URGENT HELP
ERITREANS IN ZIMBABWE DETAINED

Wednesday, 08 September 2004

To : Eritrean Human Rights Groups
Amnesty International
Eritrean Opposition Groups
Eritrean Students and Residents in South Africa Association

12 innocent Eritreans including two women have been detained by the Zimbabwean government since Friday 27 August, 2004. They are being held under maximum security and inhuman conditions in Harare's central prison. The Eritreans were taken from their homes, hotels, streets or on arrival at the airport. During the same time, 29 Ethiopians were detained and deported to Addis Ababa. Due to fear of detention and deportation, other Eriteans are on the run. It's been difficult to get complete names and information of those detained and most of them are only listed here by their first names:

1. Sara
2. Selam
3. Medhanie Russom
4. Mustafa Idris
5. Tedros
6. Estifanos
7. Solomon (who came from South Africa)
8. Bereket Chimar
9. Zekaris Haile
10. Angosom Zerai
11. Berhane Tesfai
12. One Eritrean who has not been identified yet.

All Eritrean human rights, civic and political organizations and Amnesty International are requested to use their means and influence to save the innocent Eritreans from deportation and seek for political protection or leave the country on their own. All interested organizations and individuals including relatives of those detained persons, please contact me to put our efforts together.

Solomon Russom
Phone: (27) 733070525
Email: soloruso@yahoo.com
Stellenbosch
South Africa