'I don't even know if my parents are alive' - the war heroes jailed 25 years ago

Hanna Petros Solomon breaks down in tears as she recalls how she and her siblings effectively became orphans 25 years ago when their father was arrested in Eritrea and jailed without trial. Their mother was subsequently detained - and no-one has heard from either of them - or of them - since.

"He had a towel on his shoulders like a sportsman," she tells the BBC about the last time she saw her father when she was 10 years old, and he had gone out for a jog.

Her parents met when they both fought in the long liberation war that saw Eritrea gain independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

Her father Petros Solomon had been one of the senior leaders during the war and is regarded by many as a national hero for his critical role.

After independence, he had served as defence minister, then foreign minister and had been heading the fisheries ministry when his troubles began.

That was in May 2001 when he and 14 other high-profile politicians signed an open letter to President Isaias Afewerki calling for the implementation of a constitution that was ratified after independence and demanding national elections. They became known as the G-15.

Isaias, the leader of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) which had fought against Ethiopia, did not take the criticism well.

本文の著作権はBBCにあります。