Hanna Petros Solomon, now 35 and living in the United States, recalls the day she last saw her father, Petros Solomon, when she was just 10 years old. He was wearing a towel on his shoulders, like an athlete preparing for a run. Petros was a prominent figure in Eritrea’s history, having served as defense minister, foreign minister, and later as head of the fisheries ministry. He was also a senior leader during the country’s liberation war, earning him the status of a national hero. His journey toward trouble began in May 2001, when he and 14 other high-ranking politicians signed an open letter to President Isaias Afewerki, demanding the implementation of a constitution and the holding of national elections. These individuals became known as the G-15, a group of reformists who sought to bring more democracy to Eritrea. On September 18, 2001, security forces, acting under the president’s orders, surrounded the homes of 11 senior officials in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. Petros was taken from his home as he left in his tracksuit. At the time, his wife, Aster Yohannes, was studying in the United States, and the family had no knowledge of what had happened to him. Hanna and her three siblings were sent to live with their paternal grandmother, while the rest of the family was left in uncertainty. Aster returned to Eritrea in December 2003, but she never left the airport. The family later learned that she had arrived in the country but would not be returning home. They were told she was being held in Karshelli, a notorious prison in Asmara. Petros is believed to be detained in Ela-Ero, a remote and secretive facility in the eastern lowlands northeast of Asmara. None of the G-15 members have been brought to trial, nor have they been allowed to see their relatives. Hanna left Eritrea without a passport, escaping conscription and seeking a better life. She now works as a trauma specialist in the U.S., but she still carries the emotional scars of losing her parents. She remembers her father’s love for organizing singing competitions in the car and her mother’s fondness for music, including songs by Abba, Dolly Parton, and Whitney Houston. Similarly, Ibrahim Sherifo, 38 and living in exile in the Netherlands, lost his parents to the same detention. His father, Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo, was a local government minister and de facto deputy president before being taken. Ibrahim recalls the day security agents took his mother away in her pajamas. He calls September 18, 2001, a dark day not only for him but for Eritrea and its people, marking the detention of those who stood for law and democracy. Both Hanna and Ibrahim express gratitude for the support they received from friends and family during their upbringing without their parents. They are proud of their parents’ efforts to push for reforms and call on the government to inform them whether their parents are still alive. Human rights groups, including the United Nations, consider the G-15 members prisoners of conscience and have long called for their release. President Isaias Afewerki, now 80, has not implemented Eritrea’s first constitution, approved in 1997, and remains in power without ever holding an election.