Press Release
Ethiopia's Campaign of Slander Continues

The TPLF regime has intensified its campaign of hate and slander in spite of a verbal commitment to the OAU "to refrain from any action and statement which could complicate matters and jeopardize the establishment of the atmosphere of serenity which is required for the implementation of the Framework Agreement and the Modalities."

Two days after the OAU had issued a statement on the acceptance of both parties of the Modalities of Implementation (MOI) and the Framework Agreement and on the outcome of the shuttle of the OAU envoy, Ethiopia's state-controlled media have yet to inform their domestic audience. Instead, the TPLF propaganda machine is busy heaping insults on Eritrea and fabricating groundless accusations to inflame public opinion.

To this end, the TPLF regime has accused Eritrea in the past two days of obstructing access to their embassy in Asmara and of detaining "1,500 Ethiopians in Awashait prison alone."

But the true facts are:
* It is Ethiopia which has not only expelled Eritrea's Ambassador to the OAU but also ransacked his residence in violation of the Vienna Conventions. Ethiopia also illegally detained, by breaking into the embassy premises, the guard of the Embassy in contravention of established diplomatic conventions and tortured him for five months.
* Eritreans in Ethiopia have been deprived of any consular protection for more than thirteen months now. Any Eritrean approaching the embassy for routine consular service is routinely detained. Even Eritrea's Ambassador was shadowed around the clock with five security cars. Eritrea has not resorted to these practices although it could do so on the basis of reciprocity.
* Over 1,500 Eritreans remain in jail--without any process of law--for almost a year now. These innocent Eritreans, who were detained either because they were former fighters, had done military service at some time, or simply because "they are of military age," were jailed at Fiche, and later the infamous, malaria-infested Blaten concentration camp. They were moved to a new concentration camp recently.
* Over 1,000 Eritreans remain missing with their whereabouts unknown.
* Over 15,000 Eritreans whose business licenses have been revoked and/or who have been fired from employment because of their ethnicity remain stranded in destitute conditions in Addis Abeba and elsewhere in Ethiopia because the TPLF regime refuses to let them go.
* Eritrea, to the contrary, does not have a policy of detaining Ethiopians of military age. The ICRC has unhindered access to investigate allegations of civilian detainees. There is no prison in Awashait and the ICRC have been invited to visit this or any other place of Ethiopia's wild allegations.
* Eritrea's policy of respecting the fundamental rights of Ethiopians in Eritrea is in fact enshrined in the Parliamentary Resolution of 26 June 1998 which reads, inter alia, "The National Assembly has asserted that in contrast to the inhuman policy of the Ethiopian government, the Eritrean government has not, and will not, take any hostile action against Ethiopians residing in the country. Their right to live and work in peace is guaranteed. If this right is infringed under any circumstances or by any institution, they have the full rights of redress. This policy that can see a horizon beyond the conflict of today will not change even if the current crisis deteriorates to any degree."
* Eritrea has no policy of obstructing the voluntary departure of Ethiopians nor of detaining them because they are "of military age." Ethiopians are free to leave Eritrea and this is done through registration with the ICRC to verify that departure is due to their own volition.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 28 July 1999