Yonas Embaye is “us” – imperfect, tormented –

Dissenting Opinion 

It is hard to aim for higher values like honesty and integrity and be guided by them 24/7. One way or other, consciously or unconsciously, many of us have been forced to lose our natural pride and innocence under disastrous circumstances - some of us because of the merciless Derg rule, and now our younger generation is being condemned to “eat dirt” (in a manner of speaking) under the PFDJ regime. Yonas Embaye, like many others who managed to cross the border risking shoot-to-kill orders, was brutally persecuted and tortured at home.

Instead of letting bitterness simply consume his life as a refugee in Kampala, he wanted to do something about it by engaging himself in crucial advocacy work on behalf of Eritrean journalists languishing in PFDJ death camps. Risking retaliatory action by anti-freedom agents, Yonas keeps standing on Kampala sidewalks carrying anti-tyranny placards and photos of jailed journalists. He could have made the political or religious dissidents rotting in prisons as his main focus. Instead, he chose to stand for the rights of the tortured journalists.

Yonas is being accused of exaggerating and lying about his being a journalist in Eritrea. In doing so, he appears to be trying to tell the public in Kampala that he was not alone in the struggle for justice. He has also displayed the AEJE (Association of Eritrean Journalists in Exile) logo during street protests but it is not clear if he has said he was an AEJE member or that he has applied to be a member.

What is absolutely certain is that he has publicly stated he is an independent journalist. Like many tormented, tortured Eritrean souls, Yonas is going up and down like the lift man. He doesn’t appear to be willfully attempting to harm the reputation of AEJE or that of any other individual or group. He seems to be driven by the ambition to be very effective in exposing the ravages of tyranny at home. We certainly may not condemn him for calling himself a journalist.

AEJA’s press release denouncing Yonas seems to be simply punitive instead of restorative. With proper orientation and encouragement, Yonas could easily be transformed and become a great asset to AEJE and to his homeland. I urge AEJE to water down its condemnation or rescind it altogether.

Below is my earlier letter to AEJE stating my position on the matter.

-------------------------------------------------------------

May 17, 2010

Dear friends and colleagues

Yonas Embaye's claim of his journalistic experience in Eritrea and his description of the manner of his escape from prison appear questionable in view of AEJE's research. AEJE's concern is understandable. Fabrications and misrepresentations should be denounced as a matter of principle and policy.

I discovered Yonas's story yesterday when I listened to his BBC Outlook interview which was very impressive and effective advocacy work. The messenger may not be straight but the message was. Surely, other refugees in Uganda with real Eritrean experience in journalism would have been more effective if they were to choose to stick their necks out and speak out fearlessly. This of course applies to all of us where ever we may be.

Falsehood is intolerable as a means of achieving some selfish personal or public goal. This is, no doubt, rampant in the current official Eritrean media. But there are also some independent media websites who believe that some exaggerations and misrepresentations are OK as a means of realizing a greater good. These should also be criticized by AEJE as a matter of policy. There is nothing stronger than accurate, factual information.

In this Internet age, it is hard to know who is a true journalist and who isn't. Can we consider a website blogger or a simple writer a journalist? Do you have to be trained to be a journalist or is job training enough? Can one call himself a journalist because one began thinking and acting like a journalist when he/she was in prison or out of it?

Yonas may be criticized for the statements or misstatements he has made in public. Keeping his motives aside, he is by no means different from many other refugees. How many refugees exaggerate and even change facts about past achievements in order to impress others or to obtain some benefit such as gaining asylum/refugee status in the West. None of this is of course justifiable or advisable. But Yohans who has faced torture and humiliation in Eritrea is probably not going to be denied refugee status in the West for not telling the truth of whether or not he was a journalist. But that is another (legal) matter.

I have been away for some time and I am sure there are things I do not know about the Yonas topic. I salute AEJE's fight for higher ethical values. I also applaud Yonas's courage and articulated message against tyranny. I think at this stage an objective, critical 400-500-word story on Yonas's activities by an AEJE member or some other observer might be sufficient enough to send the necessary message to Yonas and all concerned.

Michael Abraha