By Isayas Teklebrhan
I traveled to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on September 3, 2012 in order to submit the following letter, designed to expose the Eritrean dictatorial regime. When I arrived at the building, I explained to the security guards, that I am an Eritrean asylum seeker wishing to submit an open letter to the minister of foreign affairs. After making a phone call to inquire about my case, I was told I could not deliver my letter. When I tried to negotiate, the guards called the police, who instructed me to leave the scene.
A United Nations report published in July reveals that the Eritrean consulate in Toronto uses intimidation to coerce Eritrean nationals in Canada to pay a 2 percent income tax, in violation of international agreements. This practice is common in Israel as well.
Eritrean asylum seekers without documentation are often instructed by Israeli immigration officers to go to the Eritrean Embassy in Tel Aviv to acquire ID cards (for which they must pay up to $800) or passports (which cost up to $3,200). In addition to these exorbitant fees, the asylum seekers are required to pay a 2 percent income tax to the authorities. If they cannot pay the tax, their families in Eritrea are coerced into paying a heavy fine.
Dear Excellency
We, members of the Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change (EYSC) – a global movement for democratic change in Eritrea – would like to draw your attention towards the unlawful collection of funds by the Eritrean Consulate in Tel Aviv.
The Eritrean Government is using its consulates to force expatriates to pay taxes that help bankroll its military. Only last month, the United Nations released a new report confirming that Eritrean consulates are using coercive tactics to impose a two per cent income tax on its diasporic communities to help finance the military in Eritrea, a fundraising practice that violates an arms embargo imposed by the United Nations in 2009.
In 2011, governments in both the United Kingdom and Germany demanded that Eritrea stops collecting diasporic taxes on the grounds that the practice might contravene the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and that the use of coercive methods could be a criminal offense. Pressure to outlaw the tax is mounting elsewhere around the world: Both Canada and The Netherlands have now summoned the Eritrean consuls to explain themselves.
The Eritrean consulate in Tel Aviv plays an active role in the collection of revenue for Eritrea’s dictatorial regime using coercion, intimidation, threats, and propaganda towards Eritreans residing in Israel.
We call urgently to call upon your office to:
Demand an official explanation from the Eritrean Consulate in Tel Aviv about the claims and finding made against it by the UN.
To immediately investigate any potential criminal offenses committed by the Eritrean Consulate on Israeli soil, and to ensure that the Consulate adheres with international and Israeli law when offering consulate services to Eritrean citizens and Israeli residents of Eritrean origin.
To take swift action against the Eritrean Consulate, if your investigation finds that it has failed to adhere to international and Israeli laws and regulations.
EYSC and other Eritrean youth groups are currently running a worldwide government and media campaign to expose the dubious methods used by the Eritrean government and ruling party PFDJ to collect revenue abroad. We welcome any further question you may have regarding the above.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Isayas Teklebrhan
EYSC Israel
Isayas Teklebrhan is an Eritrean refugee who has been living in Israel since 2010. He has a degree in physics from the University of Asmara in Eritrea. He left Eritrea after spending seven years in prison for his pro-democracy advocacy. This letter was written with the help of a report in the Toronto Star.
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Greg Pollock
“Eritrean asylum seekers without documentation are often instructed by Israeli immigration officers to go to the Eritrean Embassy in Tel Aviv to acquire ID cards (for which they must pay up to $800) or passports (which cost up to $3,200). In addition to these exorbitant fees, the asylum seekers are required to pay a 2 percent income tax to the authorities. If they cannot pay the tax, their families in Eritrea are coerced into paying a heavy fine.”
It is absurd to ask a plea for political asylum to go to the alleged oppressor for the tools to apply for asylum. To do so makes Israel not a haven but complicit with abuse. This is a direct violation of the refugee treaties; it is time for Israel to either abrogate or adhere to them. Its present behavior is just shameful.
Bluegrass Picker of Afula
they aren’t stateless persons; hence only their own country’s bureaucracy can issue them authenticated credentials. And Eritrea is a sovereign country with self-determination which has jurisdicition over its citizens. They fought a very bloody war to attain that.
