Betrayal in the Face of Genocide: A Condemnation of Abrha Teklu’s Support for the Eritrean Regime

We, the Tigrayan Advocacy for Human Rights and Justice in Europe, stand in unwavering condemnation of Abrha Teklu’s reprehensible actions in glorifying and defending the genocidal Eritrean regime—a regime responsible for decades of systematic oppression, ethnic cleansing, and genocide against the people of Tigray.

Abrha Teklu’s statements and actions are not only an act of personal betrayal but also a betrayal of the victims of genocide and their enduring struggle for truth, justice, and accountability. His actions amount to a denial of the suffering and horrors faced by the Tigrayan people—a crime against humanity in its own right. We demand an immediate public apology from Abrha Teklu to the people of Tigray and call for him to be held accountable for enabling and defending genocidal propaganda.

A Genocide Planned Over Decades: Eritrea’s Unrelenting Hatred Toward Tigray

Genocide does not occur overnight. It is planned, calculated, and executed with intent, often over long periods of preparation. The Eritrean regime, led by the EPLF since the 1980s, has long demonstrated a deep-seated hostility toward the people of Tigray. Historical evidence reveals:

Famine Blockades (1983–1984): During one of the worst famines in modern history, Eritrean forces blocked humanitarian aid corridors to Tigray, condemning over half a million people to starvation and death. This deliberate act of siege warfare exposed Eritrea’s genocidal intentions early on.

Eritrea’s Role in the Tigray Genocide since 2020: As the mastermind and enabler of the recent genocide, Eritrea carried out massacres, systematic rape, destruction of infrastructure, cultural erasure, and starvation tactics, all aimed at wiping out the Tigrayan people.

This regime has left scars on generations of Tigrayans, including Abrha Teklu himself. It is incomprehensible that someone who has suffered under such brutality could turn around and glorify the very perpetrators of ethnic extermination. The Eritrean regime is still occupying Tigray territories stretching from Humera up to Irob continuing to commit atrocity crimes, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, kidnapping, and forcefully changing Tigrayans’ identities to become Eritreans.

How can Abrha Teklu brush off these wicked and horrific atrocity crimes committed by the Eritrean regime and advocate to ally with the unrepentant genocidal regime of Eritrea?

Psychological Chains: Inferiority Complex and Stockholm Syndrome

The actions of Abrha Teklu demand a deeper exploration of psychological factors that may have led to this unethical and disgraceful behaviour:

1. Inferiority Complex

Years of marginalisation, trauma, and systemic oppression can lead individuals to internalise feelings of powerlessness and self-doubt. In an effort to gain acceptance or align themselves with perceived power structures, individuals may resort to defending their oppressors.

2. Stockholm Syndrome

Victims of prolonged abuse often develop psychological bonds with their abusers as a survival mechanism. They may rationalise their suffering, minimise the harm inflicted upon them, and even identify with their tormentors.

Abrha Teklu’s actions reflect these disturbing patterns. However, personal trauma cannot justify betrayal. Instead of standing in solidarity with his people, he has chosen to erase their pain and enable further oppression.

A Call for Accountability: Denial and Glorification Are Crimes

The denial and glorification of genocide are not only morally bankrupt but also constitute serious crimes under international law. By aligning himself with the genocidal Eritrean regime, Abrha Teklu has become complicit in erasing history, obstructing justice, and inflicting further wounds on the victims and survivors of the Tigray genocide.

We demand:

1. An immediate public apology from Abrha Teklu to the victims of the Tigray genocide and the broader Tigrayan community.
2. Legal accountability for his complicity in spreading genocide denial and propaganda.
3. Global awareness and condemnation of genocide glorification as part of the fight against impunity.

The Eritrean Regime’s Genocide Against Tigray: A Crime That Cannot Be Forgotten

The Eritrean regime’s campaign of extermination against Tigray spans decades of hatred and aggression, with the clear intent to erase Tigrayan identity and destroy its people. Its atrocities include:

• mass starvation as a weapon of war,
• massacres of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly,
• widespread sexual violence and enslavement of women,
• destruction of religious, cultural, and historical landmarks,
• forcible displacement and ethnic cleansing.

This regime must be brought to justice for its crimes against humanity, and those who defend or glorify it must also be held responsible.

Quotes and Messages to Echo the Pain and Resolve of Tigray:

• “Silence in the face of genocide is complicity. But glorifying the perpetrators is betrayal.”
• “A people cannot heal while their suffering is denied and their pain is celebrated.”
• “The truth cannot be buried—no matter how loud the voices of denial.”
• “Justice delayed is justice denied, but denial and glorification compound the crime.”
• “Genocide is not an accident; it is prepared, planned, and executed. And those who glorify it share its guilt.”

Final Appeal for Justice and Integrity

To Abrha Teklu, we say: Your actions have inflicted deep wounds upon the very people whose survival and dignity you should be defending. Your glorification of the Eritrean regime is an insult to the victims of genocide and a betrayal of history, truth, and justice.

We, the Tigrayan Advocacy for Human Rights and Justice in Europe, condemn your betrayal in the strongest possible terms and demand your urgent apology. History will not forget, and justice will prevail.

We call on all advocates of human rights and justice worldwide to stand with Tigray, to reject denial and glorification, and to hold all perpetrators and enablers accountable—for truth, memory, and justice must endure.