ICER Action Alert: 130 Eritrean refugees from Libya sold to the Bedouin Arabs by John and Mehari Wedi Colonel

ICER  Action Alert: 130 Eritrean refugees from Libya sold to the Bedouin Arabs by Jhon and Mehari Wedi Colonel

Volume 2012,   Number 9

*Earlier this month 130 Eritrean refugees enticed by John (unsure whether John Meharay or John Dinsh notorious human smugglers) were handed over to Mehari Wedi Colonel in Egypt who in turn sold them to Bedouin Arabs in Sinai. It is also known that the refugees originated from Libya and not the Sudan or Ethiopia as usually is the case. At present they are kept in underground dungeon and tortured mercilessly.

*An indictment was passed by Israeli court against an Israeli citizen, Yusuf al-Kirnawi, for belonging to a human trafficking network known for holding hostages, torture and rape of Eritreans and Sudanese refugees for ransom in Sinai.  Kirnawi was charged with four crimes: conspiring to commit a crime, hiding a captives, extortion by force and extortion by threats. The complaint was filed last week by Hotline Migration, an Israeli NGO and an affiliate of ICER against the Israeli citizen, Kirnawi would call Israel-based family members of Eritreans and Sudanese who were held captive in Sinai and demand money from them. Kirnawi received 450$ from the smugglers in Sinai for each captive whose relatives managed to pay at least $ 20,000 and $350 if the relatives pay less than that. The indictment against the collaborator was made possible by a testimony given by Salah an Eritrean national who informed the police that he passed  Kirnawi 35,000 USD transferred to him from relatives for the release of his brother and another unknown Eritrean hostage. According to the NGO more indictment is pending after thorough investigation by the Israeli police is complete.


*It is to be recalled that 4 Eritrean female who just crossed the border on their way to Ethiopia to join their husbands fall prey to Rashaida kidnappers last month. Unfortunately, Sudanese police who were on routine inspection in the neighborhood found the Rashida and the women hiding in the room with cache of weapons. They and the kidnapper were accused of terrorism and thrown to jail pending court appearance.  Up to the time of writing the Alert they are still kept in prison without due process of law.

* The court hearing of 27 Eritrean refugees and their captor, the Raishada human smuggler is postponed for April 5, 2012 simply because the Sudanese prison officials failed to present him to the court. Likewise the UNHCR officials who supposedly is on the side of the defense failed to appear during the court proceeding. It is not unusual that Rashaidas fail to appear in court because of the corruption involved. According to a reliable source submitted to Dr Burhan Ahmed, the situation of the 27 refugees in prison is miserable and there are no words to describe their lot.