Eritrea’s Domestic Reprisals Against Family of Diaspora Dissident Amplified by Norway-Based Government Supporter in Online Smear Campaign
Human Rights Concern – Eritrea (HRCE) strongly condemns a recent and deeply disturbing act of transnational repression involving the Eritrean regime’s targeting of a U.S.-based Eritrean dissident. In retaliation for his outspoken criticism of the regime, the dissident’s elderly parents in Eritrea were abducted and detained by Eritrean security agents. During detention, the father was forced to record a video message rebuking his son and urging him to submit to the regime. In addition, the agents confiscated private childhood photos and formulated false allegations against the dissident.
These materials, the coerced video, confiscated images, and fabricated accusations, were then sent to a regime supporter in Norway, who publicly posted them across social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok. Far from being a passive disseminator, the supporter continues to actively campaign against the dissident, amplifying the regime’s propaganda and intimidation efforts.
The case centres on Amanuel Gebrebrhan (Wedi Taba), an Eritrean YouTuber residing in Norway, who has actively targeted Abraham Kiflay (Maebel), a U.S.-based Eritrean dissident. Wedi Taba has gone beyond commentary, using his social media platforms to defame, insult, and harass Maebel, and fully aligning himself with the Eritrean regime’s propaganda and repression tactics.
This disturbing case highlights the alarming reach of the Eritrean government and its collaborators in the diaspora, who continue to harass, intimidate and silence Eritrean critics abroad through digital platforms and family-based reprisals.
According to verified information received by HRCE:
- Wedi Taba, who resides in Norway and maintains close ties with the Eritrean government, publicly posted private and childhood photos of the dissident, images that were seized by Eritrean security agents from his family’s home in Eritrea.
- He also published a list of false allegations and alleged court documents on his YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook accounts as part of an ongoing attempt to discredit and endanger Maebel.
- On Saturday, 5 July 2025, Maebel’s elderly parents were abducted by Eritrean security agents while returning from church in Mai Dema, Eritrea. They were detained, and on 11 July 2025, Maebel’s visibly distressed father was forced to record a video message denouncing his son’s activities and urging him to submit to the Eritrean regime. The video was sent directly to Wedi Taba, who subsequently published it online as part of his smear campaign. He has continued to use his platforms to amplify the regime’s propaganda and intimidate dissidents.
“This is a textbook case of transnational repression. The Eritrean regime, aided by loyalists in the diaspora, continues to target dissidents by punishing their families and smearing them publicly. These actions violate international human rights norms and also breach the legal protections offered in democratic countries like Norway, where individuals are entitled to privacy, dignity, and protection from foreign interference.” said Elizabeth Chyrum, Director of HRCE.
This case adds to a growing body of evidence showing how Eritrean state actors and affiliates in the diaspora attempt to control and silence dissenting voices through threats, public shaming, and punishment of relatives inside Eritrea.
HRCE calls on:
- Norwegian authorities to investigate the individual responsible for disseminating the defamatory material, and assess potential violations of privacy, online harassment laws, and any coordination with a foreign authoritarian regime;
- Social media platforms to immediately remove the harmful content, and suspend or ban accounts engaged in targeted harassment and doxxing;
- International human rights bodies, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, to document and monitor this case as part of Eritrea’s ongoing extraterritorial repression.
This case is not an isolated incident but part of Eritrea’s systematic campaign of fear, surveillance, and retaliation aimed at silencing those who speak out that includes efforts to suppress free expression beyond its borders.
This blatant act of transnational repression violates fundamental human rights and contravenes both Norwegian and U.S. laws relating to privacy, defamation, and complicity in repression by foreign state.
HRCE stands in solidarity with the victims and families affected by both transnational and domestic repression, and strongly condemns all acts of intimidation, harassment, and oppression targeting Eritreans both inside the country and across the diaspora.
Human Rights Concern – Eritrea (HRCE)
