A 26 years old Eritrean youth, Simon M. Weldehaimanot, has worked for Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (EMDHR) as a volunteer from January to June 2007. Simon, with LLB Degree in law from the University of Asmara was awarded scholarship to study LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa in the year 2006 and has successfully completed his studies. This esteemed LLM Programme crowned with the UNESCO 2006 prize for best human rights education is a uniquely organised programme offered by the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria. Hitherto 5 Eritrean youths have graduated in the programme.

EMDHR has been privileged to receive, at the very least, the encouragement and moral support of the fellow Eritreans who studied the main theme of its mission. Previously, EMDHR had the chance to interact with former Prosecutor Daniel Ketema and former Judge Yonas Debessai who graduated in the above-mentioned LLM Programme in 2003 and 2004, respectively. The support of these colleagues and other EMDHR supporters was inspirational and their continued bear has remained rousing to the members of EMDHR Executive Committee who, together with other highly devoted volunteers, run the day-to-day activities of EMDHR.

Simon’s six months voluntary service has been a commendable plus in this regard. In the course of the six months time, Simon was able to share his learning with fellow EMDHR staff and volunteers. Simon has particularly contributed a lot in familiarizing, to a greater extent, the EMDHR staff with the African and International Human Rights Systems through various formal and informal discussions. The lovely argumentative kind of person, Simon, has been also at the centre of many indoor debates and discussions on various issues pertaining to current Eritrean politics and its developments.

EMDHR acknowledges Simon’s commitment to help more. Particularly, his willingness to work for EMDHR under the Third Millennium Foundation’s Human Rights Fellowship which he is a grantee. Administered by the Colombia University, the third Millennium Foundation’s Human Rights Fellowship provides financial support for recent graduates to internee for six months in a NGO in the Global North and six month in a NGO in the Global South. Initially Simon nominated EMDHR as his first choice NGO in the Global South for which EMDHR expresses deepest gratitude. For very acceptable reasons, however, Simon has to go to another NGO.

In this regard, Simon has travelled to Banjul, the Gambia, to interne for nine months at the avowed Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA). IHRDA being one of the peering institute using the African Human Rights System’s judicial and quasi-judicial forums to address human rights violations from which EMDHR believes that Simon will learn a great deal of experience.

EMDHR would humbly like to thank Simon and wishes him all the best with the fellowships and his career as a human rights activist. It would also like to seize this opportunity and calls upon other Eritreans and friends of Eritrea to make themselves available and offer their services which would positively contribute to the organization’s endeavour that primarily aims at ‘building a society in which Eritreans are empowered to exercise their fundamental human freedoms’.


EMDHR: Executive Committee
4 July 2007

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