CSW is disturbed to learn that former Eritrean prisoner of conscience, human rights advocate and CSW board member Helen Berhane has been defamed and threatened by a Canada-based YouTuber who has encouraged his viewers in the Eritrean diaspora to ‘deal with her.’
In a programme broadcast in Tigrinya on 15 September, Solo Media creator and presenter Mr Selemun Syum insulted and threatened Ms Berhane after she drew attention to the difficulties being experienced in Dubai Airport by elderly Eritreans travelling from Eritrea to attend the weddings of their children in Ethiopia.
In a video filmed while in transit in Dubai Airport as she returned to her home in Denmark from a humanitarian visit to Ethiopia to assist displaced Tigrayans, Ms Berhane related that following the suspension of direct flights to Eritrea by Ethiopian Airlines, many elderly Eritreans were stranded because they were unable to pay the airport’s transit charges. She concluded the video with a call for unity and assistance: ‘Our elders are truly suffering, and this must be addressed. Let us not be divided by ethnicity, race, or region, but unite to help our people.’
However, in his programme, Mr Syum, whose full name is reportedly Solomon Tesfamariam Sium, accused Ms Berhane of lying about both the plight of the elderly Eritreans and the 32 months she spent imprisoned in shipping containers in Eritrea’s Mai Serwa prison, despite the fact that her ordeal has been confirmed by released inmates and comprehensively documented by several human rights organisations.
Mr Syum described Ms Berhane, among other things, as ‘snake-like’, ‘insane’, ‘a Tigrayan, born and raised in Asmara’ and a ‘TPLF [Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front] spy’. He falsely accused her of meeting with Brad Sherman, a US Congressman Ms Berhane has never met who advocates for firmer action against the Eritrean regime, including funding the opposition. Mr Syum also claimed, erroneously, that Ms Berhane has been paid to ‘demonise’ Eritrea and has lied about her imprisonment and torture in order ‘to push for the imposition of sanctions on the government and people of Eritrea.’
In the original version of the programme, Mr Syum conflated a video from 2019, in which Ms Berhane was among 27 survivors of FoRB violations who related their experiences to former US president Donald Trump during the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), with current events in an attempt to buttress the falsehood that Ms Berhane is responsible for sanctions against Eritrea. He stated that ‘no one can easily meet with Trump, but [Ms. Berhane’s] Tigrayan relatives were the ones who connected her.’ This was later deleted from the uploaded programme.
Mr Syum also claimed that ‘the hardships [Eritreans] are facing are the result of the work’ of people like Ms Berhane. Ominously, he stated that ‘people like this one have been acting freely for too long. […] We need to deal with her and others like her. […] The people of Eritrea will not let you get away with this. They will hold you accountable.’
According to CSW’s sources, Mr Syum, who is based in Calgary, was granted asylum in Canada along with his family on the grounds of having fled persecution. However, since November 2020, when Eritrea joined Ethiopian forces in attacking the Tigray region, he has used his YouTube channel to support the regime and insult and threaten its opponents.
Ms Berhane told CSW that Mr Syum has been harassing her for three years. The harassment began when she spoke against the use of rape as a weapon of war during the Tigray crisis, and he accused her of spreading fake news
CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘We are appalled by this unwarranted and mendacious attack on Ms Berhane. Mr Syum should be held accountable if she is harmed in any way as a result of his falsehoods. CSW has been informed this is not the first time he has insulted and threatened individuals who oppose the Eritrean government. We therefore call on the Canadian authorities to investigate Mr Syum’s activities as a matter of urgency. Not only does he appear to have claimed asylum on questionable grounds; by inciting his sizeable audience to attack and intimidate members of the diaspora who oppose the Eritrean regime he is also facilitating its transnational repression. In addition, we urge YouTube to close down Mr Syum’s channel, given his inflammatory broadcasts and his encouragement of attacks on individuals in the Eritrean diaspora.’