• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Democracy Chronicles

Towards better democracy everywhere.

  • AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
  • WORLD DEMOCRACY
  • POLITICAL ART
  • more
    • election technology
    • money politics
    • political dissidents
    • THIRD PARTY
      • third party central
      • green party
      • justice party
      • libertarian party
    • voting methods
  • DC INFO
    • author central
    • about
    • advertise with DC
    • contact
    • privacy policy
You are here: Home / Democracy News Headlines / International Democracy / “Eritrean Irony”: Youth Prefer Death at Sea to Freedoms Curtailed at Home

“Eritrean Irony”: Youth Prefer Death at Sea to Freedoms Curtailed at Home

August 12, 2019 by DC Editors Leave a Comment

FacebookLinkedInPinTweet

 

"Eritrean Irony": Youth Prefer Death at Sea to Freedoms Curtailed at Home

The “Eritrean irony” is couched in its political trajectory. The Horn of Africa nation fought Ethiopian rule for 30 years, but once independence was secured in 1993, its leader, Isaias Afwerki, rapidly subjected the country to bondage, curtailing all freedoms and postponing democracy, meaning multi-party politics and elections, indefinitely.

Nothing exemplifies the Eritrean irony more than the unfortunate perils its youth have to face in their attempts to escape the bondage Afwerki’s has imposed on them. In a story reported by Laetitia Bader in Human Right Watch, Eritrean youth reportedly prefer to die at sea attempting to cross into Europe than to have their freedoms taken away from them by President Isaias Afwerki. In the story, Laetitia Bader writes:

I met 19-year-old Dawit (not his real name) in Italy. He was among the few Eritreans who escaped unscrupulous smugglers in Libya and reached Italy in 2018 in spite of its efforts to prevent new arrivals. He explained why he took the dangerous journey to Europe rather than finishing high school in Eritrea: “They were making us into slaves, not educating us.”

Since early last year, we have spoken with 73 Eritrean former secondary school students and their teachers to understand why thousands of young Eritreans go into exile. Their answers are clear: back home, they have no freedom or control over their future. “It’s a life in prison, in our own country,” another 19-year-old Eritrean told me.

Since Eritrea’s border war with Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000, President Isaias Afewerki has used the “no war, no peace” stalemate that ensued to justify holding much of the country’s population hostage.

Click here for full story.

FacebookLinkedInPinTweet

Filed Under: International Democracy Tagged With: Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Italy, Libya

Some highlighted Democracy Chronicles topics

Africa American Corruption American Local Elections American State Elections Asia Capitalism and Big Business Celebrity Politics China Democracy Charity Democracy Protests Democrats Dictatorships Education Election History Election Methods Election Security Election Transparency Europe Internet and Democracy Journalism and Free Speech Middle East Minority Voting Rights Money Politics New York City and State Elections Political Artwork Political Dissidents Political Lobbying Redistricting Republicans Russia Socialism and Labor Social Media and Democracy South America Spying and Privacy Supreme Court Third Party Voter Access Voter ID Voter Registration Voter Suppression Voter Turnout Voting Technology Women Voting Rights Worldwide Worldwide Corruption

About DC Editors

We are your source for news on the all important effort to establish and strengthen democracy across the globe. Our international team with dozens of independent authors are your gateway into the raging struggle for free and fair elections on every continent with a focus on election reform in the United States. See our Facebook Page and also follow us on Twitter @demchron.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

democracy chronicles newsletter

democracy around the web

  • Breaking: Eighth Circuit, on 2-1 Vote, Holds...
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 1 hour ago
  • “As Trump Courts Gifts and Dangles Access, Co...
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 2 hours ago
  • “When are big-money contributions to super PA...
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 2 hours ago
  • “The End of the Rule of Law in America”
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 2 hours ago
  • “The Neutral Criteria Myth”
    Source: Election Law Blog Published on: 4 hours ago