Eritrean News - assenna

Members of the Eritrean security forces who came in to Hollywood Internet Café in the capital Asmara, in their plain clothes to disguise themselves as service users have arrested three youth on 26th of December 2008, after blaming them for accessing opposition websites.

The Eritrean Government arrests people for accessing opposition websites; it also warns Internet cafes 

Members of the Eritrean security forces who came in to Hollywood Internet Café in the capital Asmara, in their plain clothes to disguise themselves as service users have arrested three youth on 26th of December 2008, after blaming them for accessing opposition websites.

According to our sources from Asmara, the three youth who have been arrested are:

1. Temesgen Belay
2. Rahel Ghebreamlak
3. and Tesfay Mebrahtu, (a member of national service)

Following the arrests, on the 29th December 2008, the regime has summoned all Internet service providers in Asmara to the premises of National Youth and Students Union  – PFDJ’s satellite organisation, and warned them strongly to control the information the public should access from the Internet.

The authorities who led the meeting, organised in the name of ‘civic education’, stated that “there are Eritrean websites in the Diaspora whose soul purpose is to disintegrate Eritrea, so you don’t have to allow the public to access those kind of publications” disclosed the sources.

The participants however, couldn’t hide their displeasure in obeying the order, saying that it is not right to censor their customers.

The regime in Eritrea, who is worried about the information that is coming out from independent sources and opposition websites abroad regarding the current sate of affairs of the country, has been taking several measures to strengthen its harish policy of suppressing freedom of expression. 

In the last couple of weeks, regional administrators of the regime have been holding public campaigns to warn the people from listening opposition radiobroadcasts. The regime has also stopped skype services in offices, including the Ministry of Information. 

In Eritrea, there is no independent press. A dozen journalists from the private press and state media have been languishing in secret jails since 2001. The Internet service providers also operate under close government control.