Michael (Mike) Smith, Chair of the Eritrea inquiry

Dear Editor:

JUNE 30, 2016 

Recently you had posted a video (see below) about a Somali businessman who hired a legal defense team to clear his name off the alleged link to Al- Shabaab.

His Lawyer not only succeeded in clearing his client of any wrong doing, but was also able to expose the criminal activities of some of the members of the UN Monitoring Group, which interestingly is the same group selected to investigate Eritrean link to the Somalia militant group Al- Shabaab.

What fascinated me about the video and prompted me to write to you pertains to where do we Eritreans stand when it comes to defending our innocence in the international arena and bringing the perpetrators to face justice. How long are we going to sit idle while irrelevant countries with worst human rights records and international law violators accuse, prosecute and manage to punish a country which is really a victim of such crimes? I’m specifically referring to the likes of Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia, countries at the lowest index compared to Eritrea whether in health care, education, HIV/AIDS, Malaria prevalence, infant mortality rate, etc…, which are main pillars ofHuman rights, to receive a platform to speak on behalf of Eritrea. Something is wrong with this picture.

And as much we like and support the idea of Eritrea’s quest in defending its position or interest independently, there comes a time when the conspiracies and crimes that have been committed against Eritrea for half a century comes to an end through a strong legal defence system. Watching the clip on how the Lawyer defended his client’s case which brought himon a verge of total victory made me think and think hard.

I truly feel that Eritrea is now at the best position to legally defeat those morally corrupt entities out there to harm her and its people. All it needs is a strong legal defense team to present her strong case to the International Court of Justice, even if it means paying them heftily. Eritrea’s good name and reputation must be preserved; its sovereignty must be respected by all means necessary.

Thanks,
Bruh Metsae