Extracted PDF page text
eritrea-220409
Machine-extracted derivative; not a transcript or translation. Reading order, spacing and characters have not been editorially verified. PDF page numbers are file positions, not printed page labels. No OCR has been added.
Open unchanged original PDF · Download unchanged PDF
Extraction status: partial-extraction.
PDF page 1
View this page in original PDF
C OUNTRY OF O RIGIN INFORMATION R EPORT
ERITREA
21 A PRIL 2009
UK Border Agency
C OUNTRY OF O RIGIN INFORMATION S ERVICE PDF page 2
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
ii
Contents
Preface
L
ATEST NEWS
E
VENTS IN E RITREA , 12 M ARCH 2009 TO 21 A PRIL 2009
R
EPORTS ON E RITREA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 12 M ARCH 2009
Paragraphs
Background Information
1.
G EOGRAPHY ................................................... ...................................... 1.01
Maps ............................................... ............................................... 1.04
2. E CONOMY ................................................... .......................................... 2.01
3. H ISTORY ................................................... ............................................ 3.01
Independence 1993 and Transitional Government ..... ............. 3.02
The PFDJ and constitutional developments........... ................... 3.04
Border conflict with Ethiopia 1998–2000 ............ ....................... 3.07
Border tensions with neighbouring countries, 2005 o nwards. 3.09
Domestic political developments from September 2001 .......... 3.15
4. R ECENT DEVELOPMENTS ................................................... .................... 4.01
5. C ONSTITUTION ................................................... ................................... 5.01
6. P OLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................... ............................. 6.01
Overview ........................................... ............................................ 6.01
Political opposition ............................... ....................................... 6.04
Political pressure groups and leaders.............. .......................... 6.07
Opposition in exile ................................ ..................................... 6.09
Kunama ............................................. ........................................ 6.14
Jeberty ............................................ ........................................... 6.16
Afar ............................................... ............................................. 6.17
Human Rights
7. INTRODUCTION ................................................... ................................... 7.01
8. S ECURITY SITUATION ................................................... .......................... 8.01
Bilateral relations ................................ ......................................... 8.03
Sudan .............................................. .......................................... 8.05
Yemen .............................................. ......................................... 8.06
Djibouti............................. ................................................... ....... 8.07
9. S ECURITY FORCES ................................................... .............................. 9.01
Police............................................. ................................................ 9.0 2
Arbitrary arrest and detention ..................... ............................... 9.03
Torture in police detention ........................ ................................. 9.04
Armed forces ....................................... ......................................... 9.06
Arbitrary arrest and detention ..................... ............................... 9.10
Torture in military detention ...................... ................................. 9.13
Extrajudicial killings............................. ....................................... 9.18
Avenues of complaint ............................... ................................... 9.20
10. M ILITARY AND NATIONAL SERVICE ................................................... ..... 10.01
Legislative background ............................. .................................. 10.01
Military/Active National Service in practice ....... ........................ 10.12 PDF page 3
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
iii
Penalties for evading national service ............. .......................... 10.14
Round-ups ( Giffa ) .................................................. ....................... 10.19
Conscientious objection............................ .................................. 10.26
School leavers and conscription .................... ............................ 10.29
Exemptions ......................................... ......................................... 10.32
Overview............................. ................................................... .... 10.32
Exemptions of women ................................ ............................... 10.34
Exemptions on medical grounds...................... .......................... 10.49
Military training.................................. ........................................... 10.51
Treatment of conscripts ............................ .................................. 10.57
Demobilisation..................................... ......................................... 10.59
11. J UDICIARY ................................................... ........................................ 11.01
Organisation ....................................... .......................................... 11.01
Independence ....................................... ........................................ 11.04
Fair trial ......................................... ................................................ 11. 06
12. A RREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS ............................................ 12.01
13. P RISON CONDITIONS ................................................... ......................... 13.01
Monitoring of prisons .............................. .................................... 13.04
Places of detention ................................ ...................................... 13.05
14. D EATH PENALTY ................................................... ............................... 14.01
15. P OLITICAL AFFILIATION ................................................... ..................... 15.01
Freedom of political expression .................... ............................. 15.02
Freedom of association and assembly ................ ...................... 15.03
Opposition groups and political activists .......... ........................ 15.04
16. F REEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ................................................... ..... 16.01
17. H UMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS , ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ............ 17.01
18. C ORRUPTION ................................................... .................................... 18.01
19. F REEDOM OF RELIGION ................................................... ..................... 19.01
Overview ........................................... ............................................ 19.01
Registration scheme ................................ .................................... 19.04
Arrests ............................................ ............................................... 19.0 7
Religious groups ................................... ....................................... 19.16
Muslims............................................ .......................................... 19.16
The Orthodox Church of Eritrea..................... ............................ 19.18
The Roman Catholic Church .......................... ........................... 19.22
Evangelical Protestant/Orthodox Presbyterian Church ............. 19.24
Jehovah’s Witnesses ................................ ................................. 19.25
‘Evangelicals’ Churches ................................................... ........... 19.28
General information ................................ ................................... 19.28
Menfesawyan “spirituals” ........................... ................................ 19.33
Known groups....................................... ..................................... 19.37
20. E THNIC G ROUPS ................................................... .............................. 20.01
Languages .......................................... .......................................... 20.03
Main ethnic groups ................................. ..................................... 20.06
Afar/Danakils ...................................... ....................................... 20.06
Baria/Nara......................................... ......................................... 20.12
Hedareb/Beja/Beni Amber/Beni Amer .................. ..................... 20.13
Bilen/Bogos........................................ ........................................ 20.14
Kunama ............................................. ........................................ 20.16
Rashaida........................................... ......................................... 20.23
Saho ............................................... ........................................... 20.24
Tigrinya ........................................... ........................................... 20.26
Jiberti/Djiberti/Jeberty ........................... ..................................... 20.27
Tigre/Tegre ........................................ ........................................ 20.29 PDF page 4
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
iv
21. L ESBIAN , GAY , BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS ....................... 21.01
22. D ISABILITY ................................................... ....................................... 22.01
23. W OMEN ................................................... ............................................ 23.01
Legal and political rights ......................... .................................... 23.01
Social and economic rights......................... ................................ 23.03
Gender role of women ............................... ................................ 23.06
Marriage........................................... .......................................... 23.08
Abortion ........................................... .......................................... 23.12
Antenatal care................................... ......................................... 23.13
Postnatal care ................................... ......................................... 23.14
Maternal deaths .................................... ..................................... 23.15
Violence against women............................. ................................. 23.17
Rape ............................................... ........................................... 23.19
Trafficking of women ................................................... ................ 23.20
24. C HILDREN ................................................... ........................................ 24.01
Overview ........................................... ............................................ 24.01
Child rights – civil rights and freedoms ........... .......................... 24.03
Child labour....................................... ......................................... 24.05
Children in judicial and penal systems............. .......................... 24.09
Childcare and protection ........................... .................................. 24.10
Trafficking of children............................ ..................................... 24.11
Orphans ............................................ ......................................... 24.12
Education .......................................... ............................................ 24.24
Health and welfare................................. ....................................... 24.30
Special protection issues .......................... .................................. 24.32
Military service and education ..................... .............................. 24.32
Child soldiers ..................................... ........................................ 24.35
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).................... ........................... 24.36
Documentation ...................................... ....................................... 24.41
25. T RAFFICKING ................................................... .................................... 25.01
26. M EDICAL ISSUES ................................................... .............................. 26.01
General ............................................ .............................................. 26.01
Overview of availability of medical treatment and d rugs ......... 26.05
HIV/AIDS ........................................... ............................................. 26.08
Cancer treatment ................................... ....................................... 26.11
Kidney dialysis .................................... ......................................... 26.12
Mental health care ................................. ....................................... 26.13
27. H UMANITARIAN ISSUES ................................................... ..................... 27.01
28. F REEDOM OF MOVEMENT ................................................... .................. 28.01
29. INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE (IDP S ) .............................................. 29.0 1
Eritreans from Ethiopia............................ .................................... 29.03
30. F OREIGN REFUGEES ................................................... ......................... 30.01
Refugees in Eritrea................................ ....................................... 30.01
Ethiopians in Eritrea .............................. ...................................... 30.03
Prisoners of war................................... ...................................... 30.11
Refugees other than Ethiopians in Eritrea.......... ....................... 30.14
31. C ITIZENSHIP AND NATIONALITY ................................................... ......... 31.01
Three witnesses .................................... ....................................... 31.04
The 1993 referendum ................................ ................................... 31.06
Mixed marriage and mixed birth ..................... ............................ 31.08
32. F ORGED AND FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINED DOCUMENTS .......................... 32.01
33. E XIT - ENTRY PROCEDURES ................................................... ................ 33.01
Illegal exit from Eritrea.......................... ....................................... 33.09
Treatment of returned failed asylum seekers ........ .................... 33.12 PDF page 5
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
v
Eritrean returnees from Malta ...................... ............................... 33.13
Eritrean returnees from Libya ...................... ............................... 33.18
Eritrean returnees from Israel ..................... ................................ 33.21
Eritrean returnees from Egypt...................... ............................... 33.23
Eritreans seeking refuge in Ethiopia ............... ........................... 33.24
Eritreans seeking refuge in Sudan .................. ........................... 33.28
Eritreans seeking refuge in Kenya .................. ........................... 33.35
Eritreans seeking refuge in Europe ................. ........................... 33.36
34. E MPLOYMENT RIGHTS ................................................... ....................... 34.01
Forced or compulsory labour........................ .............................. 34.02
Annexes
Annex A – Chronology of major events
Annex B – Political organisations
Annex C – Prominent people: past and present
Annex D – List of abbreviations
Annex E – References to source material
PDF page 6
View this page in original PDF
No extractable text on this page. It may contain a scan, a blank page or unsupported encoding. No OCR transcript is available.
PDF page 7
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
1
Preface________________________________________
i This Country of Origin Information Report (COI R eport) has been produced by
COI Service, UK Border Agency (UKBA), for use by of ficials involved in the
asylum/human rights determination process. The Repo rt provides general
background information about the issues most common ly raised in
asylum/human rights claims made in the United Kingd om. The main body of
the report includes information available up to 12 March 2009. The ‘Latest
News’ section contains further brief information on events and reports
accessed from 12 March to 21 April 2009. This COI r eport was issued on 21
April 2009.
ii The Report is compiled wholly from material pro duced by a wide range of
recognised external information sources and does no t contain any UK Border
Agency opinion or policy. All information in the Re port is attributed, throughout
the text, to the original source material, which is made available to those
working in the asylum/human rights determination pr ocess.
iii The Report aims to provide a brief summary of the source material identified,
focusing on the main issues raised in asylum and hu man rights applications. It
is not intended to be a detailed or comprehensive s urvey. For a more detailed
account, the relevant source documents should be ex amined directly.
iv The structure and format of the COI Report refl ects the way it is used by UK
Border Agency decision makers and appeals presentin g officers, who require
quick electronic access to information on specific issues and use the contents
page to go directly to the subject required. Key is sues are usually covered in
some depth within a dedicated section, but may also be referred to briefly in
several other sections. Some repetition is therefor e inherent in the structure of
the Report.
v The information included in this COI Report is l imited to that which can be
identified from source documents. While every effor t is made to cover all
relevant aspects of a particular topic, it is not a lways possible to obtain the
information concerned. For this reason, it is impor tant to note that information
included in the Report should not be taken to imply anything beyond what is
actually stated. For example, if it is stated that a particular law has been
passed, this should not be taken to imply that it h as been effectively
implemented unless stated.
vi As noted above, the Report is a collation of ma terial produced by a number of
reliable information sources. In compiling the Repo rt, no attempt has been
made to resolve discrepancies between information p rovided in different
source documents. For example, different source doc uments often contain
different versions of names and spellings of indivi duals, places and political
parties, etc. COI Reports do not aim to bring consi stency of spelling, but to
reflect faithfully the spellings used in the origin al source documents. Similarly,
figures given in different source documents sometim es vary and these are
simply quoted as per the original text. The term ‘s ic’ has been used in this
document only to denote incorrect spellings or typo graphical errors in quoted
text; its use is not intended to imply any comment on the content of the
material.
PDF page 8
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
2
vii The Report is based substantially upon source documents issued during the
previous two years. However, some older source docu ments may have been
included because they contain relevant information not available in more
recent documents. All sources contain information c onsidered relevant at the
time this Report was issued.
viii This COI Report and the accompanying source m aterial are public documents.
All COI Reports are published on the RDS section of the Home Office website
and the great majority of the source material for t he Report is readily available
in the public domain. Where the source documents id entified in the Report are
available in electronic form, the relevant web link has been included, together
with the date that the link was accessed. Copies of less accessible source
documents, such as those provided by government off ices or subscription
services, are available from the COI Service upon r equest.
ix COI Reports are published regularly on the top 20 asylum intake countries.
COI Key Documents are produced on lower asylum inta ke countries according
to operational need. UK Border Agency officials als o have constant access to
an information request service for specific enquiri es.
x In producing this COI Report, COI Service has sou ght to provide an accurate,
balanced summary of the available source material. Any comments regarding
this Report or suggestions for additional source ma terial are very welcome
and should be submitted to the UK Border Agency as below.
Country of Origin Information Service
UK Border Agency
Apollo House
36 Wellesley Road
Croydon CR9 3RR
United Kingdom
Email: cois@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/country_reports.h tml
A DVISORY P ANEL ON C OUNTRY INFORMATION
xi The independent Advisory Panel on Country Inform ation (APCI) was
established in 2003 to make recommendations to the Home Secretary about
the content of the UKBA’s country of origin informa tion material. The APCI
reviewed a number of UKBA’s reports and published i ts findings on its website
at www.apci.org.uk.
Since October 2008, the work of the APCI has been taken
forward by the Chief Inspector of UKBA.
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 9
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
3
Latest News
E VENTS IN E RITREA FROM 12 M ARCH 2009 TO 21 A PRIL 2009
16 April A BBC report picked up on the publication of the Human Rights
Watch report, State Repression and Indefinite Consc ription in Eritrea,
published on 16 April 2009 (See
Reports )
BBC News - Eritrea becoming 'a giant prison' - 16 Apr il 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8002178.stm
Date accessed 21 April 2009
13 April An Agence France Press repo rt dated 13 April 2009 stated that:
“Ethiopia on Saturday [11 April 2009] criticised th e UN for not taking
strong measures against arch-foe Eritrea over its f ailure to withdraw
troops from disputed territories along its border w ith Djibouti.
“A UN resolution adopted last January [2009] gave A smara five
weeks to pull out, and the Security Council earlier this week
concluded that Eritrea had not fulfilled its obliga tions 10 weeks after
the request.
" ‘Unless the international community is prepared t o hold Eritrea
accountable for such open and reckless defiance of international
norms and decisions, there is the real danger Eritr ea will be
encouraged to continue its regional destabilization ,’ the Ethiopian
foreign ministry said in a statement. The UN resolu tion had welcomed
the fact that Djibouti withdrew its forces from the disputed areas as
requested by the council last June and condemned Er itrea's refusal to
do so.”
Agence France Press - Ethiopia urges UN to act against Eritrea, 13 April 2009
http://www.waltainfo.com/index.php?option=com_conte nt&task=view&id=9226
&Itemid=52
Date accessed 15 April 2009
11 April An report dated 11 April 20 09 that appeared in the alenalki.net
website stated that the Swedish Journalists’ Associ ation, Reporters
without Borders, Swedish newspaper editors, politic al parties, and
artists/singers were planning a protest to highligh t the human rights
abuses that the Eritrean government is committing a gainst its
citizens. The protest was expected to take place on 16 April 2009 in
Stockholm.
Alenalki.net - Swe dish Organizations Planned Protest against Human Righ ts
Violations in Eritrea, 11 April 2009
http://www.alenalki.net/content/view/621/53/
Date accessed 15 April 2009
PDF page 10
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
4
31 March A Catholic Information Service for Africa report dated 31 March 2009
stated that:
“Eritrea is on the brink of famine and thousands of people are pouring
across the borders to escape starvation and state p ersecution, a
Catholic charity reports.
“Aid to the Church in Need (CAN), which helps perse cuted and other
suffering Christians, has given nearly -25,000 (£23 ,100) in response
to new evidence showing that the unfolding nightmar e in the Horn
African country is creating a humanitarian crisis a cross the region as
Eritreans flee, desperate for food and shelter.
“Reports of the crisis comes as reports from Wester n governments
and human rights organisations point to an economic melt-down
made worse by ever-tightening controls and human ri ghts abuses
against so-called dissidents, especially religious groups.
“With the U.S. State Department recently issuing an emergency
report on Eritrea, sources in the region describe t he country as in the
grip of a food crisis - with the government stoppin g people from
accessing the most basic of supplies.
“Reports - whose authors CAN could not revealed for security
reasons - say the authorities have blocked the tran sfer of food stuffs
from one region of the country to another, banned o pen-air markets
selling maze, barley and other grain, and even cond ucted house-to-
house searches for 'illegally-obtained' produce.
“Underlining the severity of failed harvests caused by worsening
droughts, one report received by ACN stated: ‘I wou ld confidently say
that Eritrea is on its knees in terms of food produ ction.’
“Accusing the government of refusing desperately-ne eded outside
help, the report adds: ‘This is turning out to be t he destruction and
complete isolation of the country.’
“As Eritrea's southerly neighbour, Ethiopia, grappl es with the influx of
thousands of refugees who have risked death to esca pe, ACN has
received urgent S.O.S. appeals for urgent assistanc e for people in
urgent need of food, clothing and shelter.”
Catholic Information Service for Africa - Eritrea: Chu rch Responds to Food Crisis
Worsened by Misrule, 31 March 2009
http://allafrica.com/stories/200903310827.html
Date accessed 2 April 2009
PDF page 11
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
5
31 March A Sudan Tribune report dated 3 1 March 2009 stated that:
“Eritrean troops did not pull out from a disputed a rea at the joint
border with Djibouti despite a UN Security Council resolution last
January, the UN chief said today.
“The 15-member body on January 14 [2009] unanimousl y adopted a
resolution demanding that Eritrea ‘withdraw its for ces and all their
equipment to the positions of the status quo ante, and ensure that no
military presence or activity is being pursued in t he area where the
conflict occurred in Ras Doumeira and Doumeira isla nd’ last June.
“In a letter addressed to the chair of the Council this month, Ban Ki-
Moon said ‘We have no information that Eritrea has complied with’
the resolution 1862 which last January gave Asmara five weeks to
pull its forces out of the contested area.
“Ban further stressed Eritrea was still insisting t hat it ‘has not
occupied any land that belongs to Djibouti and it c annot accept a
resolution that demands the withdrawal of its force s from its own
territory.’
“Asmara had immediately rejected the ‘unbalanced an d unnecessary’
Resolution 1962 saying it was adopted ‘under strong pressure from
self-interested powers.’ Also, The Eritrean foreign ministry urged the
Council to deal with the ‘real breaches of internat ional law,’ in a way
to remind the stalled border raw with Ethiopia.
“The UN secretary general said he plans to pursue c ontacts with both
parties as well as relevant regional organizations such as the African
Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Develo pment (IGAD) to
assess how best to ensure implementation of Resolut ion 1862.”
Sudan Tribune - Eritrea refuses to pull out from disp uted area with Djibouti – UN
chief, 31 March 2009
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30701
Date accessed 2 April 2009
13 March An Awate report dated 13 March 2009 stated that:
”In an effort to increase public consciousness of E ritrean prisoners of
conscience, the London-based Amnesty International has published
700,000 inserts to be distributed with newspapers, newsletters and
magazines in the United Kingdom...the leaflet carri es the story of Ms.
Aster Fissahatsion, a leading figure in the struggl e for independence
in Eritrea who finds herself behind bars since Sep 2001 for co-
authoring an open letter to President Isaias Afewer ki to introduce
reforms.
“… Amnesty International has called on its supporters throughout the
country to help with their campaign for the immedia te and
unconditional release of Aster.”
Amnesty International Launches Massive Campaign For An Eritrean, 13 March 2009
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/5097/3/
Date accessed 2 April 2009 PDF page 12
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
6
R EPORTS ON E RITREA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 12 M ARCH 2009
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHC R) Eligibility Guidelines for
Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asy lum-Seekers from Eritrea –
April 2009
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/49de06122.html
This policy document, while outlining the UNHCR’s u nderstanding and
recommendations of the situation of Eritrean nation als claiming asylum, gives a full
account of the issues around claims. It gives a cou ntry of origin information background
that broadly follows the information collated in th is report.
Human Rights Watch, State Repression and Indefinite Conscription in Eritrea,
16 April 2009
http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/erit rea0409web_0.pdf
“This report documents the Eritrean government’s re sponsibility for patterns of serious
human rights violations: arbitrary arrest and deten tion, torture, forced labor, and
inhuman conditions in detention; rigid restrictions on freedom of movement and
expression; and religious persecution. It also anal yzes abuses related to the practice of
indefinite conscription into national and military service, the lack of any provision for
conscientious objection, and the risks facing refug ees even after they flee.”
