University of Asmara President Appeals to UNESCO to Take Action

The President of the University of Asmara, Dr. Wolde-Ab Yisak, again appealed to the Director General of UNESCO to take action on previous appeals regarding university exchange students placed in detention camps by the Ethiopian government. The new appeal follows the death of one of the students held at the camp. The text of Dr. Wolde-Ab's letter to UNESCO follows:

17 November 1998

H.E. Dr. Federico Mayer
Director General, UNESCO

Your Excellency,

On July 7, 1998, I had reported to your office the tragic incidence of some 85 Eritrean university students who were studying in Ethiopia under a student exchange programme. These students were forcibly removed from their campuses, denied the right to sit for examinations and detained in military camps as a result of the present Eritrea-Ethiopian border conflict. I had at the time strongly appealed for your intervention to end such an illegal and immoral act by the Ethiopian authorities because such an act not only constitutes a gross violation of human rights but it also poses a serious threat to international academic cooperation. Although our appeal had received very little attention from UNESCO, a number of regional and international academic associations responded to our appeal and managed to place pressure on the Ethiopian authorities resulting in the release of 46 of our students. However we still have 38 of our students kept as political hostages in Blaten military detention camp (see attachment).

On October 5, 1998, while addressing the World Conference on Higher Education in Paris, and on October 9, 1998, in a letter I wrote to you, I had once again renewed my strong appeal for intervention by the world academic organizations but more specifically by your Office to intervene on behalf of the detained innocent students. These students have now suffered untold hardships in Ethiopian military detention camps for well over five months and, as I have stated in my earlier appeal, their continued detention poses a very serious threat to their safety.

Recognizing the precarious situation in which our students find themselves and considering that the poor responses our repeated appeals have received from your office may have emanated from confusing and/or conflicting information that may reach your office, we had suggested that a special envoy appointed by you be sent to the area. The envoy together with other UN agencies in the area should assess the situation with respect to the impact of the conflict on educational institutions and its beneficiaries resulting in a clearer identification of the victims. This we had hoped would provide you with more accurate and reliable information and serve as a sound basis for taking concrete and bold steps that would provide hope and protection to the unfortunate victims who rightfully and legitimately have been and are still seeking your support. Once again the lack of response from your office to all our appeals and suggestions has baffled us and continues to be a source of great disappointment.

On November 10, 1998, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the State of Eritrea has received the sad and tragic news of the untimely death of one of our students who had been in the military detention camp at Blaten. The report came through a letter written by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The shock, sorrow, pain and deep anxiety that this sad news has brought not only on the bereaved parents but on all the parents of the 38 still imprisoned students and on the entire university community is beyond description. I hope that this tragic incident will be an issue of major concern also for you and for the entire academic community and hopefully a sufficient cause for UNESCO to act.

The late Mr. Ghebrekidan Zekarias Teklemariam was a 24-year-old third year distinction student in Statistics. He came from a very poor family that lived in refugee camps in the Sudan for many years during the war for liberation. He was his family's only hope and wealth and now they have been deprived of the only hope they have had.

As the Director General of a United Nations cultural and educational organization, the University of Asmara strongly believes that you have the mandate and responsibility of protecting and defending student rights and safety especially those that are on international student exchange programmes. Therefore I am making once again a strong and passionate plea to you to intervene without further delay, through the effective exercise of your moral and institutional authority, to prevent any further tragedy from occurring by mediating for the immediate and unconditional release of all the remaining University of Asmara students who are still under custody. By a copy of this letter I am also extending my plea to all academic associations, to all my fellow heads of academic institutions and to all student unions to support our appeal and place pressure on UNESCO and the Ethiopian authorities.

It is my sincere hope that you will give our appeal the serious attention that it deserves and that you will do everything in your power to avert any further unnecessary tragedy from occurring.

Accept Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Wolde-Ab Yisak, Ph.D.
President
University of Asmara

List of Eritrean University Exchange Students Still Under Military Detention in Ethiopia

* Deceased while under custody in Ethiopian military detention camp on October 4, 1998
Veronica Rentmeesters, Information Officer
Embassy of Eritrea to the US
1708 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington DC 20009, USA
TEL: 202 588 7587 FAX: 202 319 1304
E-M: veronica@embassyeritrea.org

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