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Paulos Tesfagiorgis is an Eritrean human rights activist. Fought for his people by establishing the only PFDJ licensed Regional Centre for Human Rights and Development in Eritrea. (The People's Front for Democracy and Justice) Tesfagiorgis was also co-founder and head of the Eritrean Relief Association during the Eritrean war of independence. [1]
During the Eritrean war of independence Paulos Tesfagiorgis was the head of the Eritrean Relief Association, coordinating international aid for Eritreans, particularly during the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. Following Eritrean independence Tesfagiorgis was appointed to the commission which drafted Eritrea's constitution. The constitution was ratified in 1997. In 2002 Tesfagiorgis and 17 other Eritreans set up the "Citizens Initiative for the Salvation of Eritrea" (CISE) [1]
In his Paper A Personal Observation, Tesfagiorgis explains his political views on “What Went Wrong?: The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front from Armed Opposition to State Governance”,and democracy. [2]
He believes that only democratically elected governments have legitimacy, because they are always accountable to the people they govern. For this reason he also abstains from violence. [3] He joined the UK based non partisan activist group Eritrea Focus in 2018 to promote non violent transition to democratic rule. https://www.eritrea-focus.org
From his exile in London, and later in South Africa,Tesfagiorgis has been working for the advocacy organisation Justice Africa, and has spent much time working for agreement among other Eritrean dissidents on a non-violent democratic alternative for Eritrea. He also abstains from violence. In June 2015 a United Nations Commission on Human Rights of Inquiry accused President Afwerki of systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations that may constitute crimes against humanity. [1]
He has a master's degree in law from McGill University, Canada and has been a lecturer in law at the University of Asmara, Eritrea.
While he was a Faculty of Law at McGIII University, Montreal, October 1991 wrote his Thesis: "HUMAN RIGHTS, DEVELOPMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA"
"A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIAEMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF LAWS (LL.M.)." [4]
Paulos Tesfagiorgis was awarded the Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize for 2003 for his work for human rights and democracy. [5]
The Politics of Eritrea and the Government of Eritrea takes place in a framework of a single-party presidential republican totalitarian dictatorship. The President officially serves as both head of state and head of government. The People's Front for Democracy and Justice is the only political party legally permitted to exist in Eritrea. The popularly elected National Assembly of 150 seats, formed in 1993 shortly after independence from Ethiopia, elected the current president, Isaias Afwerki. There have been no general elections since its official independence in 1993. A new constitution was drafted in 1993 and ratified in 1997, but has not been implemented. Since the National Assembly last met in January 2002, President Isaias Afwerki has exercised the powers of both the executive and legislative branches of government.
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