The document updates the 2004 AI report ‘ the Annex at the end of the document adds
fresh information to this report’s section on known places of detention.
See Places of detention
Becoming a competent refugee: examples of bureaucra tic hurdles and migration
strategies on the way to Israel, Magnus Treiber, Ge bereigthabher Bereket
http://www.mecon.nomadit.co.uk/pub/conference_epape r_download.php5
A Paper given at the Seeking Refuge: caught between bureaucracy, lawyers and
public indifference? Conference at the School of Or iental and African Studies,
University of London, 16-17 April 2009. The paper i ncludes information about routes
taken by migrants out of Eritrea.
PDF page 13
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
7
Background information
1. G EOGRAPHY
1.01 The State of Eritrea (Permanent Committee on G eographical Names) is a
country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Sudan to the west, and Ethiopia to
the south. In area the country covers 117,400 sq km (45,300 sq miles).
[81] .
The capital city is Asmara, other main cities being the port of Massawa, Keren,
and Barentu. [1a] (Europa Online, accessed 20 January 2009)
1.02 The CIA World Factbook section on Eritrea give s a July 2008 population
estimate of 5,028,475.
[28] (p2) . According to Ethnologue, there are 12
languages spoken in Eritrea. English, Standard Arab ic, and Tigrinya are the
official languages. [59]
1.03 There are nine main ethnic groupings in Eritre a. There is one further ethnic
grouping, the Djerberti, Muslims of the central hig hlands, but the Djerberti are
not recognised as an official ethnic group by the E ritrean government.
[25b]
(Mebrat Tzehaie)
See
Ethnic groups
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 14
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
8
M APS
1.04 Eritrea, political map, September 2006, from the main United Nations Human
Rights Commission (UNHCR) website at:
http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/45.pdf
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-
bin/texis/vtx/publ/opendoc.pdf?tbl=PUBL&id=3dee2c62 0
PDF page 15
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
9
1.05 Further maps of Eritrea can be found via the P erry-Castaneda collection
website, the University of Texas at
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/eritrea.html
.
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 16
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
10
2. E CONOMY
2.01 Eritrea’s economy is largely based on agricult ure, involving 80 per cent of the
working population, but only contributes 12 per cen t to the GDP; remittances
from the Eritrean diaspora accounts for 32 per cent of GDP.
[4a] (Economy) .
(US State Department Background Note on Eritrea, da ted March 2009)
2.02 The CIA World Factbook section on Eritrea (22 Janua ry 2009 version) noted
that:
“Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic
problems of a small, desperately poor country, acce ntuated by the recent
implementation of restrictive economic policies. Er itrea has a command
economy under the control of the sole political par ty, the People’s Front for
Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)…the government strictl y controls the use of
foreign currency, limiting access and availability. Few private enterprises
remain in Eritrea. Eritrea’s economy is heavily dep endent on taxes paid by
members of the diaspora.”
[28] (p7)
2.03 The CIA World Factbook (22 January 2009 versio n) cites figures of 37,500
mainline telephones (2006) and 70,000 (2007) mobile telephones in use. Most
mainline telephones are in Asmara. Only about 2 peo ple out of every 100 has
a telephone (fixed line or mobile).
[28] (p10)
2.04 Awate.com reported on 22 March 2007 that the economy had declined further
in early 2007, with the closure of many light indus try enterprises, and
subsequent dependence upon imports, though in turn these are limited by an
import ban. The article concludes “since the regime declared an import ban,
prices for basic commodities and staples have incre ased by 300 percent –
assuming that they are available.” It then lists pr ices as of March 2007.
[50u] .
A later Awate report, published on 2 July 2007, men tions the shortages of
basic foodstuffs, as well as beer and other bottled drinks. [50ab]
2.05 Awate gave further reports of the economy’s c ollapse in early 2008, giving
details such as:
“Conservatively, Eritrea’s annual cereal grain dema nd is estimated to be
600,000 metric tons (or 6 million quintals.) Even in the best of times, the
government was only able to produce about 25% of th e nation’s need — with
the deficit accommodated by imports or food aid fro m donors like FAO, WFP
and USAID…grain cereals are now being sold exclusiv ely at the so-called
‘Fair Shops’ ( Rt'awi Dukan ), the distribution centers of Red Sea Trading
Corporation, or 09 ( Bado T’Shiate), the financial arm of the ruling party. Taff
[tef] is being sold at 5,000 Nakfa per quintal (100 kilos), and Meshela is being
sold at 1,500 Nakfa per quintal. The ration for a f amily of five is 10 kilos per
month; for families with more than five members, th e ration is 15 kilos per
month. This has presented a serious hardship to Eri trean families: historically,
even a family of modest means needs about 25 kilos per month.”
[50at] (Awate, 7 April 2008)
PDF page 17
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
11
2.06 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations listed
Eritrea as one of 22 countries facing food security problems, in a report
published on 28 May 2008. Eritrea was cited as a co untry that imported 100
per cent of its petroleum; 80 per cent of its grain foodstuffs; and now had a
population of whom nearly 75 per cent were undernou rished. [107b] (Voice of
America report, 28 May 2008). On Independence Day ( 24 May), President
Isaias made a speech announcing import restrictions and price controls “to
counter rising world commodity prices”. [11a] (Agence France Presse via Dehai
News, 25 May 2008). Eritrea Daily noted in June 2008 that bread and pasta
were now to be classed as luxury items. [38b] .
2.07 Three Awate reports indicate that Eritrea has a ser ious food supply problem.
Awate on 29 April 2008 reported that “the cost of l iving, particularly in urban
areas, is now increasingly beyond the reach of most people. One of the most
shocking developments in urban areas has been that begging is now
widespread and coming from quarters one would least expect.” [50al] . Awate
reported on 10 December 2008 that “of 24 worst hit countries, Eritrea is in the
top of the list importing 100% of its petroleum and 88% of the food it
consumes.” [50n] . Awate reported on 27 December 2008 that “Eritrean s are
seriously malnourished and there is such a severe f ood shortage, Eritrean
farmers have been ordered to sell all their grain t o the government, at a fixed
price. The ban on selling grain to anyone except th e government is so literal
that farmers cannot even sell their grain to relati ves. In Gash-Barka, the
farmers have been ordered to keep one quintal for t hemselves and sell the
rest to local authorities.” [50c] .
2.08
Every year since 1990, the United Nations Human Dev elopment Report Office
publishes the human development index (HDI). The HD I is a composite
measure of three aspects of human development – a l ong and healthy life,
being educated and having a decent standard of livi ng. The HDI is not a
comprehensive measure of human development and only measures the
average progress of a country in terms of human dev elopment. The 2006 HDI
value for Eritrea was 0.442 which gave it a ranking of 164 out of 179 countries
that feature in the HDI. [88b]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 18
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
12
3. H ISTORY
3.01 Prior to independence in 1993, Eritrea was par t of a federation with Ethiopia
from 1952, until it was formally annexed as a provi nce by Ethiopia in 1962.
During Ethiopia’s annexation of Eritrea, the Eritre an Liberation Front (ELF)
began an armed struggle, splitting in the mid-1970s with a new group
emerging, the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (E PLF) in 1977. The EPLF,
after military defeats and reconstitution of its fo rces, launched an attack in
1989 that culminated in the taking of Asmara in May 1991.
[1a] (History)
(Europa Online, accessed 20 January 2009)
[Refer to Europa World Online (subscription service ) for a more detailed
history of events prior to 1991]
INDEPENDENCE 1993 AND T RANSITIONAL G OVERNMENT
3.02 Europa World Online adds further:
“Following the liberation of Asmara by the EPLF [in May 1991], and of Addis
Ababa by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democ ratic Front (EPRDF), a
conference was convened in London, [at which] the E thiopian delegation
accepted the EPLF administration as the legitimate provisional Government of
Eritrea, and the EPLF agreed to hold a referendum o n independence in 1993.
The provisional government, which was to administer Eritrea during the two
years prior to the referendum, drew most of its mem bers from the EPLF. The
Government struggled to rehabilitate and develop Er itrea’s war-torn economy
and infrastructure, and to feed a population of who m 80% remained
dependent on food aid. The agricultural sector had been severely disrupted by
the war, and urban economic activity was almost non -existent.”
[1a] (History)
(Europa Online, accessed 20 January 2009)
3.03 The UN supervised a referendum on independence in April 1993, with a 99.8
per cent vote of Eritreans in favour of independenc e; the 24 May was declared
Independence Day and on 28 May 1993, the state of E ritrea was formally
granted international recognition. Three institutio ns were set up to govern the
state – the Consultative Council, the National Asse mbly, and the judiciary –
with Isaias Afewerki, the leader of the EPLF, insta lled as President and Head
of State.
[1a] (History) (Europa Online, accessed 20 January 2009)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 19
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
13
T HE PFDJ AND C ONSTITUTIONAL D EVELOPMENTS
3.04 According to Europa, in February 1994, the EP LF reformed as a political party,
the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) ; in March, the
Consultative Council was replaced with a State Coun cil; and the National
Assembly reconstituted to include 75 members of the PFDJ Central
Committee and 75 directly elected members, though n o election mechanism
was presented. (Europa Online, accessed 20 January 2009).
A Constitutional
Committee of 58 members (50 of whom were government appointees) was
established to reorganise the country administrativ ely. In July 1994 and
January 1995, the Constitutional Committee discusse d a draft Constitution,
and in May 1995, the Constitutional Commission brou ght in a subdivision of
six administrative regions, with the National Assem bly approving the regions’
names in November 1995. [1a] (History) (Europa Online, accessed 20 January
2009)
3.05 The Europa Online account summarises the cha nges in the National
Assembly and other representative institutions in t he late 1990s:
“In early 1997 the Government established a Constit uent Assembly,
comprising 527 members (150 from the National Assem bly, with the
remainder selected from representatives of Eritrean s residing abroad or
elected by regional assemblies), to discuss and rat ify the draft constitution. On
23 May the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constit ution, authorizing
‘conditional’ political pluralism and instituting a presidential regime, with a
President elected for a maximum of two five-year te rms. The President, as
Head of State, would appoint a Prime Minister and j udges of the Supreme
Court; his or her mandate could be revoked should t wo-thirds of the members
of the National Assembly so demand. The Constituent Assembly was
disbanded, and a Transitional National Assembly (co nsisting of the 75
members of the PFDJ Central Committee, 60 members o f the Constituent
Assembly and 15 representatives of Eritreans residi ng abroad) was
empowered to act as the legislature until the holdi ng of elections to a new
National Assembly.”
[1a] (History)
3.06 Europa added:
“It was initially announced that Eritrea’s first po st-independence elections,
which were scheduled to have been held in 1998, but were postponed
indefinitely following the outbreak of hostilities with Ethiopia (see below),
would take place in December 2001. However, during 2001 the likelihood of
elections taking place in that year diminished, as President Afewerki assumed
an increasingly authoritarian position.”
[1a] (History)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 20
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
14
B ORDER C ONFLICT WITH E THIOPIA 1998–2000
3.07 In November 1997, Eritrea changed currency fro m the Ethiopian birr to the
Eritrean nafka. This effectively stopped cross-bord er trade between Ethiopia
and Eritrea; and the border was closed without prec ise demarcation. In 1998,
both countries accused the other’s troops of border incursions and by May
1998, hostilities began in the border region. Vario us international attempts at
mediation failed over 1998 and 1999, with intense f ighting resuming in
February 1999. A stalled mediation in April 1999 be gan a period of numerous
border clashes until 31 May 2000, when the Ethiopia ns declared that the war
was over and they were withdrawing from captured Er itrean territories.
Fighting continued while a peace agreement was disc ussed in Algiers. The
casualities of the 1998 to 2000 war have been estim ated at between 70,000
and 100,000. On 18 June 2000, the Algiers agreement was signed, agreeing
to an immediate ceasefire and the deployment of a U N peace-keeping force.
The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) of 4 ,200 members was
deployed by the UN Security Council in September 20 00.
[10d] (FCO Country
Profile on Eritrea - 8 October 2007). The formal peace agreement was signed
on 12 December 2000 in Algiers, with the UN pledged to establish two
separate independent commissions to settle border d emarcations and
compensation agreements. [1a] (History) (Europa Online, accessed 20 January
2009)
3.08 The border demarcation is an ongoing obstacle to pe ace between Eritrea and
Ethiopia. The FCO Country Profile adds further deta il:
“The Boundary Commission announced its decision on the border on 13 April
2002. Demarcation was due to follow in 2003. Howeve r, when it became clear
that the town of Badme (where the hostilities start ed) had been awarded to
Eritrea, Ethiopia challenged the BC’s conclusions.” [10d]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
B
ORDER TENSIONS WITH NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES , 2005 ONWARDS
3.09 Tensions continued with large numbers of tro ops massed on the disputed
border in early 2005. An UNMEE spokesperson urged b oth countries to
remain calm and show restraint.
[8h] (BBC News Online, 17 February 2005).
In December 2005, Eritrea ordered out Western UN tr oops serving in the
UNMEE mission. However, most of UNMEE are from Asia n and African
countries and these remained. [8s] (BBC News Online, 16 December 2005)
3.10 On 16 October 2006, 1,500 Eritrean troops an d 14 tanks entered the
demilitarised zone.
[8e] (BBC New Online, 17 October 2006). The United
Nations regarded it as “a very worrying development ”. [8g] (BBC News Online,
16 October 2006). In May and June 2008, the Eritrean Government under took
a similar venture with an incursion over a disputed area of the Eritrea/Djibouti
border, with claims of two Djibouti soldiers killed and 17 wounded in
exchanges. Eritrea denied that it was at war with D jibouti. [8i] (BBC News
Online, 6 May 2008); [8d] (BBC News Online, 11 June 2008)
PDF page 21
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
15
3.11 The border area is heavily mined. The US Stat e Department Human Rights
Report for 2007 for Eritrea noted that:
“At least 13 deaths and 41 injuries resulted from l andmine explosions during
the year. According to the Government Commission fo r Coordination with the
UN Peacekeeping Mission, an estimated three million landmines and
unexploded ordnance remained from the 30-year war o f independence and
the 1998–2000 conflict with Ethiopia. The Eritrean Islamic Party for Justice
and Development (formerly known as the Eritrean Isl amic Jihad Movement),
and other opposition groups reportedly laid new min es during the year. The
Eritrean Demining Authority, in cooperation with th e UN Mine Action
Committee, continued demining activities in the Tem porary Security Zone
(TSZ) between Eritrea and Ethiopia.” [4h] (section 1a)
3.12 An International Crisis Group report of 5 Nove mber 2007 was concerned that
the risk of war resuming was greatly heightened by the passing of the
extension date of the UNMEE mandate.
[90] . From December 2007, the work
of UNMEE in Eritrea became difficult to maintain, a s the Eritrean Government
impounded and delayed supplies of fuel to the force . By 15/16 February 2008,
the situation had reached crisis point as the Eritr ean Government refused to
permit the UNMEE force to move its material over to northern Ethiopia. [66c]
(Agence France Presse, 16 February 2008); [8o] (BBC News Online, 16
February 2008)
3.13 The United Nations Security Council voted unan imously to withdraw the
UNMEE from Eritrea in July 2008, as stated in a UN Security Council news
release of 30 July 2008:
“The Security Council today [30 July 2008] terminat ed the mandate of the
eight-year-old peacekeeping force monitoring the bo rder dispute between
Ethiopia and Eritrea and requested the UN Secretary -General Ban Ku-moon
to explore further with two Horn of Africa countrie s the possibility of a United
Nations presence in the area.
“Unanimously adopting resolution 1827 (2008), the C ouncil decided to end the
United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNM EE) when its mandate
expires on Thursday, 31 July [2008], and called on the two sides to cooperate
fully with the world body in the process of liquida ting the operation.
“…expressing regret that Eritrea’s obstructions tow ards UNMEE had ‘reached
a level so as to undermine the basis of the Mission ’s mandate and compelled
[it] to temporarily relocate from Eritrea’, the Cou ncil commended efforts by the
Mission and its military and civilian personnel to accomplish their duties
despite the difficult circumstances, and expressed also its deep appreciation
for the contributions and dedication of troop-contr ibuting countries to
UNMEE’s work.
“The Council also expressed strong support for the ongoing efforts by the
Secretary-General and the international community t o engage with Ethiopia
and Eritrea to help them implement the Algiers Agre ements, normalize their
relations, promote stability between them, and lay the foundation for a
comprehensive and lasting peace between them. It ur ged both countries to
accept the Secretary-General’s good offices.”
[35]
PDF page 22
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
16
3.14 An Awate report dated 19 January 2009 stated t hat fighting between Djibouti
and Eritrean troops had taken place in June 2008 at the Djibouti-Eritrea
border. The report stated that the “battle came aft er weeks of complaint by
Djibouti that Eritrea was occupying its territories since January [2008] and
reinforcing its troops, a claim which was dismissed by Eritrea as ‘fabrication’.”
[50ah] . In January 2009, the UN Security Council gave Eri trea an ultimatum to
withdraw its forces from a disputed border region w ith Djibouti within five
weeks. The UN resolution also called for Eritrea to remove its military
hardware from the Ras Doumeira region and the islan d of Doumeira. In
October 2008, the United States warned Eritrea that it faced “appropriate
action” from the United Nations if it refused to co -operate to peacefully resolve
the border dispute with Djibouti. [8b] (BBC News Online report “UN in Eritrea
pull-out ultimatum”, 14 January 2009)
See
Prisoners of war ; Internally displaced persons and Refugees in Eritrea
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
D
OMESTIC POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS FROM S EPTEMBER 2001
3.15 The period around September 2001 was a key cri sis point in Eritrean history
after the 1998–2000 war. The US State Department Ba ckground Note on
Eritrea, published in March 2009, summarised the si tuation:
“In September 2001, after several months in which a number of prominent
PFDJ party members had gone public with a series of grievances against the
government and in which they called for implementat ion of the constitution and
the holding of elections, the government instituted a crackdown. Eleven
prominent dissidents, members of what had come to b e known as the Group
of 15, were arrested and held without charge in an unknown location. At the
same time, the government shut down the independent press and arrested its
reporters and editors, holding them incommunicado a nd without charge. In
subsequent weeks, the government arrested other ind ividuals, including two
Eritrean employees of the U.S. Embassy. All of thes e individuals remain held
without charge and none are (sic) allowed visitors. ”
[4a]
3.16 The US State Department 2008 International Rel igious Freedom report stated
that a 2002 government decree made it compulsory fo r all religious groups to
register with the government or cease all religious activities. As a result,
religious facilities not belonging to the four offi cially recognised religious
groups were forced to close down.
[4l] (section 2)
See Freedom of religion
PDF page 23
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
17
3.17 In early 2005, it was reported that the Govern ment was intensifying its efforts
to curb opposition, as referred to in a UNHCR lette r dated 11 March 2005,
stating:
“Based on various reports, it appears that the huma n rights situation in Eritrea
has seriously deteriorated in the past two years [2 004–2005]. Human rights
violations continue to be reported, inter alia , with regard to the treatment of
opposition political groups and movements, freedom of expression, freedom of
religion, arbitrary detention and detention conditi ons (including reports of
torture, ill-treatment and forced labor) and treatm ent of draft
evaders/deserters.” [18f]
3.18 Other sources note that since 2003, the Govern ment has proceeded to pull
out of communication with major international orga nisations, with the act of
withdrawing the Eritrean Ambassador from the Afric an Union in November
2003; deteriorating relations with the European Un ion and the UN Security
Council in early 2005; and difficult relations wit h the USA Government in 2005
and 2006.
[1a] (History, p9-11) (Europa Online)
3.19 “Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has backed a new Somali opposition
alliance, saying Ethiopia’s fight against insurgent s in Mogadishu was doomed
to fail, state media reported on Saturday. The form ation of the group, including
top Islamist leaders, in Asmara this week generated yet more friction between
Ethiopia and Eritrea after their border war of 1998 –2000.”
