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The founding members of the PEN Eritrea are committed to excellence in its participative approach to promote freedom of expression in Eritrea. The historic organization will officially be formed in Bishkek- Kirgisistan between Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, 2014 with the following intended objectives:

PDF: An_Official_Invitation_Letter_to_all_Media_Outlets-1

Brussels (DIPLOMAT.SO)- The European Union On Friday expressed concerns over continued human rights violations in Eritrea, especially arbitrary detentions and lack of religious freedom and freedom of expression.

“We remain deeply concerned that the State of Eritrea continues to violate its international and domestic obligations regarding human rights,” the European bloc said in a statement.

EU expressed particular concerns over the continued detention of a charge, trial or legal counsel of eleven 11 prominent politicians, including three former cabinet ministers, since September 18, 2001.

The bloc also expressed concerns over the continued detention of ten independent journalists, including the Eritrean-EU citizen Dawit Isaak, since September 23, 2011. They are also being held without charges or trial.

“Despite repeated appeals by the international community, including the UN Human Rights Council and the EU, these people have been detained incommunicado for the last thirteen years, with all their rights suspended,” the EU statement read.

The statement stressed that this conduct of the Eritrean government is in “clear violation of obligations established in the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by Eritrea, such as the prohibition against arbitrary detention.”

The European bloc urged the Government of Eritrea to release these prisoners immediately and unconditionally, along with other prisoners detained for their political views. The bloc also requested the Eritrean government to release information on the whereabouts of these prisoners, and to ensure that they are given access to their families and lawyers.

Further, the EU called on the Government of Eritrea to honor its international human rights obligations and to urgently improve its human rights situation.

“The EU also calls on the Government to fully co-operate with the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea as well as to implement the recommendations made by the UN Human Rights Council during the Universal Periodic Review of the State of Eritrea in 2014,” the note said.

While we are here we would like to take this opportunity to invite you to our upcoming Family Picnic to be held on Sept. 27, 2014. We encourage you to come with your family and friends to enjoy this day.

Eritrea has one of Africa’s most unique sporting crazes.

Cycling is immensely popular in Eritrea. Every weekend, thousands of amateurs speed along isolated roads, over mountain passes and across deserts. Between them, the country’s 6 million people own some 500,000 bicycles.

The sport’s event of the year is the “Giro dell’Eritrea,” a 700-mile, 10-stage event, that is Africa’s oldest cycle race. It was first organized in 1946 by the country’s Italian expatriate community, but with local people barred from entering.

Political unrest led to the race being cancelled the following year, and it was only resurrected 54 years later in 2001, ten years after Eritrea had secured its independence.

The race has been run every year since then – always along roads packed with spectators. The event is a huge celebration in the country, followed by some one-third of the country’s population.

ፍትሒ፡ ኣብ ሰሰለስተ ወርሒ እትሕተም መጽሔት ልሳን ማሕበር ኤርትራውያን ንፍትሒ ኣብ ኢንድያናፖሊስን ከባቢኣን እያ። መስከረም 2014 ሕታም ቁ. 3

PDF: መጽሔት ፍትሒ ምሉእ ትሕስቶ…