Berhane Abrehe: Former Eritrean finance minister dies in jail

Berhane Abrehe was Eritrea's longest serving finance minister before falling out with the president.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersEx-minister dies in Eritrean jail after six years without chargeUnited NationsBerhane Abrehe - a former Eritrean finance minister and fierce critic of the country's president - has died in prison, his family say.

The 79-year-old was Eritrea's longest serving minister of finance, but he was removed from his role in 2012 following clashes with President Isaias Afwerki.

Six years later, he was jailed after releasing a book where he described the president as a "dictator" who needed to resign.

His family told the BBC that the authorities, who rarely confirm the deaths of senior officials in custody, had notified them of Mr Berhane's death.

The government also rarely shares where the bodies are buried but Mr Berhane's family have heard there is a plan to bury him in Asmara Patriots Cemetery. Only veterans of the Eritrean independence war, like Mr Berhane, or members of the national service can be buried there.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrgp4gyv0lo

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