[106a] (Reuters
report, 15 September 2007). Responding to American accusations that they
abetted terrorists in the volatile Horn of Africa, Eritrean officials defended their
actions and said that while they would like to have better relations with the
United States, they had no intention of bowing to i ts pressure. [53]
(International Herald Tribune, 18 September 2007). The United States has
issued Eritrea with its strongest warning yet over its alleged support for
terrorism. [8v] (BBC News, 8 September 2007)
3.20 In January 2008, BBC News reported that the Li byan authorities were
planning another mass deportation to various sub-Sa haran African countries,
including Eritrea, as part of its new immigration p olicy. [8t] (BBC News Online,
17 January 2008).
See
Returns from Libya ; and Eritrean refugees in Europe
3.21 Drought has threatened the harvest, and Eritre a has been affected by the
increase in world food prices: the prices of essent ial items have increased in
2008. [50ar] (Awate, 19 March 2008); [50at] (Awate, 7 April 2008). There are
reports of acute food insecurity and shortage: brea d and pasta, as imports, are
being restricted as luxury items, and begging is be coming a common sight in
Asmara. [38d] (Eritrea Daily, 1 June 2008); [50al] (Awate, 29 April 2008)
See
Economy
The International Committee of the Red Cross is st ill operating in a
humanitarian aid capacity in Eritrea, with details of its role in cross-border
transfers of refugees given in its March 2008 field report.
[40b]
See Eritreans from Ethiopia
PDF page 24
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
18
3.22 The BBC correspondent in Asmara, Peter Martell , was obliged by the
authorities to leave Eritrea in March 2008, and fil ed a final report that
underpinned other (external) news sources’ accounts of Eritrea’s problems. [8l]
(BBC News Online, 10 March 2008).
See Freedom of Speech and Media
3.23 The tension between forces on the border betwe en Eritrea and Ethiopia has
increased since the withdrawal of the UNMEE, with r eports in February 2008
of a stand-off between the Eritrean Government and the UN over the removal
of UN material over the border to northern Ethiopia as part of a ‘temporary
retreat’ by the UNMEE.
[8o] (BBC News Online, 16 February 2008);
[66c] (AFP, 16 February 2008). The International Crisis Group produced a
report in January 2008 that outlined the main impli cations of the loss of the
UNMEE mandate. [90] . UNMEE’s mandate was not renewed by the UN
Security Council on 30 July 2008. [35]
3.24 The Eritrean armed forces made a sortie into a disputed border area of
Djibouti.
[8i] (BBC News Online, 6 May 2008). Casualties were reported. [8d]
(BBC News Online, 11 June 2008)
See
Events in Eritrea ; Border tensions with neighbouring countries, 2005
onwards
3.25 In August 2008, Compass Direct News reported t hat 1,500 Bibles were
confiscated from conscripts on arrival at the Sawa Defense Training School,
and burned publicly. Eight students protested and w ere detained in metal
shipping containers.
[47d] (Compass Direct News “Eritrea - Christian students
shut into shipping containers”, 11 August 2008)
See Religious groupings other than Evangelicals and the Eritrean Government
3.26 A Jehovah’s Witnesses Office of Public Informa tion news release, dated
August 2008, reported on police arrests of Jehovah’ s Witnesses that had
taken place in July and August 2008. Some of the Je hovah’s Witnesses were
subsequently imprisoned.
[63]
See
Jehovah’s Witnesses
3.27 In August 2008, a Ma’ariv newspaper report sta ted that the Israeli authorities
had discovered and disrupted a major people-smuggli ng ring involving the
smuggling of Eritrean migrants.
[44] (Ma’ariv newspaper report “Israel
uncovers criminal ring smuggling Eritrean migrants” , 31 August 2008)
See
Eritrean Refugees in Israel
PDF page 25
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
19
4. R ECENT DEVELOPMENTS
4.01 In October 2008, a United Nations News Ser vice report stated that:
“The Security Council heard calls today [23 October 2008] for the peaceful
resolution of the current border dispute between Dj ibouti and Eritrea, which
flared into fighting in the Horn of Africa in June [2008] that killed at least 35
people and left dozens of others wounded.
“Representatives of Djibouti and Eritrea outlined t heir positions to a Council
meeting that also heard statements from the Council ’s 15 members, in which
they stressed the need for restraint and backed exi sting international efforts to
mediate a settlement.
“Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, whose co untry requested the Council
meeting, asked the panel to call on Eritrea to meet its international obligations
and move to end the dispute, which centres on an un demarcated border in an
area known as Doumeira. If not, he said, sanctions may be needed.
“The armed conflict erupted in early June [2008] af ter weeks of tensions and
military build-up on both sides, and a subsequent U N fact-finding mission
reported that the dispute had the potential to dest abilize the entire region.”
[18g]
See Border tensions with neighbouring countries, 2005 onwards
4.02 A November 2008 Walta news report stated that :
“Eritrea's government has launched a fresh crackdow n on Christians with
reports that at least 110 evangelical believers hav e been detained since last
week, BosNewsLife reported quoting a well-informed rights group on
Wednesday.
“The Christians were arrested ‘in all parts of the country’ except for the capital,
Asmara, according to the report.
“Open Doors, which has been in close contacts with Christians in Eritrea, said
names of Christians were apparently given to author ities by informants who
infiltrated churches in the country. Those detained include 65 members of the
evangelical Kale Hiwot Church, who were taken into custody in the towns of
Barentu and Dekemhare.
“In the towns of Keren and Mendefera some 25 member s of the Full Gospel
Church were detained, while in Mendefera and Adi-Ku ala police arrested about
20 members of the Church of the Living God.”
[110]
See Freedom of Religion
PDF page 26
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
20
4.03 In January 2009, the UN Security Council gave Eritrea an ultimatum to
withdraw its forces from a disputed border region w ith Djibouti within five
weeks. The UN resolution also called for Eritrea to remove its military hardware
from the Ras Doumeira region and the island of Doum eira. In October 2008,
the United States warned Eritrea that it faced “app ropriate action” from the
United Nations if it refused to co-operate to peace fully resolve the border
dispute with Djibouti. [8b] (BBC News Online report “UN in Eritrea pull-out
ultimatum”, 14 January 2009)
See Border tensions with neighbouring countries, 2005 onwards
4.04 In February 2009, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that
a bomb explosion “killed two people and wounded eig ht [others] at a restaurant
in western Eritrea in a rare attack in the Red Sea state”. The Ministry of
Information stated that the police were investigati ng the incident. The report
further stated that “Eritrea blamed Ethiopia for an earlier bomb attack in
January 2008 that killed one person and wounded sev eral others in another
market town near the western border”, and also that “tensions between Addis
Ababa and Asmara remain high, and both governments routinely accuse each
other of supporting rebel groups.”
[109] (ABC News Online report “Eritrea govt
says bomb kills two, wounds eight”, 28 February 200 9)
4.05 In March 2009, Reporters without Borders reported that the:
“The [Eritrean] authorities on 22 February 2009, or dered a raid on the
premises of Radio Bana, a small station in the hear t of the capital that puts out
educational programmes under the sponsorship of the education ministry. Its
entire staff of around 50 journalists were arrested and taken without
explanation to the Dobozito detention centre on the edge of the city. Some of
the staff were released but several of them remain in custody.” [17c]
See Freedom of Speech and Media
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 27
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
21
5. C ONSTITUTION
5.01 The CIA World Factbook section on Eritrea (22 January 2009 version) stated
that “the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a
new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not ye t implemented.”
[28] (p5) .
Human Rights Watch, in its 2008 annual report on ev ents in 2007, also noted
that “the constitution approved by referendum in 19 97 remains
unimplemented.” [29i]
5.02 A translation of the new constitution is avail able on the EDP opposition
website, http://selfi-
democracy.com/index.php?read=articles/documents/113 7696360eritrean_e.ht
m [72b]; also at [2]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 28
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
22
6. P OLITICAL S YSTEM
O VERVIEW
6.01 The US State Department Human Rights Report fo r 2008 noted that:
“The [Eritrean] government came to power in a 1993 popular referendum in
which voters chose to have an independent country m anaged by a transitional
government; however the transitional government has not permitted the
formation of a democratic system. The government tw ice scheduled elections
in accordance with the Constitution but cancelled t hem without explanation.
An official declaration in 2003, claimed that ‘in a ccordance with the prevailing
wish of the people it is not the time to establish political parties, and discussion
of the establishment has been postponed.’ Governmen t officials also assert
that implementation of the constitution is not poss ible until the border
demarcation with Ethiopia is finalized. During the year [2008] the president
claimed in an Al-Jazeera interview that elections m ight not take place for
another 30 or 40 years. The country is a one -party state. Power rests with the
PFDJ and its institutions. At times the government coerced membership in the
PFDJ.”
[4m] (Section 3)
6.02 The CIA World Factbook section on Eritrea (22 January 2009 version) adds
detail:
“Following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous
Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National A ssembly composed entirely
of the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as
a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commis sion was also established to
draft a Constitution; Isaias Afwerki was elected Pr esident by the transitional
legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997 , did not enter into effect,
pending parliamentary and presidential elections; p arliamentary elections had
been scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently
the sole legal party is the People’s Front for Demo cracy and Justice (PFDJ).”
[28] (p5)
6.03 Regarding elections other than parliamentary e lections, Europa Online noted
that local government elections took place in 2003 and regional assembly
elections took place in 2004.
[1a] (political system)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 29
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
23
P OLITICAL OPPOSITION
6.04 The US State Department Human Rights Report fo r 2008 reported that:
“There were no confirmed reports of p olitical prisoners; however, several
hundred individuals were detained beginning in 2001 for political reasons.
Many were perceived to have ties to political dissi dents or were believed to
have spoken against government actions. Most of the se detainees had not
been tried and did not have access to legal counsel . The ICRC was not
authorized to visit these detainees, and no informa tion was available of their
condition or circumstances of detention.”
[4m] (section 1e)
6.05 As the FCO country profile on Eritrea, updated 8 October 2007, recounts, “In
2001 there was criticism of the leadership within t he PFDJ. President Isaias
responded by arresting eleven senior government fig ures, who are still being
detained without trial.” [10d] . The US State Department Human Rights report
for 2008, noted that the G15/G11 group detainees we re still in prison at the
end of 2008, adding that there were “no development s in the 2002 arrests of
individuals associated with the 11 PFDJ National As sembly members who
were detained in 2001 or of Eritrean diplomats who were recalled from their
posts. At least four Eritrean diplomats arrested in previous years, including
former ambassador to China Ermias Debassai Papayo, remained in detention
as did Aster Yohannes, wife of former foreign minis ter Petros Solomon.” [4m]
(section 1d)
6.06 Awate.com published a report on 31 August 2006 , ‘The obscure and tragic
end of the G-15’, that claims to present informatio n about the political
prisoners since their arrest up to 2006. [50m] . It talks of the prison complex at
Eiraeiro, between Asmara and Massawa, that was comp leted in June 2003,
and houses these political prisoners. [50m] (p1-2) Prior to 2003, the G15/G11
group were held at Embatkala, a former Ethiopian-er a navy facility. [50m] (p2) .
The G15/G11 group were listed along with other pris oners held in Eiraeiro,
creating a group of 36 political prisoners. [50m] (p2-3) . Of the prisoners and of
the G15 group prior to transfer to Eiraeiro, nine p eople are mentioned as
having died in detention. [50m] (p3) . The article claims food, clothing and
hygiene are basic; the prisoners are held in solita ry confinement, in chains,
and totally in communicado . [50m] (p3, 4) . There were slight relaxations in 2006.
[50m] (p4) . The prison guards are strictly vetted and monitored , and fear that
once the prisoners die they will be killed to ensur e that the detention centre
remains a secret. [50m] (p4, 5)
See Annex C Prominent people – G15/G11 political prisoners
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 30
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
24
Political pressure groups and leaders
6.07 The CIA World Factbook section on Eritrea (22 January 2009 version) lists the
political pressure groups and leaders as follows:
“Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) [HAGOS, Mesfin]; E ritrean Islamic Jihad or
EIJ (includes Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EI JM also known as the Abu
Sihel Movement); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa
Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULL AH Muhammed];
Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition incl uding EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a
number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrea n Public Forum or EPF
[ARADOM Iyob]”.
[28] (p6)
6.08 The United States Library of Congress, Federal Research Division’s country
profile of Eritrea, dated September 2005, adds furt her detail:
“The Eritrean National Alliance (ENA) is a 3,000-st rong organization of 10
opposition groups. It was established in Khartoum i n 1999, in part as an
attempt by Sudan to retaliate against Eritrean supp ort for the National
Democratic Alliance, a Sudanese opposition group. T he following groups
belong to the ENA: the Eritrean Liberation Front, t he Eritrean People’s
Conference, the Eritrean Islamic Salvation Movement , the Eritrean Liberation
Front – Revolutionary Council, the Eritrean Liberat ion Front – National
Council, the Eritrean People’s Democratic Liberatio n Front, the Eritrean
Revolutionary Democratic Front, the Democratic Move ment for the Liberation
of Kunama/Eritrea, the Eritrean Democratic Resistan ce Movement Gash-Setit,
and the Eritrean Initiative Group. These groups are a mix of liberation
organizations marginalized during the struggle for independence, ethnically
based groups, and the Sudan-sponsored Eritrean Isla mic Salvation Movement
(also known as Eritrean Islamic Jihad). All are bas ed in Sudan, from where
some stage occasional and mostly ineffectual raids into western Eritrea. The
strength of another group operating in Eritrea, the Red Sea Afar Democratic
Organization, currently is unknown.”
[79] (p16)
See Annex B Political Organisations
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 31
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
25
Opposition in exile
6.09 Reports in 2006 highlighted the way that the o pposition parties in exile were
affected by the Eritrean Government’s change in rel ations with other states,
with Gedab News , on Awate.com, reporting that the Government of Su dan in
June 2006 revoked permission for several Eritrean d issident organisations to
host their congresses in Khartoum. On 28 August 200 6, Awate.com published
a follow-up report, ‘Update: state of the Eritrean opposition and Eritrean
Government’, that filled in details about groups th at the original June reports
had no information on.
[50a] (section 1e)
6.10 An Awate.com article of 26 November 2006 outli ned alleged moves against
the opposition in exile in Sudan after the resumpti on of relations between the
Eritrean and Sudanese Governments. The article stat ed:
“Within days after the normalization of the Eritrea -Sudan relationship, the
Eritrean regime was given intelligence on the milit ary bases of the armed
opposition group [sic], the Eritrean opposition act ivists in Eastern Sudan,
particularly the refugee camps and the type of help given to the Eritrean
opposition by the Sudanese government.
“Since then, the political space for Eritrean oppos ition groups in Sudan has
been getting increasingly restricted [sic]. Sudan f irst denied them a venue to
conduct their long-scheduled congresses. A few mont hs later, the powerful
opposition radio, Al Sharq , broadcasting from Khartoum, with repeaters in
Kassala, was shut down.”
[50r] (p2)
6.11 A Dehai article of 9 June 2008 recounted the s truggle between 13 Eritrean
opposition groups and the Sudanese authorities afte r the Government of
Sudan placed a ban on political activities by such groups.
[11b]
6.12 The Awate.com article, ‘EDA will hold its cong ress’, of 15 February 2007,
noted that the Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA) w as permitted to hold its
congress in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 15 February 20 07.
[50t] . By December
2007, Awate.com was reporting that the EDA had effe ctively split into two
political camps, splitting on issues of national ve rsus ethnic group
representation of interests. [50ag]
6.13 The Eritrea Liberation Front – Revolutionary C ouncil, ELF-RC Office for
Information and Culture notes in an article, ‘We sh all form a mass party
founded on solid ground’, on 11 September 2007, tha t:
“It is in harmonious tune with the call of the time s for the enhancement of
multiparty politics and democratic governance that the 6th Congress of ELF-
RC a year ago decided on the formation of a mass pa rty that opens its doors
for others to join…on this basis, the Executive Com mittee has formed various
committees throughout the world that were, for one full year, collecting
information and assessing the basis for establishin g a solid party…
individuals with… potential of contributing to this effort were contacted, and
some organizations with similar vision and programm e as the ELF-RC were
made aware of the ongoing inclusive party formation process…the second
regular meeting of the Revolutionary Council in Aug ust 2007 studied reports
on the efforts so far made in the process and decid ed on guidelines for future
action.”
[92] PDF page 32
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
26
See Opposition Groups and Political A ctivists
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
Kunama
6.14 A Writenet report commissioned by the United N ations High Commissioner for
Refugees, ‘Status Determination and Protection Info rmation Section (DIPS),
Eritrea: Challenges and Crises of a New State’, pub lished on 1 October 2006,
explained that:
“Some members of the Kunama ethnic group have been in prison for many
years…nonetheless, some attribute the presence of a bout 7,000 Kunama
refugees in Ethiopia to the retaliatory acts of the government, which included
the confiscation of Kunama lands for alleged Kunama collaboration with
Ethiopian forces during the border war.”
[18d] (pp. 17-18)
6.15 The Writenet report continued:
“The Kunama ethnic group owns a ‘vast and fertile h omeland’ and has always
had to contend against ‘continuous attempts of some other ethnic-groups
[sic]…to infiltrate within its land and communities , increase their presence and
domination…’, and this has created long-lasting fri ction with other groups. Land
Proclamation 58/1994 did not help either, because i t made land state property.
As a consequence, members of other groups were give n traditionally Kunama
land because, as indicated earlier, it is vast and fertile compared to other areas
or perhaps because the Kunama, as a pastoral commun ity, have not used the
land efficiently. The proclamation may put the Kuna ma at a disadvantage and
may even alter their ‘traditional egalitarian socia l system’, where land plays an
important role. In response, they have now formed t heir own ethnic-based
political movement to press for their rights. Howev er, the government land
policy, as some have suggested, does not appear to have been a calculated
ethnic-based policy designed to dispossess the Kuna ma and other ethnic
minorities. In fact, the Italians, the British, and the Ethiopians have always
considered Kunama lands as state property, although they did not transfer the
land to other individuals or groups within Eritrea. ”
[18d] (p18)
See also Kunama , Ethnic groups
PDF page 33
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
27
Jeberty
6.16 A Writenet report commissioned by the United N ations High Commissioner for
Refugees, ‘Status Determination and Protection Info rmation Section (DIPS),
Eritrea: Challenges and Crises of a New State’, pub lished on 1 October 2006,
stated:
“The Jeberty, a Muslim Tigriygna-speaking group, wh ich claim unique
historical–religious antecendents, has been calling for recognition of the group
as an ‘ethnic group, similar to the official recogn ition bestowed on the other
nine groups, including Kunama and Afar’. Pursuant t o this, they have
established the Eritrean al-Nhada Party.” [18d] (p18)
See also Afar , Ethnic groups
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
Afar
6.17 A Writenet report commissioned by the United N ations High Commissioner for
Refugees, ‘Status Determination and Protection Info rmation Section (DIPS),
Eritrea: Challenges and Crises of a New State’, pub lished on 1 October 2006,
states:
“The Afars have also formed their own ethnic-based party to press for their
communal rights. Therefore, the government is under pressure from such
groups to devolve power. Although it cannot be rule d out, the alleged
systematic, ethnic-based discrimination perpetrated by an intensely civic-
nationalist group of leaders is hard to believe. Ho wever, a glance at
government statistics may reveal the over-represent ation of the Tigriygna
group in the government and in the bureaucracy. Thi s may partly be a function
of the large size of the group and other variables that are hardly the making of
the PFDJ-government. Therefore, a prudent land poli cy that will not unduly
affect specific ethnic groups, particularly pastora l communities such as the
Afar and Kunama, will likely minimize the appearanc e of ethnic discrimination.
Absent of this, massive displacement of communal gr oups may result.”
[18d]
(p18)
See Annex B Political Organisations
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 34
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
28
Human Rights
7. INTRODUCTION
7.01 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Country Pr ofile, dated 8 October
2007, summarises the human rights concerns as “dete ntion without charge is
common. Freedom of expression is severely restricte d and political critics and
journalists have been held for long periods.”
[10d] (Human Rights)
7.02 The Human Rights Watch World report 2009, cove ring events in 2008,
published in January 2009, summarised the backgroun d to the human rights
situation in Eritrea:
“In less than two decades of independence, the gove rnment of President
Isayas Afewerki has established a totalitarian grip on Eritrea. Increasing
numbers of citizens are fleeing oppression and seek ing refuge in neighboring
countries and beyond.
“President Isayas’s government controls all levers of power: political,
economic, social, journalistic, and religious. A co nstitution approved by
referendum in 1997 remains unimplemented. No nation al election has ever
been held, and an interim parliament has not met si nce 2002. The judiciary
exists only as an instrument of control. The press is entirely government-
owned. No private civil society organizations are s anctioned; all are arms of
the government or the sole political party, the Peo ple’s Front for Democracy
and Justice (PFDJ). International human rights orga nizations are denied
entry.”
