypocrisy and duplicity of the UN system and undermine its credibility and relevance in future endeavors in the region...
HRW and its sponsors are denying the people of Eritrea their right to development. After working for over 12 years to deny Eritrea humanitarian and development aid, it sure seems hypocritical to now feign concern for the people of Eritrea for having to work harder to achieve their dreams and aspirations on their own. It is not human rights that HRW is concerned about, rather, it is yet another politically motivated attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Eritrea using human rights as a pretext.
With thousands of Eritreans in the Diaspora,with varying backgrounds and credentials, it is interesting that HRW chooses to rely on a handful of disgruntled runaway criminals, military deserters, asylum seekers and self serving "bandwagon human rights activists for its information.
This report that will be published shortly (after the expected media blitz). It will be summarily rejected by all peace loving Eritreans and will end up like all previous HRW reports-in file #13-the trash!!!