The alternative is to request our allies the Ethiopians to re-colonize Eritrea. Maybe we could lease the entire coastline. After all, even the Chinese never attacked the ==legality== of British control of HongKong during the contract period.
Wow, Greg, thanks for planting this idea in my head!
Greg Pollock
Nor were German or Russian Jews stateless.
Bluegrass Picker of Afula
>>> Nor were German or Russian Jews stateless
and being ethnic Hebrews, we arranged the appropriate aliyah-bet, within the limitations placed on us by the colonial British rulers.
By the way, Greg,can we enquire as to which group of indigenous persons originally lived on the place you now call home?
Greg Pollock
By the way, Picker, did you approve of the Nazis, their lebensraum, only disapprove of their failure? Do you believe the weakened should drown as biological inevitability? Are you so afraid of others that you must blot them out before they blot you?
Every place was once someone’s else’s. Civilization progresses when it refuses that warrant.
vittorio
You all must forget that those people are illegal in the country. They all have ID in Eritrea and when they flee they have it with them. Problem? You must have heard about people from the Tigrai region in Ethiopia using the language similarity(practically the same) with Eritrea to gain access to the preference the western world is giving to asylum seekers coming from Eritrea due to political reasons and utter despise of the Eritrean government stance on self reliance. And again: most if not all those people that ask for political asylum are in reality “economical asylum seekers” like many others coming form many parts of the world. Here in Australia we send back asylum seekers coming from Indonesia for the same reason, although they would love to have the Australian government believe they are escaping a repressive government. Moreover: How a government like Israel can assess a refugee just on the basis of what he is saying? for what we all known he could be a terrorist at home. But going back to the main issue: documents! If you are a refugee for political reasons, you go to the Embassy of Eritrea and can obtain documents if you pay. Let me know which other country would give you still assistance when you are practically leaving the same country for political reasons. I really would love to see an Israeli leaving it’s own country for political reasons whichever they might be, go to an Arab country and ask for political asylum with no documents. Then go to the Israeli embassy and ask for such documents. The minimum is going to happen to that person is ending up being arrested and most probably prosecuted for treason against the Jewish Sate. People get real please!!!
Mulu
We Eritreans have been paying our dues to support our people back home for decades. It is this support that keeps Eritrea afloat and make it stand on its two feet without begging or disintegrating like Somalia. It is our right to pay who ever we want to pay. Paying Tax to your country is a MUST where ever you live. If we can’t pay at the EMbassy, that is fine we will pay it otherwise. No one can deter us from helping our people back home.
Paulos
These people have had personnaly problems with Eritrea! Thats what they give back now! The majority of Eritreans are happy to pay! And again the USA is taxing its Diaspora community as well!
Bluegrass Picker of Afula
> By the way, Picker, did you approve of the Nazis, their lebensraum, only disapprove of their failure?
Hitler was elected – and without any of the cheating that is normal in Chicago elections. And they had every right to do what they wanted, in their own country. That’s not a statement that makes the “Jewish Community Professionals” happy, but maybe Abe Foxman is just too fond of his $700K annual salary?
>> Do you believe the weakened should drown as biological inevitability?
If the disinfectant is stronger than the Cholera bacterii, than the cholera bacterii WILL disappear, no matter what you believe or what I believe. Did you piss and moan about the Neanderthals getting displaced out of existence…. or did you just grab their hunting grounds?
>> Are you so afraid of others that you must blot them out before they blot you?
Absolutely Yes. Worked for the Russians in the aftermath of Operation Barberosa; it will work for us Hebrews now.
>> Every place was once someone’s else’s. Civilization progresses when it refuses that warrant
I’ll mention that to the Saudi Hashemites when we throw them out of Palestine. Most of his Beduin troops will change flags faster than Assad’s generals did….. ok, I answered all your questions fully and honestly. So do tell us, Greg: which ruined indigenous village is your house sitting on?