[29j] (p1)
7.03 The US State Department Human Rights Report fo r 2008, published in
February 2009, summarised the human rights situatio n during 2008 in Eritrea
as follows:
“The government's human rights record remained poor , and authorities
continued to commit numerous, serious abuses, inclu ding: abridgement of
citizens' right to change their government through a democratic process;
unlawful killings by security forces; torture and b eating of prisoners,
sometimes resulting in death; abuse and torture of national service evaders,
some of whom reportedly died of their injuries whil e in detention; harsh and life
threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, including of
national service evaders and their family members; executive interference in
the judiciary and the use of a special court system to limit due process; and
infringement on privacy rights, including roundups of young men and women
for national service and the arrest and detention o f the family members of
service evaders. The government severely restricted freedoms of speech,
press, assembly, association, and religion. The gov ernment also limited
freedom of movement and travel for expatriates, per sonnel of humanitarian
and development agencies, and employees of the UN M ission to Eritrea and
Ethiopia (UNMEE). Restrictions continued on the act ivities of
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Female genita l mutilation (FGM) was
widespread, and there was societal abuse and discri mination against women,
members of the Kunama ethnic group, homosexuals, an d persons with
HIV/AIDS. There were limitations on worker rights.”
[4m] (Introduction)
PDF page 35
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
29
7.04 An Awate report dated 6 January 2009 add ed:
“T he control of Eritrea by the ‘tegadelti’ in the rul ing PFDJ party is total. All key
ministries, the army, the press, trade unions, scho ols and even the churches
and mosques are under a centralized hierarchic form of decision-making at
the top of which is a party member, former combatan t, or ‘Tegadalai’. Any and
all who resist such control are considered threats to national unity and are
forcefully dissolved, restricted, purged, and neutr alised by the regime. Non-
conformist ideas, political beliefs, religious beli efs, artistic and music styles are
considered subversive, and adherents to these are p unished accordingly…
the country is divided into several administrative zones run by a group of
generals elevated to the position of a kind of mana gerial board, answerable to
no one except the president, and running each zone as if it is their fiefdom or
private property.” [50b]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 36
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
30
8. S ECURITY S ITUATION
8.01 The security situation is dominated by the res idual tension over boundaries
between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The HRW annual report 2006 stated that “Using
the excuse that Eritrea remains at war, the governm ent has refused to
implement the 1997 constitution, drafted by a const itutional assembly and
ratified by referendum, that respects civil and pol itical rights.”
[29f] . The
UNHCR Writenet report of October 2006 noted that “E ritrea has remained
under de-facto emergency conditions for eight years .” [18d] (p10)
8.02 In 2007 the security situation was heightened with skirmishes on the
Ethiopian/Eritrean border.
[66b] (AFP, 1 March 2007)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
B ILATERAL RELATIONS
8.03 The Human Rights Watch report 2007, updated in January 2008, noted “In
August 2007, the US threatened to place Eritrea on its short list of ‘state
sponsors of terrorism’ because of its alleged milit ary support to the ICU
[Islamic Courts Union] and for sheltering ICU leade rs whom the US labels
terrorists.”
[29i]
8.04 The US State Department 2008 Country Rep ort on Terrorism, published in
April 2008, outlines the American position on the c urrent threat of terrorism in
Eritrea:
“The Government of Eritrea was not an active partne r on counterterrorism
programs. The government linked broader cooperation in USG
counterterrorism programs to the unresolved border dispute with Ethiopia,
publicly stating that cooperation will occur only a fter the final demarcation of
the border. During the March [2007] kidnapping of B ritish diplomats in Ethiopia
by an ethnic Afari rebel group, the Eritrean govern ment played a role in
securing their release. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, designated under both
UN Security Council Resolution 1267 and Executive O rder 13224, was
publicly reported as being in Asmara as recently as November [2007].”
[4j]
S UDAN
8.05 Jane’s Security Sentinel website, updated on 1 7 May 2007, stated that:
“Sudan, with whom relations have often not been goo d, borders the west of
Eritrea. Recent improvements in relations with Suda n are promising, however,
with the sponsoring by Eritrea of talks between the Sudanese government and
the rebel group, the Eastern Front, and the signing of a peace deal in October
2006.”
[70b]
PDF page 37
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
31
Y EMEN
8.06 Jane’s Security Sentinel website, updated on 1 7 May 2007, stated that:
“Since independence from Ethiopia, traditional fish ing rights have long been a
source of friction with Yemen. However, with severa l bilateral meetings taking
place in 2005 and 2006 and pledges to discuss the i mplementation of
agreements already made, steady progress seems set to continue. The
government is placing more emphasis on the role for fisheries as part of its
effort at self-reliance and hopes to decrease depen dence on international food
aid by developing food security. Much more work is needed to strengthen the
sector and the capacity of Eritrea’s 3,000 coastal fishermen, a fact that
probably lies behind moves to strengthen relations with Yemen.”
[70b]
D JIBOUTI
8.07 An Awate report dated 19 January 2009 stated t hat fighting between Djibouti
and Eritrean troops had taken place in June 2008 at the Djibouti-Eritrea
border. According to the Djibouti government, Eritr ean troops had been
occupying its territory since January 2008.
[50ah] . In January 2009, the United
Nations (UN) Security Council gave Eritrea an ultim atum in the form of a
resolution to withdraw its forces from a disputed b order region with Djibouti
within five weeks. The UN resolution also called fo r Eritrea to remove its
military hardware from the Ras Doumeira region and the island of Doumeira.
[8b] (BBC News Online report “UN in Eritrea pull-out ult imatum”, 14 January
2009). The UN Security Council resolution was rejec ted by the Eritrean
government. In January 2009, the Eritrean Foreign M inistry issued a
statement about the UN resolution which stated that the resolution was
“unbalanced and unnecessary” and that “Eritrea has not occupied any land
that belongs to Djibouti” and “cannot accept a reso lution that demands the
‘withdrawal of its forces’ from its own territory”. [62] (Sudan Tribune report
“Eritrea rejects UN resolution on border dispute wi th Djibouti”, 16 January
2009
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 38
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
32
9. S ECURITY F ORCES
9.01 The US State Department Human Rights Report fo r 2008 stated that the:
“Police are officially responsible for maintaining internal security, and the army
is responsible for external security; however, the government can call on the
armed forces, the reserves, and demobilized soldier s to meet either domestic
or external security requirements. Agents of the Na tional Security Office,
which reports to the Office of the President, are r esponsible for detaining
persons suspected of threatening national security. The military has the
authority to arrest and detain civilians. Generally [the] police did not have a
role in cases involving national security, but they were heavily involved in
rounding up individuals evading national service.”
[4m] (section 1d)
P OLICE
9.02 The US State Department Human Rights Report f or 2008 stated:
“Police, who often were conscripted, were poorly pa id, and corruption was a
problem. During the year [2008] there were reports of police and other security
forces committing crimes to supplement their income . Police typically used
their influence as government officials to assist f riends and family. There were
reports that police demanded bribes to release deta inees and that military
forces accepted money to smuggle citizens out of th e country. There were no
mechanisms to address allegations of official abuse , and impunity was a
problem.”
[4m] (section 1d)
Arbitrary arrest and detention
9.03 The US State Department Human Rights Report f or 2008 stated:
“The law stipulates that detainees must be brought before a judge within 48
hours of their arrest and may not be held more than 28 days without being
charged with a crime. In practice authorities often detained persons suspected
of crimes for much longer periods. The law stipulat es that unless there is a
‘crime in progress’, police must conduct an investi gation and obtain a warrant
prior to making an arrest. In cases involving natio nal security, this process
may be waived. In practice very few individuals wer e arrested with a warrant.
Authorities did not promptly inform detainees of th e charges against them and
often changed the charges during the course of deta inment. Detainees in
prisons often did not have access to counsel or app ear before a judge, and
incommunicado detention was widespread, although de tainees in police
stations generally had access to legal representati on and family members.
Authorities provided indigent detainees with counse l on an irregular basis.
There was a functioning bail system, except for cas es involving national
security or crimes that could carry the death penal ty.”
[4m] (section 1d)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 39
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
33
Torture in police detention
9.04 The draft Constitution prohibits torture or cr uel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment.
[2] . However, most sources point to the case of the
G15/G11 political activists as possible instances o f where torture and abuse
may have been used while in police detention, thoug h it is hard to verify as
political prisoners are held incommunicado. Amnesty International notes
“Many prisoners are said to have died in custody as a result of torture or
absence of medical treatment. There are no inquests into deaths of prisoners
and families are reportedly not informed.” [5c] (p16) (AI 19 May 2004).
9.05 The US State Department Human Rights Re port for 2008 added:
“The law and ratified but unimplemented constitutio n prohibit torture; however,
there were numerous reports that security forces re sorted to torture and
physical beatings of prisoners, particularly during interrogations. There were
credible reports that several military conscripts d ied following such treatment.
Security forces severely mistreated and beat army d eserters, draft evaders,
persons attempting to flee the country without trav el documents and exit
permits, and members of certain religious groups…no known action was taken
during the year to punish perpetrators of torture a nd abuse.”
[4m] (section 1c)
See Torture in military detention
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
A RMED FORCES
9.06 The number of military personnel as regular so ldiers is not given in the Central
Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook section on Eri trea (22 January 2009
version) though it estimates that of the total numb er of military service
reservists and current military conscripts at 2.2 m illion, about 1.4 million are fit
for military service.
[28] (p11) . Europa Online estimated the army at 200,000
including conscripts and reported that “Eritrea als o has a navy of 1,400 and an
air force of about 350.” [1a] (Defence) .
9.07 The military chain of command is held by Jane ’s Sentinel country risk
assessment of Eritrea to be one of the most powerfu l political structures in
Eritrea, with President Isaias Afewerki as Commande r in Chief, since 2002,
effectively by-passing the Defence Minister, Sibhat Efrem, and directly
controlling operations through three top generals a nd the four regional military
commanders. The President also has direct control o f the National Security
Office (the NSO), the security and intelligence ser vice of Eritrea.
[70b]
9.08 During the war for independence and for some time after, the armed forces of
the EPLF operated without formal rankings and with improvised military
clothing, equipment and weapons. The armed forces h ave had a hierarchy
and standardised uniforms since 1995.
[78] (International Encyclopedia of
Uniform Insignia Around the World). Jane’s Infantry Weapons 2006 - 2007
gives information about the national inventory of a rms, listing AKMs, as types
of assault rifle held [70a] ; photographs of Sawa military training camp parade s
show squads with older weapons, typically with fixe d bayonets. [29c] (Human
Rights Watch, 13 January 2005) PDF page 40
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
34
9.09 An article in African Studies Review, April 2 003, states that “Tigrinya is the
language of military training and communication.” [74] (p8)
See Languages
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
Arbitrary arrest and detention
9.10 According to the US State Department Human Rig hts Report for 2008, “the
military has the authority to arrest and detain civ ilians.”
[4m] (section 1d) . Jane’s
Sentinel notes that the military forces, the National Securi ty Office, and the
Eritrean Police Force all have powers of arrest. [70b] . The main application of
these powers is to enforce recruitment round-ups ( giffa ), with the US State
Department Human Rights Report for 2008 stating tha t “security forces
detained, generally for less than three days, many persons during searches
for evaders of national service, even if they had v alid papers showing that they
had completed or were exempt from national service. ” [4h] (section 1d)
9.11 The AI report of 19 May 2004 describes the giffa :
“Conscription is enforced by the regional administr ation through ‘round-ups’
(known as giffa in the Tigrinya language) where police search hous es, work-
places and streets and detain suspected evaders to check their identity
documents, and at military road blocks on main road s. Shooting has been
reported of people trying to escape conscription.”
[5c] (p19)
9.12 The US State Department Human Rights Report fo r 2007 stated that the
security forces ”continued the practice, begun in 2 005, of detaining and
arresting parents and spouses of individuals who ha d evaded national service
duties or fled the country, although there is nothi ng in the legal code to
authorize such arrests.” [4h] (section 1d) . These arrests also occurred in 2008,
as noted in the US State Department Human Rights Re port for 2008. This
report stated that ”security forces also continued to detain and arrest the
parents and spouses of individuals who evaded natio nal service or fled the
country.” [4m] (section 1d) .
See Military service – Round-ups (Giffa)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 41
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
35
Torture in military detention
9.13 The AI report of May 2004 stated:
“Torture is systematically practiced within the army for interrogation and
punishment, particularly of conscription evaders, d eserters and soldiers
accused of military offences, and members of minori ty churches. Torture is
also used against some political prisoners. Further more, the atrocious
conditions under which many political prisoners are held amount to cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment.”
[5c] (p2)
9.14 The US State Department Human Rights Report fo r 2008 reported that
“security forces subjected deserters and draft evad ers to such disciplinary
actions as prolonged sun exposure in temperatures o f up to 120 degrees
Fahrenheit and the binding of hands, elbows, and fe et for extended periods.”
[4m] (section 1c)
9.15 AI, in their report dated 19 May 2004, give th e most comprehensive details of
torture methods, some named, such as ‘helicopter’; ‘Otto’; ‘Jesus Christ’;
‘Ferro’; ‘torch/number eight’, and other forms of a buse.
[5c] (p14-15) . The US
State Department Human Rights Report for 2005 added information of a
technique known as ‘almaz’ or ‘diamond’. [4f] (section 1c) . Most forms operate
on the principle of tying the prisoner up in an exc ruciating manner and leaving
them exposed to extreme heat and cold for long peri ods of time. [5c] (p14)
(AI, 19 May 2004). Awate.com published an article on 5 January 2008 th at
adds details about electric shocks and sexual tortu re. [50ap]
9.16 The US State Department 2006 International Rel igious Freedom report noted:
“Some of the detainees reportedly have been rolled around in oil drums,
abused by fellow prisoners, and the women sexually abused; some of the
detainees reportedly suffer from partial paralysis and other physical injuries as
a result of their torture. Other reports describe o ther individuals and groups in
the military and national service who have been det ained, harassed, and
physically tortured for practicing non-sanctioned r eligions.”
[4e] (p4)
9.17 Human Rights Concern has an article dated 15 March 2007 that includes the
account of a military doctor who had to perform amp utations after limbs were
irreparably damaged from torture.
[91]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 42
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
36
Extrajudicial killings
9.18 Awate.com noted in an article on Eritrea’s kil ling fields, dated 22 September
2007, gives examples of escapees being killed durin g border crossings in
2006 and 2007. For instance, it relates that:
“Two weeks ago, on 8 September 2007, omaal.org repo rted the following: On
September 1, [2007] a young Eritrea man, Mateos [no last name given], was
executed in a public square in Tessenei. His body w as then handed over to
his family which lives in the town. The family was given a stern warning by the
authorities not to hold a public mourning.”
[50ad]
9.19 The US State Department Human Rights Report fo r 2008 stated that during
2008:
“The government continued to authorize the use of l ethal force against
individuals resisting or attempting to flee during military searches for deserters
and draft evaders, and the practice reportedly resu lted in deaths dutring the
year [2008]. Several persons detained for evading n ational service died after
harsh treatment by [the] security forces. There wer e reports that individuals
were severely beaten and killed during roundups of young men and women for
national service.”
[4m] (section 1a)
A VENUES OF COMPLAINT
9.20 The US State Department Human Rights Report fo r 2008 stated that during
2008 “there were no mechanisms to address allegatio ns of official abuse, and
impunity was a problem.”
[4m] (section 1d) .
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 43
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
37
10. M ILITARY AND NATIONAL SERVICE
L EGISLATIVE BACKGROUND
10.01 The National Service Proclamation (Proclamati on No 82/1995) issued by the
Eritrean Government on 23 October 1995 sets out the national service
requirements in full. Article 2 of the Proclamation defines what national service
is and involves:
“ ‘National Service’ will mean the general service that a citizen will give in
active national service and in reserve military ser vice’ meaning it covers both
conscripts and reservists.
“ ‘Active National Service’ will mean the training [further referred to in the
definitions as ‘Trainee’] and service that a citize n fit for national service under
Art.8 of this proclamation will undergo for 18 mont hs” – meaning both the
military training period of six months and the serv ice that is undertaken once
training is over and work unit/work place assigned (also see paragraph 11.06).
The ongoing State of Emergency allows the 18 months mentioned to be
extended indefinitely at the work unit leader’s dis cretion. [13] (National Service
Proclamation of 23 October 1995)
10.02 The term “Reserve Military Service” is distin guished from “Reserve Army” in
the definitions, with the latter being recalled spe cifically for military service in
the regular armed forces in times of mobilization/e mergency situations, and
the former being recalled to do further national se rvice duties indefinitely
should there be mobilization/emergency situations, i.e. not necessarily as a
combatant or with the armed forces.
[13] (National Service Proclamation of 23
October 1995). As there is an ongoing State of Emer gency, recall is possible
and has happened since 2005. [50j] (Awate, 24 February 2006); [50x] (Awate,
25 June 2007)
10.03 Article 6 of the Proclamation states:
“Under this Proclamation any Eritrean citizen from 18 to 50 years of age has
the obligation of carrying out national service”, m eaning, both, or either “Active
National Service” and/or national service as in “Re serve Military Service”.
[13]
(National Service Proclamation of 23 October 1995)
10.04 Article 8 of the Proclamation sets out detail s of national service:
“Under this Proclamation all Eritrean citizens from the age of 18 to 40 years
have the compulsory duty of performing Active Natio nal Service. Active
National Service consists of six months of training in the National services
Training Center and 12 months of active military se rvice and development
tasks in military forces for a total of 18 months.”
[13] (National Service
Proclamation of 23 October 1995)
PDF page 44
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
38
10.05 Article 8 of the Proclamation lags behind developments:
• the education system was restructured in 2006 and 2007 to feed into
basic training conscription, rather than through re cruitment offices (Awate, 20
January 2008) [50ak] ;
• the 12 months of military service and developmen t tasks has been
subsumed into the warsai system of work units, where the conscript may be
doing active national service in public service rat her than with the military
forces. (Awate, 4 July 2007) [50aa]
10.06 Article 9 states that “any Eritrean citizen f rom the age of 18 to 40 years called
upon to undertake active national service has the c ompulsory duty of
undertaking military training for six months”. Arti cle 13 (i) adds that anyone
declared unfit for military training may be obliged to undertake 18 months of
active national service in “any public and Governme nt organ according to their
capacity and profession.”
[13] (National Service Proclamation of 23 October
1995)
10.07 The student concessions of Article 14 have be en superceded by the
restructuring of the education system. Article 15 d eals with medical
exemptions. Article 16 simply notes that the Minist ry of Defence decides who
is fit to serve as a trainee, and where they go to complete Active National
Service. Likewise in Article 18, the Ministry decid es regarding individuals’
problems with length and nature of national service .
[13] (National Service
Proclamation of 23 October 1995)
See
Exemptions
10.08 Article 17 sets out the regulations that rela te to exit from the country when
either being eligible for the draft or performing n ational service. According to
this Article, an Eritrean citizen eligible for nati onal service may travel abroad
“upon giving evidence that he is exempted from Nati onal Service or that he
has completed his service by producing a Certificat e of Service” or,
alternatively, by “producing a registration card an d entering into a bond of
60,000 Birr as security that he will return to resu me his duty when called upon
to do so.”
[13] (National Service Proclamation of 23 October 1995)
See
Demobilisation
10.09 Article 21(1) sets out the special obligation under a State of Emergency,
stating:
“During a mobilization or war period anyone in Acti ve National Service is
under the obligation of remaining even beyond the p rescribed period unless
the concerned Authority allows him to leave officia lly.”
[13] (National Service
Proclamation of 23 October 1995)
10.10 Chapter III, Articles 23 to 32 relate to the Reserve Army.
[13] (National Service
Proclamation of 23 October 1995)
PDF page 45
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
39
10.11 Chapter IV, Articles 33 to 38 relate to Vario us Provisions, which include:
• Art. 34(12) “The Ministry of Defence in cooperati on with the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs ensures the enforcement of the duty of National Service
relating to citizens in foreign countries.” [13] (National Service Proclamation of
23 October 1995)
• Art. 37 sets out penalties for evading national s ervice including (3)
Escape from National Service, which sets a mandator y five-year imprisonment
(or imprisonment to the age of 50) on evaders of na tional service who do not
return before the age of 40 years of age. [13] (National Service Proclamation of
23 October 1995)
See
Exemptions; Exit-entry procedures
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
M ILITARY /A CTIVE N ATIONAL S ERVICE IN PRACTICE
10.12 The 19th round of 18-month national service d raftees was reported to have
graduated following their six-month basic training on 9 December 2006, as
reported by the state media Shabait with the graduation ceremony broadcast
live on Eritrean TV and radio.
[26b] (Shabait, 9 December 2006); [50p]
(Awate.com, 10 December 2006). The ceremony was held at Kiloma, 40
kilometers south of Assab which led Awate.com to sp eculate that the
ceremony was not held at Sawa, to deflect from diff iculties currently being
experienced by Sawa camp in relation to desertions to Sudan through
Tessanie town. [50p] . On 15 December 2007, Shabait , the official Eritrean
news agency, posted a report of the first graduatio n ceremony at Sawa of the
Sawa National Vocational Training Center. The gradu ation of 3,195 one-year
course students was prior to their deployment acros s the country to perform
National Service. [26d]
10.13 The US State Department Human Rights Report f or 2008 added:
“The government required all men betw een the ages of 18 and 50 and women
between the ages of 18 and 47 to participate in the national service program,
which included military training and civilian work programs. Increasing reports
indicate citizens were enlisted in the national ser vice for many years below
minimum-wage rates with no prospective end date. Th e government justifies
its open-ended draft on the basis of the undemarcat ed border with Ethiopia.
