Parents Disappeared 25 Years Ago: The Children Are Still Waiting

There is still no news about the fate of parents arrested in Eritrea 25 years ago. Hanna Petros Solomon was 10 years old when her father was arrested. Two years later, her mother, Aster Yohannes, also disappeared when she returned to the country.

Hanna's father, Petros Solomon, was one of the key leaders in the struggle for independence from Ethiopia. After Eritrea gained independence in 1993, he served as Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and later as Minister of Fisheries.

In May 2001, Petros and 14 other high-ranking politicians sent an open letter to President Isaiyas Afwerki, demanding the implementation of the Constitution and the holding of national elections. They later became known as the G-15.

On the night of September 18, 2001, Eritrean security forces arrested several of its members. Petros was also taken away while out for his morning jog.

At that time, Hanna's mother was studying in the USA. She tried to get passports for her children, but was refused. Two years later, after various promises, she decided to return to Eritrea.

On December 11, 2003, her children waited for her at the Asmara International Airport, but Aster did not appear among the other passengers. Later, they were asked to pick up her luggage from the airport, and that was how the family learned she had arrived in the country but never returned home.

Later, reports spread that Aster was being held in the notorious Karshelli prison in Asmara.

It was reported that Petros and other members of the G-15 were charged with treason and similar offenses, but no open trial was held for them. Their families were never provided with concrete information about their whereabouts, or whether they were alive or dead.

During that period, independent publications in Eritrea were also shut down, and a number of editors and journalists were arrested.

Hanna left Eritrea years later. Now 35 years old, she lives in the USA and works as a trauma specialist. However, she is afraid of losing her childhood memories associated with her parents.

She remembers that her father loved gathering family members at home and organized singing competitions with his children during trips. Her mother loved the songs of ABBA, Dolly Parton, and Whitney Houston.

A Second Family Suffered the Same Fate

Ibrahim Sherifo, the son of another G-15 member, also lost his parents. In 2001, he was 13 years old. His mother, Aster Fissehatsion, was taken from her home in the morning, while his father, Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo, was arrested while out exercising.

Now 38 years old, Ibrahim lives in the Netherlands and is studying political science. He considers the date September 18, 2001, to be a difficult day not only for his family, but for the whole of Eritrea.

Hanna and Ibrahim express gratitude to their loved ones who supported them during their childhood. They are proud that their parents had the courage to speak their minds and demand reforms.

Hanna wants an answer to the simplest question that has remained unanswered for 25 years: are her parents alive or not?

International human rights organizations have classified G-15 members as prisoners of conscience, demanding their release and information regarding their fate.