A former Eritrean finance minister and one of the fiercest critic of the country’s president, Berhane Abrehe has died in prison, according to his family say.
The 79-year-old had been Eritrea’s longest serving minister of finance, before he was removed from his role in 2012 after clashing with President Isaias Afwerki.
He was eventually jailed six years later after releasing a book where he described the president as a “dictator” who needed to step down.
Abrehe’s family had revealed to news men that the authorities who are notorious for hardly confirm the deaths of senior officials in custody had notified them of his death.
The ex-minister’s family had also revealed how they have been notified of the alleged plans to bury him in Asmara Patriots Cemetery even though the government also rarely discloses where the bodies of imprisoned individuals like Berhane are buried.
At press time, his body has not yet been released, and it is not yet clear when and exactly how Mr Berhane died.
Sadly, since his imprisonment, Berhane was never brought before a court of law.
Berhane’s conflict with President Isaias had begun during his 12-year tenure as finance minister, in which he clamoured for transparency from the President regarding the country’s budget. The budget in question is still inaccessible to the public today.
In Eritrea, political prisoners are usually barred from contact with the outside world.
Berhane who was born in Eritrea in 1945 had gotten an MA degree in economics from a US university before he became active in the fight for independence from Ethiopia.
He was the father of four children.