Some national service members were assigned to retu rn to their civilian jobs
while nominally kept in the military because their skills were deemed critical to
the functioning of the government or the economy. T hese individuals
continued to receive only their national service sa lary; the government
required them to forfeit to the government any mone y they earned above and
beyond that salary. Government employees generally were unable to leave
their jobs or take new employment. Draft evaders of ten were used as laborers
on government development projects.”
[4m] (section 5)
See
Illegal exit from Eritrea
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 46
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
40
P
ENALTIES FOR EVADING NATIONAL SERVICE
10.14 Article 37 (Penalties) of the National Servic e Proclamation lists a range of
sanctions which exist for avoiding national service :
“Any violation of this Proclamation may be punished under more severe
penalties contained in Eritrea’s criminal law. Viol ations of the Proclamation
can be punished by imprisonment of up to two years or up to 3,000 Nakfa
pecuniary penalty or both. To avoid national servic e by deceit or self-inflicted
injury the same penalties apply, followed by nation al service. If the self-
inflicted injury precludes national service, the pr ison term is extended to three
years. Those who travel abroad to avoid national se rvice who return before
they are 40 years of age must then undertake nation al service; those who
return after that age, are punished by imprisonment of five years and lose
rights to own a business license or apply for an ex it visa, land ownership or a
job. Those who assist others in avoiding national s ervice can receive two
years’ imprisonment and/or a fine.”
[13] (National Service Proclamation of 23
October 1995)
10.15 An Awate article includes the information tha t the official number of desertions
from the 18,000 graduates of Round 19 (2006 July in take) is 18, but
speculates that unofficially the number of defectio ns has been in the
hundreds. Officially, one death occurred during bas ic training, but again
unofficially, the death toll is higher; and that th e number of only 18,000
draftees is held to be suspect, and is postulated t o be much higher in numbers
conscripted. [50p]
10.16 According to a letter from the British Embass y in Asmara dated 13 June 2008:
“Eritreans will flee the country to a void military and national service, with [a]
mandatory prison [sentence] awaiting those who try and dodge it. Journalists
and political opponents are especially harshly repr essed and sometimes die in
detention camps.
“…people caught fleeing will get at l east two years in prison if they have
completed military service. Those who have not done military service will be
imprisoned for up to a month and then sent to milit ary training camps.
“People with no papers for national s ervice can be taken from [the] streets
anytime to military camps with strong punishments. It is not uncommon for
women to be taken from the streets – far more likel y if you are male.”
[10g]
PDF page 47
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
41
10.17 Credible reports indicate that draft evad ers have been ill-treated in detention
centres, as noted in the US State Department Human Rights report for 2008:
“There were credible reports that detention center conditions for persons
temporarily held for evading military service were also harsh and life-
threatening. Allegations from various sources sugge sted there may be
hundreds of such detainees. Draft evaders were repo rtedly sent to the W’ia
military camp, where typically they were beaten. So me were held for as long
as two years before being reassigned to their units . At one detention facility
outside Asmara, authorities continued to hold detai nees in an underground
hall with no access to light or ventilation and som etimes in very crowded
conditions. Some detainees reportedly suffered from severe mental and
physical stress due to these conditions. There were also reports of multiple
deaths at the W’ia military camp due to widespread disease and lack of
medical care.”
[4m] (section 1c)
10.18 An “Eritrea Daily” report, dated 18 Decem ber 2008, stated that Eritrean army
units had freed 618 people from a prison located in the South administrative
zone. The people released were the parents of child ren subject to military
service. The report explained that:
“The parents were jailed for failing and in many cases even for simply refusing
to pay an arbitrary punitive fine of 50,000 Nafka i mposed on them for not
disclosing the whereabouts of their children who we re being sought out for
conscription in the military.
“…according to local reports, the mut inying units used military force to free the
jailed parents only after prison guards declined ca lls to let the prisoners go
free voluntarily.”
[38d]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
R OUND - UPS ( G IFFA )
10.19 The enlistment of persons eligible for na tional service is carried out through
the means of round-ups, which are known in Eritrea as “Giffa”. Round-ups
involve house and workplace searches as well as roa d blocks, and are
reportedly carried out by the police and the milita ry. In February 2006, a
round-up in the Anseba region took place which incl uded a sweep of all high
schools in the region. All students in grades 10 an d 11 who were 17 years or
older were taken by bus to Wia, which is a military training camp.
[68f]
(Canadian IRB, Response to Information Request, 28 February 2007)
10.20 The AI report for 2005 stated that:
“In July and again in November 2005 i n the Debub region in the south, parents
and other relatives of individuals who had evaded c onscription or fled the
country were arrested and accused of complicity. Th ey were only released if
they deposited a bond of between 10,000 and 50,000 nakfas (US$660–
US$3,000 equivalent) to produce the missing family member.”
[5r] .
PDF page 48
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
42
10.21 Further details of the Debub arrests of parents are given in an account by
Awate.com, dated 17 July 2005. The Awate account al so reports that
“the government has also initiated ta rgeted campaigns to apprehend female
students who have completed 11th grade but opted to stay at home instead of
reporting to Sawa…last week [10 July 2005 onwards] the town of Dekemhare
was the target. Similar campaigns are expected in A smara and other major
towns.” [50i]
10.22 Arrests of parents and other relatives of per sons who had evaded national
service or had fled the country continued in 2006, as noted in the US State
Department Human Rights Report for 2007:
“[The security forces] continued the practice, begu n in 2005, of detaining and
arresting parents and spouses of individuals who ha d evaded national service
duties or fled the country, although there is nothi ng in the legal code to
authorize such arrests. Numerous family members arr ested during security
force operations in December 2006 remained in deten tion at year’s end,
reportedly under harsh conditions. There were repor ts of family members
being fined in lieu of imprisonment.”
[4h] (p3)
“…during the year [2007] the government also detain ed spouses of individuals
who had evaded national service or fled the country , and the government
prevented spouses of such individuals from departin g the country.”
[4h] (section 1f)
10.23 Awate.com ran reports on 24 February 2006 th at a new round of giffa had
been launched in the Anseba region, which included the sweeping up of 17-
year-olds from three high schools in Keren, transpo rting them to Wia (on the
eastern coast). Other high schools in the northern Red Sea region were
similarly cleared a few days previously.
[50j]
10.24 Amnesty International (AI) reported on in De cember 2006 that over 500
relatives of young people missing from conscription were arrested in Asmara,
as part of a giffa that started on 6 December 2006. The AI report add ed “the
authorities have stated that the detainees must eit her produce the missing
conscripts or pay a fine of 50,000 nafka (approxima tely US$1,200). Relatives
who fail to do so will be forced to serve six month s in the army in place of their
missing family member.” AI is concerned that this i s a new development that
cuts into the principle of individual penal respons ibility. [5e] . Dehai reported on
22 December 2006 that the Eritrean Government had r efused to comment on
the arrests, and the Government had stated that AI “don’t have any right to
intervene in our internal affairs” (Ali Abdu, Infor mation Minister). [11d]
10.25 On 22 May 2008, Awate reported another round of giffas in Asmara. Eight
military brigades were brought into Asmara to condu ct round-ups. The article
states that two types of young people were being ta rgeted: “the koblelti —
those who are registered for national service but t ake a leave of absence
without permission from their supervisors — and the lieli Edme — those who
are over the age of conscription but have not volun tarily signed up.” The article
also states: “In addition to the youth, the governm ent of Eritrea is rounding up
all Ethiopians, regardless of their age. Some of th e Ethiopian women who
were rounded up had to leave their dependent childr en unattended at their
homes. Women and underage children are being held a t the Enda Seal (TB
Center) detention center at Maytemenay.”
[50am] PDF page 49
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
43
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
C ONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
10.26 According to the War Resisters’ International report “Refusing to Bear Arms”,
published in 1998, there is no legal provision for conscientious objection in
Eritrea.
[23a] . This information is corroborated by an Amnesty In ternational
press release, dated 13 June 2008, which stated tha t there is “no limit on [the]
length of [national] service. There is no exemption for conscientious objectors,
and no alternative non-military service.” [5f]
10.27 Groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses an d other individuals who refuse to
perform national service, are subject to extreme fo rms of military discipline, as
reported by the US State Department Human Rights Re port for 2007:
“The government continued to harass, detain, and di scriminate against the
small community of members of Jehovah’s Witnesses b ecause of their refusal,
on religious grounds, to vote in the independence r eferendum and the refusal
of some to perform national service…although the ma ximum penalty for
refusing to perform national service is three years ’ imprisonment, several
members had been detained for more than 14 years. O f the members of
Jehovah’s Witnesses detained, 15 were reportedly he ld at Sawa Military
Camp for refusing military service and 7 were held in other prisons.”
[4h] (section 2c)
10.28 The Eritrean Anti-Militarism Initiative and C onnection, affiliated to the German
chapter of War Resisters’ International have collat ed both key reports on
military service in Eritrea, and the testimony of e scapees from Eritrean military
detention facilities. [
23b] (Eritrea: Conscientious Objection and Desertion,
2005); [23c] ( Conscientious Objection and Desertion in Eritrea, D ecember
2005). The testimonies include objection after suffering b attlefield shock in
2000, leading to torture and punishment duties [23b] (p5) ; escape in 2000 of a
female recruit who had been pushed into front-line service, and punished with
illegal extended service, punishment duties, and se xual harassment by the
unit commander [23b] (p6,7) ; a soldier, recruited in 1997, who was arrested fo r
imputed political opinion in August 2002 and tortur ed [23b] (p8) ; a military
policeman, detailed as such from 2002, who had to p ursue escapees and draft
evaders, and then escaped himself after being calle d up for duty on the front
line at the Ethiopian border during a tense period [23b] (p9) ; a recruit who
objected after two years’ military service, and was then subjected to
punishment duties and torture in 1999 [23b] (p10) ; and a female recruit, forced
into military service below age at Sawa in 2003, an d who witnessed the torture
and rape of female Jehovah’s Witnesses and evangeli cals. [23b] (p11)
See Freedom of religion, Jehovah’s Witnesses
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 50
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
44
S CHOOL LEAVERS AND CONSCRIPTION
10.29 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 stated that:
“The government required all students who reached t he final year of
secondary school to attend school at a location adj acent to the Sawa military
training facility in the western section of the cou ntry. Students who did not
attend this final year did not graduate and could n ot sit for examinations that
determined eligibility for advanced education. The remote location of this
boarding school, security concerns, and societal at titudes reportedly resulted
in many female students not enrolling for their fin al year; however, women
could earn an alternative secondary school certific ate by attending night
school after completing national service. Many stud ents elected to repeat
grades or dropped out of high school after the 11
th grade to avoid forced
conscription into the Sawa military education.
“…attendance at Sawa is compulsory and those who do not attend remain at
risk of arrest. Students at Sawa are typically 18 o r older, although a fair
percentage are as young as 16. The initial three mo nths of June through
August are spent undergoing military training. Stud ents who receive poor
grades in high school have in the past been sent to the Wi’a military training
camp in lieu of being allowed to complete the acade mic year.”
[4m] (section 5)
10.30 Awate.com reported on 28 March 2007 that a c ircular had been issued by the
Government to the Sawa camp authorities outlining m easures designed to
curb desertion that included limiting visits by par ents, promoting “revolutionary
and patriotic fervour”, and the banning of mobile p hones. [50y]
10.31 The AI report of 7 December 2005 further stat ed “in January 2004, the
UNICEF representative in Eritrea was reported to ha ve expressed concern
that the militarization of education was a violatio n of the African Charter on the
Rights and Welfare of the Child, which aims to prom ote the best interests of
the child, because it resulted in the separation of children from their families
and forced them into a military environment.”
[5l] . The Awate.com report of the
February 2006 giffas concludes “One alarming aspect of this new wave of
roundups is that it has affected young students und er 18 years of age.” [50j]
See Children
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 51
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
45
E XEMPTIONS
Overview
10.32 An Awate.com article of 23 October 2007 about national service states that
there are only four classes of people exempted from National Service:
“Only four classes of Eritreans are exempted from N ational Service: (1) Those
who already gave national service prior to the prom ulgation of the law and (2)
‘fighters and armed peasants who have proved to hav e spent all their time in
the liberation struggle’; (3) those who, for health reasons, are unable to
participate in the national service (but are still required to participate in 18
months of public service.) and (4) those participat ing in an approved
educational programme. Non-exempt individuals may t ravel out of the country
if they post a ‘60,000 Birr’ bond.”
[50v] (Awate, 23 October 2007)
10.33 The Awate article of 23 October 2007 furt her stated that:
“National Service was presented as a noble duty on all citizens and only
requiring 18 months of sacrifice. But the proclamat ion has an escape clause:
18 months of service unless [word underlined in text of source] Eritrea is
facing mobilization or a state of emergency. And th e nation, mostly due to the
rash decision of its self-declared leaders, has bee n in an undeclared state of
emergency for more than half of its existence now. Consequently, most of the
National Service members have been pressed into ser vice now for 5, 8 and 10
years.
“…the Proclamation speaks of non-existing instituti ons like the ‘ministry of
local government’ and ‘board’ that is supposed to h ave oversight over the
proclamation. But ever since the arrest of Mahmoud Sheriffo, the ministry
of
local government has been dissolved and its functio ns divided up among the
military command zones and their ‘desks.’ The board was supposed to review
applications for exemptions from applicants claimin g exemption from the
service. This is now done by the generals who requi re huge fees and bribes to
bestow the ‘unfit’ certificate on the children of p arents with means.” [50v]
(Awate, 23 October 2007)
Exemptions of women
10.34 Within the text of the National Service Procl amation, there is no reference to
any gender differences in any of the provisions.
[13] (National Service
Proclamation of 23 October 1995). In general, docum ents make mention of
various “exemptions” regarding women as conscripts, such as Muslim
women, nursing mothers/women with children/married women, and women
over the age of 27. Confusion over whether Muslim w omen were obliged to
perform National Service has stemmed from news arti cles (Awate, 16
February 2006) in 2006 that reported that the Eritr ean authorities had stirred
up resentment and some protest in the Raishida comm unities, as they
pursued round-ups and enforced conscription. [50j]
PDF page 52
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
46
10.35 The Amnesty International report “ ‘You have no right to ask’ – Government
resists scrutiny on human rights” report, published in May 2004, stated:
“This [gender equality in recruitment and military obligations] was reflected in
the terms of national service after independence, w hich was established for
men and women equally, although there is considerab le resistance to female
recruitment from Muslim communities, especially amo ng the Afar of Dankalia
region on the Red Sea coast. Resistance on the grou nds of religious belief,
cultural traditions of family honour, or protecting women from sexual
harassment and violence in the army, sometimes led to violent confrontations
during conscription round-ups. The government appea rs to have subsequently
stopped forcible recruitment of young Muslim women in these areas.” [5c] (p21)
10.36 The US State Department 2008 International R eligious Freedom report noted
that “some Muslims objected to universal national s ervice because of the
requirement that Muslim women must perform military duty.”
[4l] (section 3)
10.37 Information on this issue comes from an AI r eport of December 2005:
“Exemptions from national service include provision s for the disabled, for
mothers while they are breast-feeding, on medical g rounds, and for a family to
retain a young person to remain to help at home whe n all other siblings have
been conscripted. In Muslim areas in the east, fema le recruitment is said to
have ceased on account of substantial opposition on grounds of customary
and religious beliefs.”
[5l] (p15)
10.38 The Canadian IRB/CISR noted in a response, da ted 28 January 2008, on
whether women are discharged upon marrying:
“Information on whether women serving in the milita ry are discharged when
they marry was scarce among the sources consulted b y the Research
Directorate. During a meeting with the Research Dir ectorate at the Eritrean
embassy in Ottawa, a consular officer indicated tha t women in the military who
marry are discharged (15 Jan. 2008). In such cases, women must provide
their marriage certificate in order to obtain their discharge documents (Eritrea
15 Jan. 2008).”
[68h]
10.39 Accounts received by Compass Direct, in asso ciation with Release Eritrea!,
reported in October 2007 that:
“According to agency reports, Eritrea has arrested a further 150 Christians in a
large-scale clampdown in the past week [mid-October 2007]. Compass Direct
reports the detainees include nursing mothers who w ere forced to leave their
infants behind.”
[47b]
PDF page 53
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
47
10.40 The idea of 27 as an upper age limit for wome n to do National Service
appears in documents around 2003. Prior to 2002, mo st documents reflect an
upper age limit of 40. In 2007 and 2008, documents have increased the age
limit. Amnesty International reported on 7 December 2005 that:
“In late 2004 the upper age limit for female conscr iption was reportedly
reduced to 27 years. There are also military reserv e duties between the ages
of 40 and 50 for former EPLF veterans and former co nscripts. National service
has been made more military in nature and extended indefinitely as a result of
the failure of the border demarcation process and c orresponding fears of
renewed armed conflict with Ethiopia…exemptions fro m national service
include provision for the disabled, for mothers whi le they are breast feeding,
on medical grounds, and for a family to retain a yo ung person to remain at
home when all other siblings have been conscripted. ” [5l]
10.41 Prior to the 2007 report, the US State Depart ment reports on human rights
practices in Eritrea, archived on the US State Depa rtment website at
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/ stated:
“The law requires that women ages 18 to 27 partici pate in national service.”
(2003) to (2006)
But prior to the 2003 report ran:
“The law requires that women between the ages of 1 8 and 40 participate in
the national service program.” (USSD Human Rights r eport for 2002); (USSD
Human Rights report for 2001); (USSD Human Rights r eport for 1999)
10.42 The upper age limit of 47 for women is also found in the BBC’s Peter Martell’s
farewell report from Asmara, published on 10 March 2008, stating “many are
conscripted for decades – men until the age of 50 a nd women until 47 – on
salaries of less than $1 a day.”
[8l]
10.43 Amnesty International’s International Annual Report 2008, covering events in
2007, mentioned an age differential between male an d female conscripts:
“National military service, in the army or in civil ian occupations under military
conditions, was indefinite, and was justified by th e government because of the
military threat from Ethiopia. Military service was compulsory for all citizens
aged 18 to 40, with few exemptions allowed. People aged 40 to 50 or who had
been demobilized had reserve duties. Women over the age of 27 were
informally exempted.”
[5a]
10.44 However, the AI 2003 report, covering the ye ar 2002 stated:
“National military and development service, indefin itely extended since 1994,
is compulsory for 18 months for men and women aged between 18 and 40,
with additional compulsory reserve duties afterward s for all conscripts and
demobilized former EPLF fighters.”
[5n]
PDF page 54
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
48
10.45 Likewise, previous AI reports, such as ‘You have no right’ (May 2004) stated:
“Under the revised national service regulations of 23 October 1995, national
service is compulsory for all citizens aged between 18 and 40 years, male and
female.” It does not mention any upper age limit fo r women at all.
[5c]
10.46 AI gives information in its December 2005 re port that seems to be the closest
to pinpointing a date regarding the change in the u pper limit for women
stating, “In late 2004 the upper age limit for fema le conscription was reportedly
reduced to 27 years.”
[5l]
10.47 Sara Rich Dorman, University of Edinburgh, i n a paper, ‘Past the Kaleshnikov:
Youth, Politics and the State in Eritrea’, of June 2004 wrote that:
“The programme involved all ‘youth’ between the age s of 18 and 40 training at
the Sawa Military Camp for 6 months (military servi ce), followed by 12 months
of work in various ministries (national service) at a nominal wage.”
[104]
10.48 The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in a letter dated 13 June 2008,
answered the question of female conscription direct ly, stating that “the age for
military then national service is from 18 to 57 for men and 18 to 47 for women.
…women do routinely perform active national service over the age of 27.”
Women over the age of 27 are unlikely to have to un dergo military training if
they had not done so already. The letter added “mar ried women and mothers
should be exempt from military service and able to leave Eritrea before the
age of 47, although [this] is sometimes not the cas e.” The letter also added
that the requirements set out for female conscripts are applied fairly
consistently. [10g]
Exemptions on medical grounds
10.49 The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in a letter dated 1 February 2006,
added further details regarding medical exemption:
“…if Eritreans are claiming exemption from military service on medical
grounds, they are required to go before a medical b oard (which consists of
military doctors at Sawa), who would then issue a c ertificate of medical
condition assessment by the medical board. This cer tificate would then be
given by the individual to the military authorities who would use it to issue the
military exemption certificate. If the individual h as attended a medical board at
Sawa and subsequently been deemed exempt from milit ary service on
medical grounds they remain exempt indefinitely”.
