Tens of thousands view Dr Bereket’s lecture on the Eritrean Constitution

15 September 2020

The “Making of the Eritrean Constitution” – First Lecture Update

I am delighted that the inspiring and informative lecture by - Dr Bereket Habteselassie, the Chair of the Eritrean Constitution Commission, was so widely viewed. On Thursday, 10 September 2020 - as advertised - Dr Bereket, gave his first televised lecture on the “Making of Eritrean the Constitution”. It reached an audience of tens of thousands – inside and outside Eritrea, and this number continues to rise.

The lecture and Q & A lasting 90 minutes. During that time Dr Bereket explained the process of writing the document, as well as the composition of the Commission. He outlined the challenges encountered, the manner in which it was ratified and the status quo i.e. that it has not been implemented. The fact that the Constitution is in abeyance has resulted in the absolute dictatorship we currently witness in the country, where the rule of law is tramped upon and the leader is unaccountable to anyone.

What was abundantly striking about the lecture was the humility of Dr Bereket, both in the manner he expressed himself and his body language. He identified flaws in the Constitution that will need to be improved and polished by the Eritrean people.

The lecture was widely viewed on television in Eritrea and beyond although we do not have the exact numbers. However, we have a screen shot of the Facebook metrics as at 17:00 hours London time on 15 September 2020 that show:

• People reached (measures the number of people who have seen the post) 89,076
• Page viewed (how many people saw either a specific post or any content) 44,000
• Engagements (indicate interactions beyond just simply views) 19,291
• Comments 880

The second lecture will be on Thursday, 17 September at 18:00 hours London time on Asena television ATV. We encourage as many people as possible to take part. As last week and time permitting, there will be time for Q & A to which Dr Bereket will respond.

Don’t miss it!

Habte Hagos, Chair of Eritrea Focus

Eritrea Focus:

E: [email protected]

15.09.2020