Ex-minister dies in Eritrean jail without being charged

NAIROBI, Kenya - A former Eritrean minister has died in jail without being charged, six months after he was booked and detained by authorities in the Red Sea nation, whose human and civil rights record is under intense scrutiny by the international community.

Berhane Abrehe, 79, who served as finance minister and fierce critic of the country's President Isaias Afwerki, was confirmed dead by a family member, who spoke to the media, the BBC reports.

He was the country's longest-serving finance minister but was removed from his role in 2012 following clashes with President Isaias Afwerki.
Six years later, he was jailed after releasing a book where he described the president as a "dictator" who needed to resign.

His family told the BBC that the authorities, who rarely confirm the deaths of senior officials in custody, had notified them of Mr Berhane's death. The family says the government plans to bury him at Asmara Patriots Cemetery.

Only veterans of the Eritrean independence war, like Mr Berhane, or members of the national service can be buried there. His body has not yet been released, his family said, and it is not clear when and exactly how Mr Berhane died, BBC adds.

He was never brought before a court of law. President Isaias has ruled the East African country, without holding national elections, since winning the independence war against Ethiopia in 1991.

Political parties, civic organizations, and independent media are all banned. The UN and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, including torture, forced disappearance, and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

Mr Berhane's fall-out with President Isaias began during the former's 12-year tenure as finance minister, in which he urged Mr Isaias for transparency on the country's budget. The budget is still inaccessible to the public today.

GAROWE ONLINE