[10e]
10.50 The Awate.com article of 23 October 2007 sugg ested that corruption has
entered into the process of granting medical exempt ions:
“The Proclamation speaks of non-existing institutio ns like the ‘ministry of local
government’ and ‘board’ that is supposed to have ov ersight over the
proclamation. But ever since the arrest of Mahmoud Sheriffo, the ministry of
local government has been dissolved and its functio ns divided up among the
military command zones and their ‘desks’. The board was supposed to review
applications for exemptions from applicants claimin g exemption from the
service. This is now done by the generals who requi re huge fees and bribes to
bestow the ‘unfit’ certificate on the children of p arents with means.”
[50v] PDF page 55
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
49
M ILITARY T RAINING
10.51 Awate.com reported on 4 July 2007 that th e graduating class of military
training from Sawa, the 20th round, had told their parents “harrowing stories”
of the camp’s conditions, stating:
“The Sawa regiment, which is designed to build what the army calls
texawarnetn miximamn (endurance and stamina), includes long gu’ezo egri
(walks), idleness and a starvation diet. The studen ts wake up at 4:30 AM and
are given their first meal at noon. Their most bitt er complaint is about the state
of healthcare at Sawa. They report that no one is r eferred to the hospital even
if his or her situation is very critical. Any one w ho is suffering from falciparum
and plasmodium (malaria), pneumonia or a spasm is g iven a pain killer. Some
report of avoidable deaths and delirium that occurr ed due to negligence and
last-minute referrals to Keren hospital.”
[50aa]
10.52 The 10 December 2006 Awate report noted that:
“The 8-month military training consisted of long ma rches, requiring the
conscripts to walk up to 40 kilometers per day in t he harsh climate. The
training is not designed to convert civilians into fighting machines but to break
the spirit of a youth which daily plots to find a w ay to escape.”
[50p] (p2)
10.53 An Agence France Presse article of 1 March 20 07 gives a figure for the
recruits’ pay: “Basic recruits are paid a salary of just 150 Nakfa ($10) a
month.”
[66b]
10.54 Awate.com previously reported on 25 June 2007 that National Service
conscripts not on ‘active’ military duty were being called up for ‘refresher’
military training at Wi’a training camp, stating:
“The call applies to all ‘national service’ members , known locally as agelgelot ,
who are not in ‘active’ military duty. This means t hat the directive is applicable
to recruits of the first round (‘ zuria ’) trained in 1995, all the way to the
fourteenth round.”
[50x]
10.55 Awate.com reported on 4 July 2007 that the 21 st round of recruits “were sent
from Asmara today to Sawa. Following the Government ’s decision to
centralize the location of the 12
th grade at Sawa, all students who completed
11 th grade are sent, willingly or unwillingly, to Sawa. ” [50aa]
PDF page 56
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
50
10.56 On the issue of leave for conscripts, the Awa te article of 4 July 2007 hints that
there is a period of leave between Sawa and taking up Active National
Service, but that it can be of a short duration, gi ving the example “Of the
graduating batch, the girls have been told to repor t to Kifli Serawit (army) in
Barentu in Western Eritrea within 20 days.” [50aa] . The Canadian IRB/CISR, in
a response dated 28 January 2008, when asked about military identification
documents and i.d. when not at base, replied:
“Information on military identification documents w as scarce among the
sources consulted by the Research Directorate. Duri ng a meeting with the
Research Directorate at the Eritrean embassy in Ott awa, a consular officer
indicated that she was aware of the existence of a military identity card (15
Jan. 2008). She noted that it is a green card but c ould not provide further
details about this document (Eritrea 15 January 200 8). Corroborating
information could not be found among the sources co nsulted by the Research
Directorate.”
[68i]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
T REATMENT OF CONSCRIPTS
10.57 The Amnesty International report “ ‘You have no right to ask’ – Government
resists scrutiny on human rights”, published on 19 May 2004, noted that
women conscripts and draft evaders were subject to further possible problems
in the form of sexual abuse:
“There have been allegations from former conscripts of a pattern of sexual
violence against female conscripts. Female conscrip ts are reported to have
been subjected to sexual abuse including rape. Amne sty International has
received reports that some of the new female recrui ts were selected by
commanders for sex under duress, through being thre atened with heavy
military duties or being sent to the battle-front d uring the war or to a remote
and harsh posting, or being denied home leave. In s ome cases, this may be
termed rape or possibly sexual slavery because, alt hough it may not have
consisted of physical violence, it was coercive wit hin a command and
discipline system where women had little or no oppo rtunity to resist. There
was no mechanism for complaining to the military or civilian authorities, and
when complaints were made, no action was known to h ave been taken to stop
and prevent this practice, which appears to have be en widely known. In some
cases the women became pregnant and were sent home to their families.
They were then subject to extreme social dishonour in the community as
unmarried mothers.”
[5c] (p26)
10.58 On 3 October 2007, Awate.com carried a report stating that “scores” of
conscripts and detainees had died at Wi’a camp in J uly and August 2007. The
camp is on the Red Sea coast and daytime temperatur es for the hot season
often reach the upper 40s Celsius (110–120 degrees Fahrenheit). Awate knew
of 16 deaths and more were suspected; the report ta lked of dozens
hospitalised by the effects of heat. The people who died were mainly in the
teachers’ camp, and were older conscripts rounded u p for detention in June
2007 giffas and recalls.
[50ae]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 57
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
51
D EMOBILISATION
10.59 The Proclamation on National Service allows f or demobilisation. Article 20 of
the Proclamation, which covers discharge from natio nal service states that:
“Except for cases provided for in ART 21 (1) of thi s Proclamation citizens who
conclude the Active National Service period are dis charged from duty. On the
basis of directives issued by the Ministry of Defen ce citizens on Active
National Service may be discharged before their ter m is due. In accordance
with this article the Ministry of Defence provides citizens who are discharged
from Active National Service with discharge certifi cation and their level of
preparation.”
[13]
10.60 The US State Department Background Note on Er itrea, published in March
2009, stated:
“The government has been slow to demobilize its mil itary after the most recent
conflict, although it formulated an ambitious demob ilization plan with the
participation of the World Bank. A pilot demobiliza tion program involving 5,000
soldiers began in November 2001 and was to be follo wed immediately
thereafter by a first phase in which some 65,000 so ldiers would be
demobilized. This was delayed repeatedly. In 2003, the government began to
demobilize some of those slated for the first phase ; however, the government
maintains a ‘national service’ program, which inclu des most of the male
population between 18-40 and the female population between 18-27. The
program essentially serves as a reserve force and c an be mobilized quickly.”
[4a]
10.61 The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) produced a project fact
sheet, dated April 2006, that outlined UNDP/USAID’s involvement in the
demobilisation programme.
Key points noted were that UNDP/USAID signed a
Technical Assistance Programme (TAP) agreement in A pril 2002 with the
authorities, in order to assist with the social and economic resettlement needs
of Eritrean soldiers. The TAP has led to an informa tion resource that spans
local and national programmes, and grants to demobi lised soldiers as part of a
Transitional Safety Net (TSN). [88a]
10.62 The Foreign Office, in a letter dated 1 Febru ary 2006, reported that: “the World
Bank has been leading on a large demobilisation and reintegration project with
support from e.g. The Netherlands and Norway. An el ement of the
demobilisation component was the provision of cards to those who were finally
demobilised from military/national service…anyone d emobilised will have such
a card and will be able to produce it to the milita ry or police to prove their
exemption. Progress on the whole project has been s low, with Eritrea saying
that it cannot make better progress until its borde r with Ethiopia is
demarcated.”
[10e]
PDF page 58
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
52
10.63 Awate.com reported on 24 February 2006 that “ all demobilized soldiers and
members of the national service to get ready for re porting to Sawa…those
called for ‘national service’ include athletes and other youngsters active in
various sports, who had been given permit[s] to pur sue their sporting activities.
Demobilized soldiers and national service corps who had been discharged for
medical reasons (‘Medical Board cases’) were also o rdered to reregister.” [50j]
10.64 A number of reports in 2007 have stated that demobilisation has ceased,
reversed and that in 2007, veterans and those who h ave completed National
Service are being recalled for (possible) service.
[50x] (Awate, 25 June 2007).
The Jane’s Sentinel country risk assessment for Eritrea summary on nat ional
and military service, updated 9 November 2007, note s:
“Plans to move ahead with demobilisation have not i n fact been implemented
and the level of militarization in Eritrea remains high. National service through
conscription, of both men and women between the age s of 18 and 40, has
been extended indefinitely.” [70b]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 59
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
53
11. J UDICIARY
O RGANISATION
11.01 Freedom House’s entry on Eritrea in the ‘Free dom in the World’ 2008 report,
published in 2008, noted that the judiciary was for med by decree in 1993. “It
has never issued rulings significantly at variance with government positions.”
[36] (p4) . Europa Online (accessed 20 January 2009) stated t hat:
“The judicial system operates on the basis of trans itional laws which
incorporate pre-independence laws of the Eritrean P eople’s Liberation Front,
revised Ethiopian laws, customary laws and post-ind ependence enacted laws.
The independence of the judiciary in the discharge of its functions is
unequivocally stated in Decree No. 37, which define s the powers and duties of
the Government. It is subject only to the law and t o no other authority. The
court structure is composed of first instance sub-z onal courts, appellate and
first instance zonal courts, appellate and first in stance high courts, a panel of
high court judges, presided over by the President o f the High Court, and a
Supreme Court presided over by the Chief Justice, a s a court of last resort.
The judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by th e President of the State,
subject to confirmation by the National Assembly.” [1a]
11.02 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 added that:
“The judicial system consists of civilian courts an d ‘special courts.’ The civilian
court system includes community courts, regional co urts, and the High Court,
which also serves as an appellate court. Appeals ca n be made in the civilian
courts up to the High Court. Minor infractions invo lving sums of less than
approximately 110,000 nakfa ($7,300) are brought to community courts. More
serious offenses are argued before regional courts, but the High Court is the
court of first instance for a significant proportio n of cases involving murder,
rape, and other felonies. A single judge hears all cases except those argued
before the High Court, where panels of three judges hear cases. A panel of
five judges hears cases in which the High Court ser ves as the court of final
appeal.
“The executive-controlled special courts issue dire ctives to other courts
regarding administrative matters, although their do main was supposed to be
restricted to criminal cases involving capital offe nses, theft, embezzlement,
and corruption. The Office of the Attorney General decides which cases are to
be tried by a special court. No lawyers practice in the special courts. The
judges serve as the prosecutors and may request tha t individuals involved in
the cases present their positions. The special cour ts, which do not permit
defense counsel or the right of appeal, allowed the executive branch to mete
out punishment without regard for due process. Most trials in special courts
were not open to the public.
PDF page 60
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
54
“Many civilian and special court judg es are former senior military officers with
no formal legal training. They generally based thei r decisions on ‘conscience’
without reference to the law. There was no limitati on on punishment, although
the special courts did not hand down capital punish ment sentences during the
year. The attorney general allowed special courts t o retry civilian court cases,
including those decided by the High Court, thereby subjecting defendants to
double jeopardy. In rare instances appeals made to the Office of the President
reportedly resulted in special courts rehearing cer tain cases.” [4m] (section 1e)
11.03 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2006 previously observed
that “Shari’a law for family and succession cases c ould be applied when both
litigants in civil cases were Muslims. In these cas es, the sentences imposed
cannot involve physical punishment.”
[4k] (section 1e) . A Shabait (state media)
article of 26 December 2006 reported that the Eritr ean Ministry of Justice had
begun entering into discussions about integrating E ritrean customary laws into
the formal legislative system. [26c]
I
NDEPENDENCE
11.04 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 stated that:
“The law and unimplemented constituti on provide for an independent judiciary;
however, the judiciary was weak and subject to exec utive control. Judicial
corruption remained a problem. The judicial process was influenced by
patronage of former fighters who in many cases were judges themselves.
Executive control of the judiciary continued; the O ffice of the President served
as a clearinghouse for citizens' petitions to the c ourts or acted for the courts
as arbitrators or facilitators in civil matters.”
[4m] (section 1e)
11.05 Travel Document Systems, undated, accessed in August 2008, supports the
US State Department view quoted above, stating:
“Nominally the judiciary operates independently of both the legislative and
executive bodies, with a court system that extends from the village through to
the district, provincial, and national levels. Howe ver, in practice, the
independence of the judiciary is limited. In 2001, the president of the High
Court was detained after criticizing the government for judicial interference.”
[95]
F AIR T RIAL
11.06 The US State Department Human Rights repo rt for 2008 stated that:
“The judiciary suffered from a lack of trained pers onnel, inadequate funding,
and poor infrastructure that limited the government 's ability to grant accused
persons a speedy and fair trial. Public trials were held, but no cases involving
individuals detained for national security or polit ical reasons were brought to
trial. The drafting into national service of many c ivilian court administrators,
defendants, judges, lawyers, and others involved in the legal system continued
to have a significant negative impact on the judici ary. The government has not
issued licenses to lawyers wishing to enter private practice for nine years.”
[4m] (section 1e) .
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 61
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
55
12. A RREST AND D ETENTION – L EGAL R IGHTS
12.01 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 stated that:
“The law stipulates that detainees must be brought before a judge within 48
hours of their arrest and may not be held more than 28 days without being
charged with a crime. In practice [the] authorities often detained suspects for
much longer periods. The law stipulates that unless there is a ‘crime in
progress,’ police must conduct an investigation and obtain a warrant prior to
making an arrest. In cases involving national secur ity, this process may be
waived. In practice very few individuals were arres ted with a warrant.
Authorities did not promptly inform detainees of ch arges against them and
often changed the charges during the course of deta inment. Detainees in
prisons often did not have access to counsel or app ear before a judge, and
incommunicado detention was widespread, although de tainees in police
stations generally had access to legal representati on and family members.
Authorities provided indigent detainees with counse l on an irregular basis.
There was a functioning bail system, except for per sons charged with national
security crimes or crimes that could carry the deat h penalty.
“Security force personnel detained individuals for evading national service,
generally for fewer than three days, and on other u nspecified national security
charges. Numerous detainees were arrested even if t hey had valid papers
showing that they had completed, or were exempt fro m, national service.
“Security forces also continued to detain and arres t the parents and spouses
of individuals who evaded national service or fled the country.”
[4m] (section 1d) .
See also
Arbitrary Arrest and Detention
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 62
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
56
13. P RISON C ONDITIONS
13.01 The Human Rights Watch 2009 World Report stat ed that
“Detention conditions are harsh. There are generall y no trials or terms of
confinement; detention lasts as long as the governm ent chooses. No
independent monitoring organization has access to E ritrean prisons. Former
detainees and guards report that prisoners are pack ed into unventilated cargo
containers under extreme temperatures or are held i n dark and cramped
underground cells. Torture is common, as are indefi nite solitary confinement,
starvation rations, lack of sanitation and medical care, and hard labor. Of 31
political leaders and journalists arrested in 2001, nine are reported to have
died. Other deaths in captivity have been reported. ”
[29j]
13.02 The AI report 2008 added that:
“Torture by means of painful tying, known as ‘helic opter’continued to be a
routine punishment and means of interrogation for r eligious and political
prisoners. Members of evangelical churches were tor tured to try to make them
abandon their faith. Military offenders were tortur ed. Many were young people
who had tried to flee conscription or who had compl ained of harsh conditions
and the indefinite extension of their national serv ice. Prison conditions were
extremely harsh and constituted cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Many prisoners were held in shipping containers, wh ich were overcrowded
and unhygienic with no toilet or washing facilities , and varied between
extremes of heat and cold. Medical treatment was ra rely provided.”
[5a]
13.03 The US State Department Human Rights repo rt for 2008 stated that:
“Conditions for the general prison population were harsh and life-threatening
[in 2008]. There were reports that prisoners were h eld in underground cells or
in shipping containers with little or no ventilatio n in extreme temperatures. The
shipping containers were reportedly not large enoug h to allow all of those
incarcerated together to lie down at the same time.
“There were credible reports that detention center conditions for persons
temporarily held for evading military service were also harsh and life-
threatening. Allegations from various sources sugge sted there may be
hundreds of such detainees. Draft evaders were repo rtedly sent to the Wi'a
military camp, where typically they were beaten. So me were held as long as
two years before being reassigned to their units. A t one detention facility
outside Asmara, authorities continued to hold detai nees in an underground
hall with no access to light or ventilation and som etimes in very crowded
conditions. Some detainees reportedly suffered from severe mental and
physical stress due to these conditions. There were also reports of multiple
deaths at the Wi'a military camp due to widespread disease and lack of
medical care.”
[4m] (section 1c)
See Arbitrary arrest and detention ; Children in judicial and penal systems
PDF page 63
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
57
M ONITORING OF PRISONS
13.04 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted:
“During the year [2008] the government did not perm it the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or any local huma n rights organizations
to monitor federal, regional, or local prison condi tions; however, the
government granted the ICRC access to Ethiopian pri soners of war being
detained in the country.
“Authorities generally permitted convicted criminal s in federal, regional, and
local prisons three visits per week by family membe rs; however, persons
detained, arrested, or convicted for reasons of nat ional security or for evading
national service were denied family visits.” [4m] (section 1c)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 64
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
58
P LACES OF DETENTION
13.05 The following places of detention have been m entioned in reports accessed:
Aderser, near Sawa . Underground cells used.
[4f] (section 1c) (US State
Department Human Rights report for 2005)
Adi Abeto army prison near Asmara . AI reported that Adi Abeto was the
initial detention facility for the Maltese returns of 2002: women, children and
those over the military service age of 40 were deta ined for several weeks, but
the military deserters were held incommunicado and tortured, before being
transferred to Dahlek Kebir. [5c] (p23) . Shipping containers reported as being
used as punishment blocks in this facility. [5c] (p16) (AI, May 2004). In April
2008, Awate.com reported “The two story building generally functions as a
holding bin, a ‘referral jail.’ Nearly five hundred prisoners are held there: those
who have the resources are able to buy their freedo m by paying the penalty
fee, which generally ends up in the pockets of a co lonel or a general. Those
who do not have the means are sent to other prisons , like Track B [Tract B],
an underground prison or, if they are in the milita ry, they are referred to the
military units, where they serve their terms. There is no court hearing, no
police case and no documentation.” [50at] (Awate, 7 April 2008)
Adi Keih town prison. AI has reported this prison was used as an initial
detention facility for draft evaders. [5h] (AI, 28 July 2005)
Adi Nefase military confinement facility . Located outside Assab. VOM
Australia reported that Magos Solomon Semere died u nder torture here on 15
February 2007. [87b] (VOM 12 September 2007)
Adi Quala military prison . VOM Australia reported that on 17 October 2006,
Immanuel Andegergesh and Kibrom Firemichel died from torture inflicted
wounds and severe dehydration.
[87b] (VOM 12 September 2007)
Agip, Asmara . The location, according to Reporters without Border s, of eight
of the nine state media journalists arrested in Nov ember 2006. [50s] (Awate, 3
December 2006). “Located behind the ‘Capitol’ cinema and opposite t he
presidential palace, this complex is ‘where the pol ice take detainees to torture
them before transferring them to their final destin ation,’ a former detainee told
Reporters without Borders.” [50s] (p2) (Awate, 3 December 2006)
Alla, Decamhare town . Shipping containers reported as being used as
punishment blocks in this facility. [5c] (p16) (AI, May 2004)
Assab military prison, near the port of Assab . Human Rights without
Frontiers reported on 7 May 2003 that 74 soldiers w ere detained in Assab
prison. The initial query claimed that the prison was known to house up to
5,000 prisoners and that it held soldiers that “ran afoul of their government”.
[61] (Human Rights Without Frontiers, May 2003)
PDF page 65
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
59
Dahlek Kebir, Dahlak islands . Detention and prison facilities built on the
main Dahlek island in the Red Sea, with a capacity for 800 prisoners, and
comprising eight large sheet-metal buildings. [5c] (p16) (AI, May 2004). It is
where many of the detainees from the returns by Mal ta and Libya are thought
to be imprisoned. [29c] (HRW 2005). AI reported that in December 2002, 95
civilians and 85 conscript deserters of the Maltese returns arrived in Dahlek
Kebir, with the civilians transferred back to the m ainland in July 2003. [5c] (p23)
(AI, May 2004)
Eiraeiro, Filfil-Selomuna area north of the Asmara- Massawa road . A
‘secret’ prison for political prisoners.
