About Us
Eritrean Law Society (ELS) is a Non Profit Professional Organization incorporated in 2008 by a group of Eritrean lawyers, legal academicians and professionals who expressed an urgent need to coalesce and spearhead a critical mass of legal community to meet the challenges of Eritrea in the 21st century. There are currently more than 60 members located in different parts of the world. ELS members have an educational level that ranges from a bachelor degree in law to post-doctoral researchers. Many of the members are licensed to practice law in the United States and others are constitutional law scholars, human rights activists and consultants working for different Human Rights organizations. Members of the ELS have over 25 years of combined experience in constitutionalism, human rights and democratic governance. The head office of the ELS is currently in the United States, with contact persons located in South Africa, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Sweden.
The Eritrean Law Society is registered in the state of Virginia for the purpose of, among other things, promoting the Eritrean legal system in accordance with the Constitution of Eritrea and its subsidiary laws, increasing public understanding of the rule of law, legal process and democratic principles, advocating for the fundamental rights incorporated in the Eritrean Constitution in relation to the political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights, providing free or low cost legal services to citizens, investigating, monitoring, recording, and publishing the violations of human rights against Eritreans by any government, political organization, group or individuals, facilitating legal proceeding, or negotiation for peaceful solution against any perpetrator in an appropriate local, regional or international forums, assisting Eritrean victims of human rights in and outside of Eritrea through legal means, lobbying governments, organizations and individuals to pay attention for gross human right violations against Eritreans, promoting common understanding, cooperation and support, and information sharing with governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals.
The establishment of the ELS outside Eritrea is a matter of necessity rather than of choice. The present socio-political and legal reality of Eritrea not only discourages the establishment of any human right organization but particularly resists the functioning of a law society such us the ELS. With a national constitution yet to be implemented, a national election yet to be held, and a free press yet to be instituted, Eritrea has, in the democratic path, a steep hill to climb. The decade old border standoff with Ethiopia which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of lives from both countries continues to suck the countries’ meager economic resources. The resulting mass exodus of Eritreans to neighboring countries, Europe and the Americas has become a source of untold public misery.
The wealth of intellectual resource of the members of the law society is, therefore, expected to play a pivotal role in addressing the plight of Eritreans who are witnessing the worst of humanitarian conditions in The Sudan, Libya, Italy, Egypt and other corners of the world. We are endeavoring to actively respond to actual human rights atrocities committed against Eritrean citizens through contacting the appropriate governmental or non-governmental body to cease-and-desist such violations while at the same time working tirelessly to prevent humanitarian problems from happening. ELS members also constantly participate in different national, regional or international human rights forums or conferences through presenting well-researched papers reflecting on the current state of affairs of the country thereby promoting awareness as well as soliciting action from participants.
Over the last two decades, Eritrea has been experiencing considerable moments of loneliness in the island of insignificance. This is especially true in the legal field where adherence to the rule of law and democratic principles has been something of a luxury only to be dreamed of. There is an urgent need for the Eritrean Law Society to engage with different like-minded organizations in Africa, North America, Canada, and Europe that has considerable experience in shaping the legal system of their respective countries or even continent.
Executive Committee
Michael Ghirmay Andegeorgis Executive Director
Michael Andegeorgis was elected Executive Director of Eritrean Law Society in 2010. In this role, he oversees the society’s activities and works closely with its members. Mr. Andegeorgis earned his LL.B from University of Asmara in 1999. He holds Masters of Laws (LL.M) from the University of San Francisco in 2003. He is also licensed and admitted to practice as an Attorney and Counselor at law in New York and United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court. Mr. Andegeorgis is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA) and the District of Columbia Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Mr. Andegeorgis has more than 10 years legal experience. He worked for different law firms in the United States before opening his own practice. Currently, Mr. Andegeorgis is a solo practitioner in the Washington, D.C Metro area. Before coming to the United States, he was judge’s clerk for the highest court of the state of Eritrea.
Yosief Alazar Araya Secretar
Samrawi Okubai Araia Treasurer
Samrawi Araia – Is a Founding Member, Treasurer and the current Chairman of the “Intellectual Property and Development” section of the Eritrean Law Society. He is a specialist with a wide-ranging experience in the field of intellectual property. He has a comparative understanding and knowledge of U.S. and foreign intellectual property laws and processes. He currently works for one of the renowned intellectual property law firms in Washington, DC.
Samrawi received an LL.B. (Distinction) in Law from the University of Asmara, where he worked as a teaching and research assistant at the Faculty of Law. He received LL.M. Degree in Comparative Intellectual Property and Competition Law from the MIPLC – Max Planck Institute in Germany, where he was a GRUR scholar. He also received an LL.M degree in Intellectual Property from the George Washington University School of Law as a Thomas Buergenthal Scholar. He is certified to practice law in the State of New York.
Daniel Rezene Mekonnen Board Member
Dr. Daniel R. Mekonnen obtained his primary legal education in Eritrea, where he served, among other things, as Judge of the Zoba Maekel Provincial Court in Asmara. He obtained his LLM from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa (2003) and his LLD from the University of the Free State, South Africa (2008). Currently, he is a Research Fellow at the Felsberg Institute for Education and Academic Research (FIBW) in Germany, where he is involved in a research project funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He is also a Research Associate at the Department of Constitutional Law and Philosophy of Law, University of the Free State. His area of teaching and research interest include: human rights, transitional justice, international criminal law, peace & conflict studies, development cooperation, as well as the intersection between health & human rights. He has worked in several universities as a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer. Before coming to Germany for his current appointment, he was a Bank of Ireland Fellow at the Irish Centre for Human Rights (National University of Ireland, Galway), where he taught a graduate course on International Security Law. He has a proven track record of publications in peer-reviewed academic journals and books. He also provided several consultancies and expert legal advice to governmental and non-governmental organisations, including to Linklaters LLP, which is one of the top five law firms in the United Kingdom.
Besrat Yosief Gebrewold Board Membe
Besrat J. Gebrewold was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she received her primary and secondary education. After receiving an LL.B from Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Law, she moved to Asmara, Eritrea where she worked as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Asmara, Department of Law. She was also a Fulbright Scholar at Georgetown University Law Center, where she received an LL.M in Common Law Studies for her thesis “The Role of International Law as a Deterrent to Aggression.” She also has a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law, where she was a member of the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law.
Besrat worked as a litigation attorney at a law firm in Washington, DC where she represented plaintiffs in class actions involving claims of price-fixing conspiracies, market-allocation agreements, monopolization schemes and other antitrust violations. Besrat is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and is a member of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Mohammed Omer Board Member
Mohammed Omer is an attorney licensed and admitted to practice as an Attorney and Counselor at law in New York. Currently, Mohammed is practicing immigration law in the state of Texas
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