Is this appropriate?
Most UN agencies are not allowed to play a full role in Eritrea. The IMF, World Bank and other international organisations are unwelcome. The UN is committed to democracy - which Eritrea has never had.
How can Eritrea be an appropriate leader for others?
She grew up believing the story she was told until arrests, disappearances, and indefinite military service shattered it.
Yirgalem Fisseha takes the stage at the Oslo Freedom Forum to share a life split in two: from poetry to prison, from hope to solitary confinement. Her story reveals what it costs to speak when a state demands silence.
The Restricted Life of Eritreans
For decades, many Eritreans have lived under severe restrictions that have limited their opportunities and freedoms. While people around the world pursue education, careers, travel, and personal dreams, countless Eritreans face barriers that affect nearly every aspect of their lives.
Young Eritreans often grow up knowing that their future may be controlled by a system that offers little freedom of choice. Opportunities for higher education, employment, entrepreneurship, and independent expression are limited. Many are unable to freely decide where they will live, work, or study.
Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and political participation remain heavily restricted. Citizens who express criticism or demand change risk serious consequences. As a result, many people live in silence, unable to openly share their opinions or concerns.
The lack of opportunities has forced hundreds of thousands of Eritreans to leave their homeland in search of safety, dignity, and a better future. Families have been separated across continents, with parents, children, brothers, and sisters living far apart for years.
Despite these hardships, Eritreans continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience. They pursue education wherever they find refuge, build successful lives in new countries, and contribute positively to their communities. Yet many still carry the pain of separation, lost opportunities, and the hope of one day seeing a free and prosperous Eritrea.
Every person deserves the right to dream, to speak freely, to travel, to learn, and to build a future based on their own choices. The story of many Eritreans is not only a story of restrictions, but also a story of endurance, courage, and the continuing desire for freedom and opportunity.
#Eritrea
#BlueRevolution
Corruption is not just a word. It is money meant for hospitals, schools, and roads that ends up in private pockets. It is contracts given to friends instead of those who can do the job best. It is leaders who live in luxury while their people suffer in poverty. #BlueRevolution
prices are rising, work is hard to find, families struggle to eat, and our future is disappearing before our eyes. Why? Not because our country is poor - we have lana, resources, and hardworking people. We are poor because corruption has stolen everything from us.
@SirakBahlbi Let’s put all the corruption and manipulation behind, at least he has organised an election day. How about #Eritrea never heard about Election, I bet some Eritreans don’t even know what election means! How about you try to run for a president? Instead of being puppet of Isaias.
What is the meaning of independence if Eritreans cannot freely express opinions, organize politically, or live without fear? A nation is not truly free when its citizens are denied basic rights. The Blue Revolution continues to raise awareness peacefully and globally for democratic change in Eritrea. #BlueRevolution #JusticeForEritrea #Eritrea @BBC@martinplaut@UN
SAWA is hell on earth. Its members are incredibly cruel; violence against womens and inflict unprecedented punishments. There is a constant luck of water and hunger. there is just so much misery and suffering there #BlueRevolution@UN https://t.co/hiHBsek5Ux via @RedSeaBeacon
This is the real Eritrea 🇪🇷
This prison was located in Adi Abeto — a place where thousands of innocent Eritreans suffered in silence. In one small hole, more than 350 people were imprisoned together under unbearable conditions. No space, no freedom, no dignity. Human beings were treated worse than animals.
Many of us were young. Some were students, some were fathers, some were simply people who asked questions or dreamed of a better future. Inside those dark prisons, people suffered from hunger, disease, torture, and hopelessness. Families never knew where their loved ones were. Some disappeared forever without trial, without justice, and without even a grave.
This is the reality that many Eritreans lived through for decades — a country where fear became part of daily life, where prisons replaced schools and opportunities, and where speaking freely could destroy your life.
The world often hears about Eritrea’s independence, but not enough about the suffering of Eritreans after independence. Behind every prison cell, there is a human story, a broken family, and stolen dreams.
We share these stories not because we hate our country, but because we love Eritrea and believe our people deserve freedom, justice, peace, and human dignity.
#BlueRevolution
#Eritrea #TransnationalRepression
@UNHumanRights@hrw@UN_HRC@USUN@martinplaut@KjetilTronvoll@Regjeringen@Stortinget@jonasgahrstore@PSTnorge@NorwayUN@vanessatsehaye@Maryshowonline@Habrom2@amnesty