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Bologna, July 5 – Moments of tension this morning during the coverage of the Democratic Coordination Eritrea and outside the North Park protest against the festival organized by the Eritrean community in collaboration with the government in Asmara. After a morning of tension and negotiations between the protesters and the police, just before 13, the situation is precipitated. A car with three people on board, tried to cross the garrison hitting the ground and end up doing a maniferstante. Under the eyes of the police officers who have been slow to understand what was happening, protesters have begun to hit the car with sticks and stones, to break through the rear window.

Officers in riot intervened protecting the escape of the car in reverse, has returned to the camping area of North Park. The wounded man was taken to hospital by the health of 118.

Throughout the morning the situation at the gate of North Park was rather tense. The demonstrators arrived in force (over a hundred) from all over Europe, they wanted to repeat what was done yesterday, speaking through the sound system mounted on a truck with the ”brothers” who were participating in the festival. ”The commissioner has banned the use of the system” repeated throughout the morning officials Piazza Galileo. Unnecessary attempts at mediation councilor Amelia Frascaroli.

After the incidents Siid Negash, a spokesman for the coordination, has convinced the protesters to move in procession to the city center where at 17, Piazza Maggiore, the event will be held in which democratic Eritrea wants to explain to the Bolognese ”What now become Eritrea. ”The protesters also denounced two activists of the Democratic Coordination Eritrea attacked in the night. ”They were agents of the security of the Festival of Eritrea,” they say. And ’complaint was filed.

Eritrea democratica: “Non ballate sui morti di Lampedusa”

(AGENPARL) – Rome, 02 July – ”It ’s time to start over” what is said Vice Minister Pistelli visit to Asmara, the first of a politician of government in Eritrea since 1997, the travel of the President the Republic Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. I have come here to witness the desire to boost bilateral relations and try to facilitate a successful reintegration of Eritrea as a responsible actor in the international community and the fundamental dynamics of regional stabilization. ”

The Deputy Minister Pistelli had long work sessions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleh and Advisor to the President, Ghebreab, before gathering in a long and in-depth interview with President Isaias for the analysis of various issues relevant bilateral and international common interest to the two countries.

”I found at my interlocutors great availability and awareness,” said Pistelli at the conclusion of the meetings. ”If we can share in the partnership, forgetting their respective recriminations that now adhere to the historical dimension of our relationship and have to stop the current condition, the potential for Italy and Eritrea are huge and all mutual benefit.”

Italy is the second largest trading partner of Eritrea, but the exchange still hovers negligible levels because of the substantial isolation of Asmara. The aim of the visit is precisely stimulate the availability of Eritrea to the constructive dialogue with the countries of the region on the basis of a participation in the stabilization of the Horn of Africa, the activation of the development policies of the country, with a shared commitment to the protection of the rights humans, the fight against terrorism and transnational crime.

”I have come to turn a path of cooperation on all areas of mutual interest, in the knowledge that in this part of the region originate many of the problems of security and migration that occur later from us. And to do that I wanted to clarify here personally to the President Isaias in Asmara that Italy is ready to show a new hotel, which will certainly enable the mutual confidence that has been lacking between us from too many decades now. ”

By AgenParl:

(Vatican Radio 3 July) After the tragedy of the boat that sank off Italy’s Southern Island of Lampedusa, came first the appeal of the Holy Father, Pope Francis,  for a global response. Then recently, the Catholic Bishops in Eritrea issued a pastoral letter calling on Eritreans to do some soul searching. Now Italy  is reaching out to the Eritrean Government.

The Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lapo Pistelli, has visited Eritrea where he met that country’s President Isaias Afwerki and government officials. According to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the visit is meant to re-start Ital–Eritrean relations.

“It’s time for a new start” declared Pistelli. He went on to state that “I am here today to bear witness to our determination to revitalise our bilateral relations and try to foster Eritrea’s full reinstatement as a responsible actor and key member of the international community in the stabilisation of this region”.

The Italian Government will no doubt be trying to find a solution to the problem of migrants leaving Eritrea. Said Pistelli, “I came here to enable Italy and Eritrea embark on the road to cooperation in all sectors of mutual interest, given that many of the security and migration problems that affect Italy actually originate in this part of the region. To achieve that cooperation, I wanted to clarify, in person, to President Isaias here in Asmara that Italy is ready to show a new willingness to engage and to rekindle that mutual trust that has been lacking between our two countries for many, too many, decades”.

In October 2013, hundreds of African migrants, mostly from Eritrea and Somalia died while many were missing after a boat carrying them sank off the Southern Italian Island of Lampedusa. The Holy Father, Pope Francis then appealed for a global effort to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Earlier in July of that year, the Holy Father, Pope Francis had decried the ”global indifference” to the plight of migrants headed for the shores of Europe.

Recently, Eritrean Catholic Bishops in their pastoral letter entitled, “Where is your brother?” marking the 23rd anniversary of that country’s independence, which was celebrated on 25 May 2014, addressed themselves to the crisis of emigration in the country.  The pastoral letter signed by the four bishops, Mengsteab Tesfamariam, Eparch of Asmara; Tomas Osman, Eparch of Barentu; Kidane Yeabio, Eparch of Keren and Feqremariam Hagos, Eparch of Segeneti stated, “there is no reason to search for a country of honey if you are in one… Instead of Eritreans aiming to leave their country, those who are in the Diaspora should have returned….it is not rational to simply ask why our youth are leaving to foreign countries.”

Although Italy is Eritrea’s second commercial partner, trade remains negligible, given Asmara’s isolation. One goal of Pistelli’s visit was to encourage the Eritreans to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries of the region with a view to contributing to the stability of the Horn of Africa, establishing development policies, and signing up to a shared commitment to protect human rights and to combat terrorism and trans-national crime

The new initiative to Asmara by the Italian Government marks the first time a senior Italian government official has visited Eritrea in over a decade

By Vatican Radio:

Swedish law firm reports Isaias Afewerki and several ministers to the police for crimes against humanity.

Several top Eritrean leaders have been reported to the police for crimes against humanity by a Swedish law firm, as a new law took effect enabling such crimes committed anywhere else in the world to be prosecuted in Sweden.

The report lists a series of alleged crimes including torture and kidnapping, and targets Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki and several of his ministers by name.

There is a lot of evidence from human rights groups, particularly about indefinite imprisonment without trial (in Eritrea). Percy Bratt, human rights lawyer

”This is not only symbolic. We believe there are legal grounds to prosecute the people we have named,” human rights lawyer Percy Bratt told the AFP news agency on Tuesday.

The legal move, the first of its kind in Sweden, was filed the same day that crimes against humanity were introduced into the Swedish penal code.

The code enables judges to prosecute crimes regardless of where they have been committed or by whom.

”There is a lot of evidence from human rights groups, particularly about indefinite imprisonment without trial (in Eritrea),” Bratt said.

”There are also many Eritreans in Sweden who could give information about the conditions in the country in general.”

According to the latest figures, 12,800 Eritreans live in Sweden, and the number of asylum seekers from the country keeps growing.

Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak has been imprisoned in Eritrea since 2001, and 13 years on little is known of his fate.

Bratt said that even if the case was taken on by the prosecutors, it could take years before criminal charges were laid, given the complexity of the allegations.

Eritrea, with a population of five million and a size about the same as Britain, is one of the most isolated and secretive countries in the world.

According to the United Nations, 4,000 Eritreans flee the country every year to escape ruthless repression, including unlimited forced labour for the government.

By Aljazeera: