The Eritrean Foreign Ministry responded by describing the Commission's report as "wild allegations" which were "totally unfounded and devoid of all merit". A statement from Eritrean Presidential Adviser Yemane Gebreab accused the panel of being "entirely one-sided", and indicated that "Eritrea rejects the politically motivated and groundless accusations and the destructive recommendations of the COI. It believes they are an unwarranted attack not only against Eritrea, but also Africa and developing nations." The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report was based on the testimony of 833 anonymous persons purported to be Eritrean. In reaction to this, a significant number of the Eritrean Diaspora population rejected the Commission of Inquiry report. 230,000 Eritreans signed Petitions against the paper and 45,000 Eritreans provided testimonies defending Eritrea, which did not appear in the report. 850 Eritreans asked to present themselves to appear in person in Geneva and give their testimonies to the UNHRC against the paper. In addition, more than 10,000 Eritrean demonstrated against the report in Geneva. Several countries also rejected the report's abrasive language, especially the US and China. At a drafting meeting, U.S. diplomat Eric Richardson said the Eritrea paper did not have "the same level of sophistication and precision" as the report on North Korea and the United States could not support the language of the text without revisions. In addition, Eritrean Presidential Advisor Yemane blamed Ethiopia for "some of the worst human rights abuses and massacres of its people", saying it was ironic that Ethiopia could use the council to lobby for the adoption of the resolution against Eritrea.