Eritrea's G-15 political prisoners: 25 years without trial

September 20, 2026 at 04:01 AM2 min

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Hanna Petros Solomon says her parents, former Eritrean ministers Petros Solomon and Aster Yohannes, were arrested in 2001 and have been held without trial for 25 years. The couple were among the G-15 politicians who signed an open letter to President Isaias Afewerki demanding democratic reforms. Their children were left without passports and effectively orphaned after the arrests.

Key Facts

Petros Solomon, a former Eritrean defence and foreign minister, was arrested on 18 September 2001 after signing an open letter to President Isaias Afewerki.
Aster Yohannes, Solomon's wife and a fellow independence war veteran, was detained after returning from the United States and has not been heard from since.
The G-15 group comprised 15 senior politicians who in May 2001 called for implementation of the ratified constitution and national elections.
Hanna Petros Solomon was 10 years old when her father was taken; she and her three siblings were denied passports by Eritrean officials.

The G-15 Arrests

In May 2001, Petros Solomon and 14 other high-profile politicians signed an open letter to President Isaias Afewerki demanding implementation of the constitution ratified after independence and calling for national elections. The signatories became known as the G-15, and Isaias, leader of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, did not take the criticism well. In the early hours of 18 September 2001, security forces positioned themselves outside the homes of 11 senior government officials in Asmara on the president's orders. Petros Solomon was picked up by security agents as he left his home in a tracksuit, and his family had no idea what had happened to him.

Family Ordeal

Hanna Petros Solomon, then 10 years old, and her three siblings went to stay with their paternal grandmother while their mother Aster Yohannes was studying in the United States. Days after Petros disappeared, Hanna's classmates told her that her father had sold out his country, which is when she understood how serious the situation was. In the US, Aster was shell-shocked and asked Eritrean government officials to issue passports for the children, but they refused and told her to come home. Aster returned to Eritrea and was subsequently detained; no one has heard from either parent since.