[50m] (Awate.com, 31 August 2006). It
was purpose built in 2003, receiving the G15/G11 po litical prisoners from
Embatkala in June 2003. It is reported to be compri sed of five main blocks,
with two main cell blocks, and 62 rooms used as cel ls; the standard cell size is
3 x 3 meters. [50m] (p2) . The article claims there are 36 political prisoners , and
names most of them, giving their cell numbers. [50m] (p2,3) . Conditions are
basic, and prisoners are chained and in solitary co nfinement. [50m] (p3-4) . One-
hundred-and-fifty guards and staff operate the pris on; the guards are heavily
vetted and monitored. [50m] (p4-5) . Reporters without Borders, as reported in
an IRIN news article of 16 November 2006, adds that “at least 62 political
prisoners” are held at Eiraeiro; that nine detainee s had died as a “result of
various illnesses, psychological pressure or suicid e” and that three of the
deaths were of journalists detained since September 2001. [19a]
Gahteley military camp , reception centre for new recruits. [50e] (Awate
article, 26 November 2004)
Galaalo military camp, Red Sea coast . Deaths of conscripted students
reported in August 2001 while performing forced lab our. [5c] (p20) (AI, May
2004)
Gedem prison, 40 km south of Massawa . It is alleged to be the site of
forced labour in 2004, with the construction of a n aval base, numbering 400
prisoners who received minimal food and water, no m edical attention after
injury and the use of confinement in shipping conta iners in excessive
temperatures as punishment. [50f] (Ehrag section, Awate.com, 16 June 2006)
Haddis Ma’askar . An army prison equipped with underground cells. [5c] (p16)
(AI, May 2004)
Mai Edaga, Decamhare town . Shipping containers reported as being used as
punishment blocks in this facility. [5c] (p16) (AI, May 2004)
PDF page 66
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
60
Mai Serwa military camp near Asmara . The camp is used for the detention
of draft evaders, and uses metal shipping container s and underground cells.
[5h] (AI, 28 July 2005). Human Rights without Frontiers locates Mai Serwa as
near Keren, with the initial query stating that it is three storeys high with the
main prison built underground. [68a] (Canadian IRB, 14 July 2003). AI reported
in December 2005 that Helen Berhane, the Rema churc h gospel singer, “is
held at Mai Serwa military camp near Asmara, in a m etal shipping container
with little ventilation that alternates between hot and cold temperature
extremes and has no washing or toilet facilities.” [5l] . A Release Eritrea
briefing, posted on 25 June 2005, adds that Helen B erhane had been caught
listening to a radio and “as punishment she was tra nsferred to an underground
cell, where she was kept chained for two weeks.” Helen Berhane was released
from prison in October 2006. [31h] (Release-Eritrea, 2 November 2006); [5o]
(AI, 3 November 2006); [67c] (CSW, 3 November 2006). The AI report of 3
November 2006 notes that initially, Ms Berhane was hospitalised in Asmara,
where she was confined to a wheelchair “due to the injuries she sustained to
her feet and legs”. [5o] . On 22 October 2007, BBC News reported that Ms
Berhane had been granted asylum in Denmark. [8x]
Mai Temenei . An army prison equipped with underground cells. [5c] (p16) (AI,
May 2004). In May 2008, the camp was mentioned as a detention centre for
Ethiopian women detained circa 21 May 2008, in a fa cility named as “the Enda
Seal (TB Center)”. [50am] (Awate, 22 May 2008)
Meiter . Awate mentioned Meiter on 10 July 2008 as a deten tion centre stating:
“Of all the prisons they have designed, Meiter is t he most inaccessible locality
so far. Anyone once taken to Meiter will never ever be able either to
communicate with his kin or flee from the place. It is so far from the nearest
towns and too arid that even if you are allowed to go on your own, you will
come back for fear of death due to thirst. These re turnees, even if allowed to
meet with their family for a fraction of a second, will move to that place in due
time. The PFDJ will try any means to hoodwink the p ublic till those remaining
in Libya and Egypt come back. After all of them arr ive, Meiter will be full to
capacity.”
[50au) (Awate, 10 July 2008). Meiter was also mentioned in an
Awate January 2008 report. [50an) (Awate, 3 January 2008)
Sawa Military Training Camp, near the Sudan border . The complex
includes the prison camp of Brigade Six, comprising temporary barracks built
on a hilltop to the right of the main camp. Accordi ng to the testimony of an ex-
prisoner reproduced by Awate.com, “Sawa prison is m ade entirely of tin
material” and thus insufferably hot in the day and cold at night. It comprises of
12 tin barrack blocks. Malnutrition, poor hygiene a nd lack of medical attention
reported, with high levels of infections and diseas es associated with poor
living conditions. [50g] (Ehrag section, Awate.com, 25 April 2006). Photos of
Sawa in 2000 and 2004 are to found in slide shows o n the website of the
National Union of Eritrean Youth Students (NUEYS)
http://www.denden.com/NUEYS/
. The USSD report for 2005 notes there were
alleged cases of the rape and sexual abuse of femal e recruits by Sawa
instructors. [4f] (p2, section 1c) . Awate claims in a report dated 24 July 2008 that
a pig farm has been established at Sawa, as a means “to humiliate our
children when forcibly serving in [the] army”. [50av]
Sembel prison, Asmara . An officially designated prison for political priso ners.
[5c] (p16) (AI. May 2004) PDF page 67
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
61
Tehadasso army prison . Shipping containers reported as being used as
punishment blocks in this facility. [5c] (p16) (AI, May 2004)
Tessenei military prison, classed as ‘rehabilitatio n centre’ . Allegations of
torture, beatings and general abuse reported in thi s facility. [5c] (p18) (AI, May
2004)
“Tract B” military prison, Asmara . It comprises of a former US storage
facility near Asmara airport. [5c] (p16) (AI, May 2004). In late 2002, some EPLF
veterans among the Maltese returnees were separated out at Adi Abeto and
then sent to Tract B prison. [5c] (p23) (AI, May 2004)
Tsererat prison, Asmara . “Mainly for EPLF veterans, held in underground
cells.” [5c] (p16) (AI, May 2004)
Wengel Mermera (Wenjel Mirmera) investigation centr e . Sources refer to
this centre as being where most of the detainees of Asmara mass arrests are
held, such as, according to Release Eritrea “…the d ungeon-like inner prison in
Asmara where many of Eritrea’s prominent political prisoners are also
believed to be incarcerated.” [31c] (Release Eritrea, 25 June 2005). The AI
May 2004 report adds that it is a special security section in the 2nd police
station, Asmara. [5c] (p16) (AI, May 2004). Compass Direct, April 2006,
maintains that the 70 muslims arrested for protesti ng about the Government’s
imposition of a new chief mufti were detained in We ngel Mermera in one cell.
[47a] (Compass Direct, July 2006)
Wi’a/Wea detention centre . A desert detention camp built on the Red Sea
coast. Temperatures in this area are often over 40 degrees centigrade. One-
hundred-and-twenty-one men, arrested during the mas s arrests on 28 May
2005 at the Meserete/Full Gospel wedding, are still reported as being in
detention in Wi’a. [46] (p2) . The camp mainly processes youths detained in
round-ups; the reports of the February 2006 giffa indicate that the Anseba
region high school students were sent to Wi’a. [50j] . On 10 June 2005, a mass
escape was attempted, and the authorities shot and killed 161 youths.
[4f] ( section 1a) (USSD report for 2005). In July and August 2007, th e hot
season, at least 16 people died from the effects of heat, and many dozens
were hospitalised. [50ae] (Awate.com, 3 October 2007). The 3 October 2007
Awate.com report states that there is a specific ca mp for detained teachers
and adds the details:
“Wia is not a single camp. It represents a cluster of several camps, including
one used exclusively as a detention center. Among t he commanders in Wia
are: Lt. Col. Jemal, Lt. Col. Weddi Haile and Capt. Ramadan…it holds two
large groups of Eritreans protesting unjust laws: m ilitary conscription
escapees/evaders and members of banned churches.” [50ae]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
See also the Annex in the April 2009 HRW report, St ate Repression and
Indefinite Conscription in Eritrea
http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/erit rea0409web_0.pdf
PDF page 68
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
62
14. D EATH P ENALTY
14.01 The Hands off Cain NGO, in its country status report on the death penalty,
updated to 29 December 2008, stated that Eritrea is one of the countries that
retains the death penalty as a punishment, but also describes Eritrea as a de
facto abolitionist country, as no known judicial ex ecutions have been carried
out since 1993.
[39] . In a factfile page updated in December 2005, the
University of Westminster, London, Centre for Capit al Punishment Studies
noted that the crimes that attract the death penalt y in Eritrea are murder and
acts threatening state security; and that execution is legally performed by
either firing squad or hanging. [64] . The US State Department Human Rights
report for 2008 noted that “the special courts did not hand down capital
punishment sentences during the year [2008].” [4m] (section 1e)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 69
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
63
15. P OLITICAL A FFILIATION
15.01 The Constitution states that every citizen ha s the right to form organisations
for political ends.
[2] . However, the US State Department Human Rights repor t
for 2008 stated “the government did not allow the f ormation of any political
parties other than the PFDJ.” [4m] (section 2b)
F REEDOM OF POLITICAL EXPRESSION
15.02 The US State Department Human Rights report for 2008 noted that “no
information was available on the 40 women and elder s who were arrested in
2006 when they gathered at the presidential palace in Asmara to ask for
information about their husbands and family members , who had been
detained in retribution for their children fleeing the country to evade national
service; security forces arrested the women and eld ers for not having a permit
to assemble.” [4m] (section 2b) .The Government does, however, organise
meetings of the regional assemblies with residents of an area, known as
mimihidar. These meetings, according to an Awate article of 19 March 2008,
are mandatory in attendance, and are stilted, stage -managed affairs, and not
a forum to ask questions without repercussions. [50ar] (Awate, 19 March 2008)
F REEDOM OF A SSOCIATION AND A SSEMBLY
15.03 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 stated “the law and
unimplemented constitution provide for freedom of a ssociation; however, in
practice the government did not respect these right s.”
[4m] (section 2b)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
O PPOSITION G ROUPS AND P OLITICAL A CTIVISTS
15.04 Since late 2004, the opposition has operated in exile. In 2005, an umbrella
group, the Eritrean National Alliance (ENA) emerged . The ENA were reported
by Awate.com in February 2005 as having been instru mental in setting up the
conference of opposition groups in Khartoum, with H iruy T Bairu confident of a
solid agreement as the result. [50k]
15.05 Individual opposition groups have continued t o operate in exile. For instance,
the Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) reported in Jun e 2006 that it was to hold
its second regular congress in Milan, Italy, in Jul y 2006. (No report of the
conference could be found on the EDP website to dat e).
[72a] . On 23
November 2005, the Eritrean opposition website Mesk erem.com reported that
the Eritrean government was using the medium of Sud anese opposition
groups to make contact with Eritrean opposition gro ups in exile in Sudan.
However, the Eritrean opposition groups found the g overnment’s conditions
over “conduct of talks” unacceptable. [71]
See Opposition in Exile
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 70
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
64
16. F REEDOM OF S PEECH AND M EDIA
16.01 The 1997 Constitution (in the 1996 draft tran slation) provides for freedom of
speech and of the press in Articles 19, s.1 and s.2 .
[2] . However, the
Constitution is not applied in practice and the Gov ernment controls all media.
The US State Department Human Rights report for 200 8 summarised the
situation thus:
“The law and unimplemented constitution provide for freedom of speech and
of the press; however, the government severely rest ricted these rights in
practice. Citizens did not have the right to critic ize their government in public
or in private, and some who did so were arrested or detained. The private
press remained banned, and most independent journal ists remained in
detention or had fled the country, which effectivel y prevented any public and
media criticism of the government. The government i ntimidated the remaining
journalists into self-censorship.
“The government controlled all media, which include d three newspapers, three
radio stations, and two television stations. The la w does not allow private
ownership of broadcast or other media. The governme nt banned the import of
foreign publications; however, individuals were per mitted to purchase satellite
dishes and subscribe to international media. The go vernment had to approve
publications distributed by religious or internatio nal organizations before their
release, and the government continued to restrict t he right of religious media
to comment on politics or government policies. The press law forbids
reprinting of articles from banned publications. Th e government also required
diplomatic missions to submit all press releases fo r approval before their
publication in the government media.” [4m] (section 2a)
16.02 The Government does not permit the private ow nership of any media
organisation.
[4h] ( section 2a) (USSD Human Rights report for 2007);
[30] (CPJ, September 2005). The BBC country profile for Eritrea, updated on
17 June 2008, lists the state press agencies as: Hadas Eritrea (published
three times a week); Eritrea Profile (English language weekly paper); Tigirta
(party youth weekly) and Geled (youth weekly); Eri-TV (state television);
Dimtsi Hafash – Voice of the Broad masses of Eritrea (two radio networks,
running programmes in 11 languages); Radio Zara (FM network); and Erina
(Eritrean news agency). [8a]
16.03 Most sources point to events on 18 September 2001, when Government
forces arrested journalists and closed all independ ent newspapers, as a
defining moment of censorship in Eritrea.
[30] (CPJ, September 2005); [5d]
(AI, September 2002), [17a] (RWB, 2008)
16.04 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) st ated in a report of 16 September
2005 that 15 journalists detained in September 2001 were still being held
indefinitely, secretly, without charge, and without access to families or lawyers.
The same report named the detainees (see Annex C). The same CPJ report
adds that three journalists arrested before the 200 1 clampdown remain
deprived of their liberty, with two said to be doin g extended military service.
Two journalists arrested in 2002 also remain in sec ret jails.
[30] . RWB
subsequently reported on 16 November 2006 of the po ssible deaths in
detention of three of the 13 journalists whilst det ained in Eiraeiro prison. [19a] . PDF page 71
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
65
RWB reported in February 2008 that there was still no firm news as to what
has happened to the 13 journalists; though, again, “Prison guards, who fled
abroad in 2006, revealed that at least three of the journalists who were
arrested in 2001, died in prison between 2005 and 2 006. And on 11 January
[2007], Fessehaye Yohannes, known as ‘Joshua’ one o f the most important
figures in the country’s intellectual life, died fr om the effects of appalling prison
conditions in Eiraeiro in the north-east of the cou ntry where the highest profile
prisoners are held.” [17a]
16.05 The jailed journalists are listed in Annex C
. They include Fesshaye ‘Joshua’
Yohannes, whom CPJ honored with an International Pr ess Freedom Award in
2002 [30] ; but who was reported by Amnesty International on 15 February
2007, in ‘Prominent journalist reported dead in sec ret prison’, as having
possibly died in prison. [5p] .
16.06 The source Eritrean Media Guide (EMG), da ted February 2006
[73] , and the
BBC Country Profile of June 2008 [8a] list a wide variety of media agencies,
from the official state agencies to the unofficial and opposition news agencies
operating outside Eritrea. Of particular note are m entions of Dehai.com, a
diaspora website that is described by EMG as pro-go vernment [73] and a site
that is the subject of an academic article, ‘Diaspo ra, cyberspace and political
imagination: the Eritrean diaspora online’ (2006) w hich follows the way the
Eritrean state has been supported by, and has made use of, its diaspora links;
and how the diaspora has shaped aspects of the nasc ent state. [77] .
16.07 The Reporters without Borders (RWB) 2008 annu al report stated:
“For the first time, this small country in the Horn of Africa led since
independence by Issaias Afeworki, figures in last p lace in Reporters Without
Borders' worldwide press freedom index, for the sim ple reason that the
situation has gone from bad to worse. The country h as been cut off from the
rest of the world since major police round-ups in S eptember 2001 and at least
four journalists have died in prison.”
[17a]
16.08 The BBC correspondent Peter Martell chronicle d the difficulties that led to the
rescinding of his work permit in Eritrea in early 2 008.
[8l] . The RWB 2008
annual report regarding foreign correspondents adds :
“The very few foreign correspondents based in Asmar a are directly
accountable to the information minister, Ali Abdu, who has no hesitation in
suspending their work permits at the slightest devi ation. Those they interview
are at risk of immediate imprisonment. Journalists wishing to travel to Eritrea
have to wait for months, during which time they hav e to convince the Eritrean
ambassadors in their home countries that the report ing they plan will be
favourable to the government. Any who refer in thei r articles to the lamentable
state of civil and political liberties in the count ry are expelled.” [17a]
PDF page 72
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
66
16.09 Awate.com, in an article dated 2 July 2007, c laims the following insights into
the operation of the Ministry of Information (MoI) and the media in Eritrea:
“The MoI is now overstaffed with novices from the aghelghilot (National
Service conscripts), most of whom are young girls. Consequently, the MoI has
found it difficult to allocate adequate work for al l and single news items are
now covered by three ‘reporters’ and most of the ve teran reporters (those who
haven’t escaped or been arrested) are disillusioned and frustrated at being
sidelined. The Amharic and Oromo section staff at t he MoI is being ordered to
fabricate blatantly false news about Ethiopia. This has been fairly easy to
accomplish for the print media (Hadas Ertra) and th e radio (Voice of The
Masses). However, finding video clips to support th e fabrication has proven to
be a difficult task and the state-owned TV station (Eri-TV) has been recycling
the same video clips regardless of the content of t he ‘news’.”
[50ab]
16.10 Awate reported on 2 May 2008 that “Human Righ ts Concern-Eritrea has
learned that Mr Naizghi Kiflu has been ordered to r eturn to Eritrea by the
Eritrean government. The source informed us that th is is an unexpected
development for Mr Kiflu as he was not planning to go back to Eritrea in the
near future due to his critical need of medical car e.”
[50as] . A Reporters without
Borders report, ‘Eritrea: Naizghi Kiflu, the dictat or’s eminence grise’, published
in May 2008 gives information about Naizghi Kiflu’s activities as Minister for
Information and Culture from August 2001 to early 2 005, during the 2001
arrests and the 2002 operation against banned relig ious organisations. [17b]
16.11 In December 2008, assena reported that th ree youths were arrested in
Asmara on 26 December [2008] by the security forces for looking at websites
run by the diaspora political opposition. After the arrests of the youths, Internet
service providers in Asmara were warned by the auth orities not to allow the
public access to websites run by the diaspora polit ical opposition. The report
further stated that the Eritrean government is worr ied about the information
produced by independent sources, and opposition web sites abroad regarding
current developments in Eritrea, and has taken meas ures to further suppress
freedom of expression.
[94]
16.12
In March 2009, Reporters without Borders reported that the:
“The [Eritrean] authorities on 22 February 2009, or dered a raid on the
premises of Radio Bana, a small station in the hear t of the capital that puts out
educational programmes under the sponsorship of the education ministry. Its
entire staff of around 50 journalists were arrested and taken without
explanation to the Dobozito detention centre on the edge of the city. Some of
the staff were released but several of them remain in custody. Among them
are Bereket Misghina, aka Wedi Misghina, a famous a ctor and playwright;
journalist and essayist Yirgalem Asfha, former art critic for the newspaper
Zemen; teacher Basilios Zemo, aka Wedi Zemo, and a young teacher Senait
Habtu, working in the radio's production studio. Un confirmed reports
suggested they had been transferred to the military prison in Adi Abeito, north-
west of Asmara on the road to Keren.” [17c]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 73
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
67
17. H UMAN R IGHTS INSTITUTIONS , O RGANISATIONS AND A CTIVISTS
17.01 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted:
“A few domestic rights groups and international hum anitarian groups operated
throughout the country, but with government interfe rence and restriction. All
NGOs, regardless of their scope of work, were requi red to register with the
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare. In 2005 the go vernment issued a law
requiring NGOs to reregister under new guidelines t o continue operating. The
new guidelines require international NGOs to mainta in two million dollars in
the local bank. Many failed to receive government a pproval under the
registration process and were required to leave the country. In 2006 the
government asked five NGOs - Mercy Corps, ACCORD, S amaritans Purse,
International Rescue Committee, and Concern - to cl ose operations and
depart the country, which they did.”
[4m] (section 4)
17.02 Awate.com summarised the situation of NGOs, i ncluding international NGO
involvement, as it stood in early December 2007, wo rking closely with the UN
Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (U N OCHA). The article states
“In 2007, 22 GOs (Government Organizations) and NGO s (Non Governmental
Organizations) were funding 125 projects in Eritrea to the tune of
approximately $75 million USD.” The article further lists the “aid amount and
projects by agency” and also “NGO activity by geogr aphy” – namely, in which
region of the country the project was based. The ar ticle claims “…the Eritrean
regime received and spent almost $69,000,000 during the first 9 months 2007
– while claiming, the entire time, that it receives no funding from anybody.”
[50ai]
17.03 “The government allowed one domestic human ri ghts NGO – Citizens for
Peace in Eritrea (CPE) – to operate, although the N GO was generally inactive
during the year [2007]. The government permitted on ly one international
human rights organization, the ICRC, to operate, an d limited it strictly to
operations such as repatriation, providing shelter to approximately 500
families who were displaced by the conflict with Et hiopia, visiting prisons and
detention centers where Ethiopians were held, and p roviding assistance to
IDPs.” (USSD Human Rights Report 2007)
[4h] (section 4)
17.04 The 2008 annual report of the International C ommittee of the Red Cross
(ICRC), reporting on events in 2007, stated “At the government’s request, the
Red Cross Society of Eritrea suspended its activiti es from early February
[2007], pending the outcome of an investigation int o its internal affairs. All
Movement partners active in Eritrea offered support to clarify the situation.
