Episode 14 with Meron Estefanos: The Sound of Torture (ENG)

"What does torture sound like?" - In this episode, Sara and I talk to Meron Estefanos, an Eritrean refugee advocate, journalist, and activist, who has the answer to this. Meron tells us all about her country of origin, that's been dubbed "The North Korea of Africa": Eritrea. She tells us why every month thousands of Eritreans have to flee their country to escape the cruelty of the dictatorship and what happens to them when they do. Furthermore, she explains what happens in the Sinai desert to refugees who get captured there by criminal gangs who abuse them, torture them and extort money from their families for their release. We also address the struggle about the conflict with the Tigray region and the complex history behind it. Meron Estefanos is a first-hand witness to the horror refugees face on their perilous journeys, she's witnessed unspeakable crimes, yet never gave up on people in need. She also speaks to us about how these experiences make her feel, what she thinks of EU migration policies and what we can do to help.
"At last I couldn’t accept that the person I had interviewed 5 minutes ago, had died.(...)
This is not about migration, this is about racism." (Meron Estefanos)

[please excuse the bad audio on my part this time - apologies!]

More information about Sea-Eye: https://sea-eye.org/en - Feel free to support us with a donation!

Meron Estefanos's in the Documentary about refugees in Sinai: "Sound of Torture"
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/soundoftorture3/244505269
Her Twitter Acc.: @meronina

Sara's latest article "Women rescued at sea reveal scale of alleged Libya abuses":
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2021/7/27/women-rescued-at-sea-reveal-scale-of-alleged-libya-abuses



[Intro&Outo: Thanks to Jan Wohlfahrt]