Mereja.Forum

When Aster Yohannes joined the liberation movement in Eritrea in 1979, she was a 2nd year Electrical Engineering student at Addis Ababa University.

After a 6-months military training, she took a computer course and started work at Amberbeb military office and stayed there till 1986. She then joined the ground forces.

In 1989, she married Petros Solomon who was one of the influential members of the central committee but now in prison since 18 September 2001. She has three children: Simon (15); Zerai and Hanna (twins – 14) and Meaza (7).

From 1995 to 1999, Aster worked in Sales Department at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Before she left for the USA in January 2000 (on a scholarship to study marketing), she served as deputy head and later, as head of the Fisheries department.

A year and 9 months later, her husband Petros Solomon was imprisoned along with his colleagues for demanding change and democratic reform.

Aster kindly asked the Government of Eritrea to send her children to the US. But, the Government refused to co-operate. She later decided to go back to Eritrea to be with her children. Upon her arrival in Asmara Airport, on the 11th of December 2003, she was escorted by secret security guards, and was taken to an unknown location. She did not even see her own children. Prior to her departure from the USA, she was given assurances by the government of Eritrea that nothing would happen to her. It is so shameful for a government to imprison a mother who is returning from abroad to take care of her own children.

To this day, her condition or whereabouts is still unknown.

eden wrote: ↑

01 Aug 2023, 10:27

When Aster Yohannes joined the liberation movement in Eritrea in 1979, she was a 2nd year Electrical Engineering student at Addis Ababa University.

After a 6-months military training, she took a computer course and started work at Amberbeb military office and stayed there till 1986. She then joined the ground forces.

In 1989, she married Petros Solomon who was one of the influential members of the central committee but now in prison since 18 September 2001. She has three children: Simon (15); Zerai and Hanna (twins – 14) and Meaza (7).

From 1995 to 1999, Aster worked in Sales Department at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Before she left for the USA in January 2000 (on a scholarship to study marketing), she served as deputy head and later, as head of the Fisheries department.

A year and 9 months later, her husband Petros Solomon was imprisoned along with his colleagues for demanding change and democratic reform.

Aster kindly asked the Government of Eritrea to send her children to the US. But, the Government refused to co-operate. She later decided to go back to Eritrea to be with her children. Upon her arrival in Asmara Airport, on the 11th of December 2003, she was escorted by secret security guards, and was taken to an unknown location. She did not even see her own children. Prior to her departure from the USA, she was given assurances by the government of Eritrea that nothing would happen to her. It is so shameful for a government to imprison a mother who is returning from abroad to take care of her own children.

To this day, her condition or whereabouts is still unknown.