Yesterday, March 8, and on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, Eritrean women from a number of European countries gathered in The Hague to march outside the International Criminal Court. With this symbolic move, around 200 women demanded justice for their relatives who are being held in prison and the ones that have been victims of the PFDJ, the ruling party of Eritrea.
One of them was the wife of Ermias Debesay who was among the earliest fighters to land in the country, at the start of the armed struggle in the 1960s and was one of the longest-held prisoners. She talked about her suffering and paid tribute to her husband, describing how he was always concerned about the wives and children of other prisoners even more than his own.
Lastly, the women handed a letter to the ICC describing the happenings in Eritrea and demanding justice for all victims of the PFDJ and highlighting the particularities of being a woman in the country.
Women in Eritrea are said to be kept arbitrarily in prison, without a trial, and unable to communicate with their relatives, while others die while in custody.