Tracing and RCM services were disrupted until May [ 2007], when the ICRC
stepped in to take over the tasks previously carrie d out by the Society.”
[40a]
(p101)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 74
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
68
18. C ORRUPTION
18.01 Transparency International’s 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of 180
countries, published in September 2008, ranks Eritr ea as the 126th most
corrupt country, with a CPI score of 2.6. (Somalia, which is number 180 in the
2008 CPI, is the worst country in terms of perceive d corruption.) The CPI
defines corruption as the abuse of public office fo r private gain, and measures
the degree to which corruption is perceived to exis t among a country’s public
officials and politicians. The 2008 CPI is a compos ite index that draws on
multiple expert opinion surveys that poll perceptio ns of public sector corruption
in 180 countries. The CPI scores range from 10 (low level of corruption) to 0
(high level of corruption).
[96]
18.02 Awate.com reported that corruption had emerge d with the decline of the
economy in 2007 and its subsequent shortages of bas ic commodities, stating
in a report dated 2 July 2007 that:
“Even officials who work in departments inside Asma ra are competing in the
market. The trick is to inflate the number of emplo yees and ask for more than
the allocated supply. For example, a department th at overstates the number
of its employees would get four quintals of sugar i nstead of 1 or 2 quintals.
The bosses would then sell the ‘excess’ at the blac k market. The employees
are aware of the fraud but do not report it for fea r of being either fired or
transferred to remote areas. From this ‘excess’, fa mily members of the military
elite can buy commodities at bargain prices – for e xample, a 50-kilo wheat of
flour which sells for 1,000 nakfa is available to t hem at 500 nakfas.”
[50ab]
18.03 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted that:
“The World Bank’s 2008 governance indicators reflec ted that corruption was a
problem. There were reports of petty corruption wit hin the executive branch,
largely based on family connections. There were all egations of corruption
among military leaders involving illicit trade and the appropriation of houses.
There were reports that individuals requesting exit visas or passports had to
pay bribes.” [4m] (section 3)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 75
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
69
19. F REEDOM OF R ELIGION
O VERVIEW
19.01 As regards the religious make-up of the Eritr ean population, the US State
Department 2008 International Religious Freedom rep ort, published in
September 2008, stated that:
“Although reliable statistics are not available, it is estimated that 50 percent of
the population is Sunni Muslim, 30 percent is Ortho dox Christian, and 13
percent is Roman Catholic. Groups that constitute l ess than 5 percent of the
population include Protestants, Seventh-day Adventi sts, Jehovah’s Witnesses,
Buddhists, Hindus, and Baha’is. Approximately 2 per cent of the population
practice traditional indigenous religions.”
[4l] (p1) .
19.02 The US State Department 2008 International Re ligious Freedom report added
that:
“The Constitution, ratified by the National Assembl y in 1997, provides for
religious freedom; however, the Government has yet to implement the
Constitution. Following a 2002 government decree th at religious groups must
register, the Government closed all religious facil ities not belonging to the
country’s four principal religious groups: the Erit rean Orthodox Church, the
Evangelical (Lutheran) Church of Eritrea, Islam, an d the Roman Catholic
Church.
“The Government severely restricts fr eedom of religion for groups that it has
not registered and infringes upon the independence of some registered
groups. During the reporting period, the Government ’s record on religious
freedom remained poor. The Government continued to harass, arrest, and
detain members of unregistered minority religious g roups and sought greater
control over the four approved religious groups. Th e Government failed to
register religious groups, and recantations of fait h and torture of religious
detainees, who were held in harsh conditions.
“Citizens generally were tolerant of one another in the practice of their religion,
with the exception of societal attitudes towards Je hovah’s Witnesses and
Pentecostal groups. Some individuals viewed failure to perform military
service as a sign of disloyalty and encouraged hara ssment of religious groups,
such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose faith precludes military service.
Individuals have been known to report the activitie s of these religious groups
to the Government.”
[4l] (p1)
19.03 The Eritrean Orthodox Church is not a state c hurch, but is an institution that
the Government accords much respect. [4g] (p1) (US State Department IRF
report, 2005) . There are two other main Christian groups – the Ro man
Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church (Luthera n) – that are accepted by
the Government. [1a] (Europa World); [4h] (p10) (US State Department Human
Rights report for 2007). Besides the accepted Christian denominations are
other Christian groupings (as well as minority non- Christian groupings) that
are not accepted, and not tolerated, by the Governm ent. [4h] (p10) (US State
Department Human Rights report for 2007); [4l] (p1) (US State Department IRF
report, 2008) PDF page 76
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
70
R EGISTRATION SCHEME
19.04 The US State Department 2008 International Re ligious Freedom report stated
that:
“Following the 2002 government decree that all reli gious groups must register
or cease all religious activities, religious facili ties not belonging to the four
officially recognized religious groups were forced to close. In the past, [the]
authorities in the Office of Religious Affairs told religious groups that home
prayer meetings would be permitted, although the Go vernment did not fully
respect this guidance. Treatment of unregistered gr oups often varied by
locale. Reports indicated that the Government conti nued to disrupt home-
based worship, arresting individuals hosting home p rayer meetings. Some
local authorities allowed unregistered groups to wo rship in homes or rented
spaces, whereas others did not allow them to meet a t all. Religious groups
were informed that a standing law would be used to prevent unregistered
religious groups from holding political or other ga therings in private homes of
more than three to five persons. In practice, [the] authorities enforced this law.
[4l] (section 2)
19.05 The Proclamation on Religious Organisations n o. 73/1995 is the primary piece
of legislation for the registration.
[5l] (p4) (AI, December 2005). The information
required under registration is listed in an annex t o a Release Eritrea posting,
dated 25 June 2005. [31c] (p5-7) . A registration exercise was originally planned
in 1995, with the four main faith groups (Orthodox, Lutheran, Catholic and
Muslim) registered quickly, but other groups’ regis tration postponed until May
2002. [5l] (p8) (AI, December 2005). The Government had, meantime, in 1997,
approved a Constitution which provides the freedom to practice any religion,
though in practice, this provision has yet to be im plemented. [4g] (p2) (US State
Department IRF report for 2005). In May 2002, all u nregistered religious
groups were required to cease operation until they had been granted
registration by the Government. [4g] (p2) (US State Department IRF report for
2005); [5l] (p8) (AI, December 2005). This edict affected 12 unregistered
Christian churches at the time. The four recognised religious groups were not
required to register. [4g] (p2) (US State Department IRF report for 2005)
19.06 The US State Department 2008 Internationa l Religious Freedom report stated:
“Several other religious groups have complied parti ally with the registration
requirements, and some have chosen not to submit an y documentation.
Registration requirements include a description of the history of the religious
group in the country, an explanation of the ‘unique ness’ or benefit that the
group offers compared with other religious groups a lready present, names and
personal information of religious leaders, detailed information on assets and
property owned by the group, and sources of funding from abroad. A
government committee reviews the applications, whic h in theory are to be
approved only if they conform to local culture. The Government approved no
registrations during the period covered by this rep ort, despite repeated
inquiries.”
[4l] (p2)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 77
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
71
A RRESTS
19.07 The members of unregistered churches have bee n subject to arrest
periodically by the authorities as a consequence of not being registered.
Details of arrests are documented in the AI Decembe r 2005 report
[5l] ; in the
HRWF for 2003 reports [61] ; and in the Release Eritrea report of 25 June
2005. [31e] . The AI report of December 2005 highlights:
“…44 incidents of religious persecution which have been documented over the
past three years [2003 to 2005] and are mainly the consequence of the
government’s ban in 2002 on the minority religious groups…the sources for
information for these arrests, numbering over 1,750 men, women and children
altogether during this period, include internationa l religious organizations
monitoring the arrests and Eritrean diaspora faith groups, as well as Amnesty
International’s own sources. Undoubtedly there have been many more cases
not reported.” [5l] (p9-10)
19.08 Since the AI December 2005 report, the follow ing arrests, detentions and
incidents have been reported. Release International , in an undated webpage
but which refers to September 2005, states detentio ns as “up to 1800
Christians”
[84] (p1) . The US State Department 2008 International Religi ous
Freedom report noted that “While many were ostensib ly jailed for evasion of
military conscription, significant numbers were bei ng held solely for their
religious beliefs, and some were held in harsh cond itions, such as in shipping
containers or underground, that included extreme te mperature fluctuations.
There were reports of torture and death while in of ficial custody. Many
detainees were required to recant their religious b eliefs as a precondition of
release.” [4l] (p5)
See Treatment of Conscripts
19.09 Reports of arrests have included an AI Urgent Action regarding “40 pastors,
elders, and leading laymen from five of Eritrea’s b anned Protestant churches”
in late December 2005.
[87a] (Voices of the Martyrs (VOM)); 75 Evangelicals
detained on 17 February 2006; [5i] (Amnesty International). On 23 May 2006,
54 college students were arrested. [31d] (Release-Eritrea). On 25 August
2006, Release-Eritrea filed a report stating that o ne in ten Eritreans are now in
detention, and that arrests had continued throughou t August 2006 adding “at
least 29 Eritrean Christians” to the total detained . [31g] . A VOM article of 1
November 2006 adds 150 arrested in late October 200 6, totalling 2,087
Eritreans arrested for their religious beliefs, mai nly Christians but also some
Muslims. [87e] . The same source adds a report dated 25 January 2007 that
notes a further 68 Christians arrested in early Jan uary 2007. [87f] . VOM also
reported on 26 February 2007 the death of a Christi an in the Adi-Nefase
military confinement facility, located just outside Assab: the third Christian to
die in Government detention since October 2006, (al so reported by VOM on
23 October 2006 [87d] ). Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported a new
development on 8 June 2007, of children of Christia ns being detained as well
as their parents in arrests in Decemhare on 27 May 2007. [67a]
PDF page 78
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
72
19.10 The US State Department 2008 International Re ligious Freedom Report stated
that “the Government did not excuse individuals who objected to military
conscription for religious reasons or reasons of co nscience, nor did it provide
for alternative national service.” [4l] (p2) . People detained as religious prisoners
of conscience are reported to be subject to the sam e or similar abuses as
other prisoners. The US State Department report for 2007 summarises known
techniques of torture of those detained for their r eligious beliefs. [4h] (section 2c)
19.11 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 added the following:
“During the year there continued to be reports that security forces used
extreme physical abuse such as bondage, heat exposu re, and beatings to
punish those detained for their religious beliefs. Numerous detainees were
reportedly required to sign statements repudiating their faith or agreeing not to
practice it as a condition for release. There also continued to be reports that
relatives were asked to sign for detainees who refu sed to sign such
documents.”
[4m] (section 2c)
19.12 Compass Direct reported on 23 July 2008 the d eath of a Christian woman
from malaria “weakened from ongoing torture”, in Wi ’a camp.
[47c]
19.13 The campaigning organisation Release Eritrea! noted the following further
incidents in 2007:
• The disruption by the Eritrean authorities of a we dding held on 4
February 2007 at a private house, with the detentio n of the bride, groom
and thirty guests.
[31j]
• The arrest of Pastor Habtom Tesfa-Michael of Muluw œngel Church. [31j]
See Muluw œngel Church
• The authorities raided the Mehret Yesus Church, a Presbyterian Church,
on 29 April 2007. The church was not a banned churc h, but belonged to
the registered Evangelical churches denomination. [31k] The pastor,
Zecharias Abraham, and 80 members of his congregati on were
arrested; the pastor was later released in May 2007 . [31l]
See Evangelical Protestant /Orthodox Presbyterian C hurch
• A dawn raid on 27 May 2007 of Kale Hiwœt church me mbers in
Dekemhare, which led to the arrest of “several resi dents, including
young children”. [31l]
See Kale Hiw œt (Word of Life)
• The authorities raided the Mehret Yesus Church, a Presbyterian Church,
on 29 April 2007. The church was not a banned churc h, but belonged to
the registered Evangelical churches denomination. [31k]
• Accounts in September 2007 from newly-arrived refu gees to the
Shimelba camp in Ethiopia talk of an increasing pre ssure upon
evangelical Christians. [31i]
• In October 2007, Pastor Ukbamichael Teklehaymanot of the Kale Hiwœt
Church was detained for the third time in five year s. [31m]
See Kale Hiw œt (Word of Life)
PDF page 79
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
73
19.14 The US State Department 2008 International Re ligious Freedom report noted
the following incidents that occurred in 2008:
• In February 2008 there were reports of police arre sting 38 members of
the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Ten of these were released soon after;
however, the remaining 28 were reported [to be] in custody at the end
of the reporting period.
• In February 2008 [the] authorities released 35 Chr istians in Massawa
after imprisoning them for 6 weeks.
• In February 2008 officials released 10 Christians on bail. They had
been imprisoned for 5 years.
• As of February 2008 the pastor of Kale Hiwot Churc h remained in
prison after his arrest in October 2007; it was his third arrest in 5 years.
• In May 2008 police reportedly arrested 34 evangeli cal Christian in
Keren during a house raid. This number included 10 women, one of
whom was reportedly pregnant. Of the 10 women, all but 4 were
released soon aftrer. All remaining prisoners were reportedly
transferred to the Adi Abeto military prison.
• In May 2008 the Government arrested 25 Protestant Christians in
Asmara who were later incarcerated at the military camp in Wi’a. [4l] (p3)
19.15 A Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) news report date d 5 January 2009 stated that:
“ Since late November [2008], about 100 Christians, m en, women and children,
have been arrested by Eritrean authorities, VOM Can ada reported. The wave
of house arrests began in northern Eritrean cities and moved to southern
regions before reaching the capital, Asmara, on Dec . 12 [2008]. Some of the
detained Christians were reportedly transferred to a military facility and were
severely mistreated. Local sources indicate that an unspecified number may
have died due to untreated injuries sustained in de tention.
“The Eritrean government persecutes Christians, oft en placing believers in
metal containers that are extremely hot during the day and cold during the
night. Nearly 1,800 Eritrean Christians are believe d to be under arrest
because of their religious beliefs. They are being held in police stations,
military camps and prisons in 12 known locations ac ross Eritrea. It is believed
more than 28 clergymen are being held.
“Jailed Christians are routinely subjected to physi cal beatings and severe
psychological pressure to deny their religious beli efs. Police and military
authorities continue to demand the prisoners return to one of the three ‘official’
Christian denominations recognized by the governmen t. But even the legally
recognized denominations - the nation's historic Or thodox, Catholic and
Lutheran churches - have come under government disf avor in recent years,
incurring threats and even imprisonment.”
[87h]
See Arbitrary arrest and detention
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 80
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
74
R ELIGIOUS G ROUPS
Muslims
19.16 The US State Department 2006 International Re ligious Freedom report
states that “Islam and Orthodox Christianity are pr acticed widely and are for
the most part tolerated, with persons allowed to wo rship freely.”
[4e] (p2) .
Awate.com published an article on 21 May 2007 that took issue with an
American publication that attempted to portray the Eritrean Government as a
Muslim government oppressing Christian citizens, in the wake of allegations
of the Eritrean Government assisting the union of I slamic Courts in Somalia
in 2006. [50w] . The US State Department 2008 International Religi ous
Freedom Report stated that “there were reports that nearly 180 Muslims who
opposed the Mufti appointed by the Government more than 15 years ago
continued to be detained as they refused to honor h is presence. This
situation has been unchanged for 15 years.” [4l] (p5)
19.17 The Jubilee Campaign’s overview of the lack o f freedom of religion in Eritrea
notes that there is still resentment within the Mu slim community about arrests
of protestors objecting to the Government’s appoin tment of the new chief mufti
in 2006.
[47a] (p2)
The Orthodox Church of Eritrea
19.18 The BBC reported on 7 December 2005 that the campaign group Christian
Solidarity Worldwide had stated that ‘permitted’ ch urches were facing
repression from the Eritrean Government.
[8k] . The statement crystallises the
finding of various reports from 2004 and 2005 which have noted that Medhane
Alem, a group inside the Orthodox church has been t argeted by the
Government. The USSD report for 2005 summarised:
“In February [2005] the government shut down and ar rested the organizers of
a Sunday school organized by an Orthodox church gro up known as Medhane
Alem, a group whose religious services the governme nt did not approve. At
year’s end [2005] the three organizers remained in jail. The three ministers led
the Medhane Alem group and who were arrested in Oct ober 2004 remained
imprisoned without charge at year’s end [2005][sic – repetition].” [4g] (p6)
PDF page 81
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
75
19.19 The AI report of December 2005 adds “The Medh ane Alem (‘Saviour of the
World’) movement, a bible study group of the Eritre an Orthodox Church,
centred around the Medhane Alem church in Asmara.” [5l] (p5) . The Release
Eritrea report dated 25 June 2005 added more detail about Medhane Alem:
“In December 2004 reports began to circulate indica ting that three Orthodox
priests had been detained during the third week of November 2004. Rev. Dr
Futsum Gebrenegus, Eritrea’s only psychiatrist, Rev . Dr Tekleab
Menghisteab, a highly respected physician, and Rev. Gebremedhin
Gebregiorgis, an expert theologian, are all reporte d to have been involved in
the renewal movement within the Orthodox Church, wh ich was recently
criticized by President Afwerki during his Independ ence Day speech on May
24 2005. According to local sources, the Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox
Church objected to these arrests and accused the go vernment of ‘interfering’
in church affairs. Following this intervention, for the first time ever the
traditional Christmas message by the Patriarch was not aired on national
media.” [31e]
19.20 The US State Department 2008 International Re ligious Freedom report added:
“The Government continued to maintain a high degree of control over the
operations of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, highlig hting concerns regarding
the independence and freedom of religious practice permitted within the
Church by the Government. In August 2005, the Gover nment appointed a lay
administrator to manage and oversee church operatio ns, in contravention to
the Orthodox Church Constitution. Shortly after thi s appointment, the Holy
Synod voted to remove church Patriarch Abune Antoni os on putative charges
that he had committed heresy and was no longer foll owing church doctrine. A
new patriarch, Abune Dioscoros, was selected by the synod. The deposed
patriarch continued to be able to serve as a priest ; however, he was forbidden
to conduct church services. In January 2006, the de posed patriarch objected
to his removal through a letter sent, and made publ ic, to the Holy Synod. In
the letter he denied the charges against him and ex communicated several
synod members, as well as the lay administrator, st ating that their actions, and
those of the Government, violated the Constitution and bylaws of the Eritrean
Orthodox Church.” [4l] (p5)
19.21 An Awate report dated 17 September 2008 s tated:
“The Eritrean embassy in Kenya is hun ting an Eritrean Orthodox Church priest
in Nairobi with the help of some Kenyan officers.
“The priest is among the clergy that opposes the regime’s involvement in the
church’s affairs; the embassy’s aim is to deport th e priest to Eritrea.
“…the regime has full control over re ligious institutions inside Eritrea but its
attempts to control the spiritual affairs of Eritre ans in other parts of the world
has proven to be difficult.
“In many cities in Europe and North A merica, followers of the Orthodox
Church are defending their communities from the tra nsgressions of the
government and denying its embassies control of the ir churches.”
[50o]
PDF page 82
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
76
The Roman Catholic Church
19.22 On 20 June 2006, AllAfrica.com carried a repo rt, “Church fights military
service for priests, seminarians”, which noted that the Roman Catholic Church
was in dispute with the Eritrean Government about t he Government’s
insistence that priests under the age of 40 should do military service. [42d]
19.23 Amnesty International reported in an article entitled “Pastor and churchgoers
held in detention at risk of torture”, dated 8 Sept ember 2007, that:
“The Roman Catholic Church in Eritrea is currently appealing against an order
to hand over all its social welfare organisations – schools, medical clinics,
orphanages and women’s training centres – to the Mi nistry of Social Welfare
and Labour. It has also made repeated requests for exemption for priests from
military service, which is compulsory and indefinit e.” [5s]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
Evangelical Protestant/Orthodox Presbyterian Church
19.24 On 9 May 2007, it was reported by VOM Austral ia that 80 members of the
Mehrete Yesus Evangelical Presbyterian Church (affl iated to the registered
Orthodox Presbyterian Church) were arrested on 29 A pril 2007.
[87g] . Christian
Today added in its report of 7 May 2007 that “the leader of the church,
Reverend Zecharias Abraham, had been serving as hea d of the Eritrean
Evangelical Alliance since the arrest of the previo us leader, Haile Naizgi, in
May 2004.” [52a] . A VOM Australia report of 30 August 2007 relayed th at the
Rev. Abrahams and the 80 members were all released during the fourth week
of May 2007. [87c] . An entry on the Lutheran World Federation list of m ember
churches gives a PO Box in Asmara and lists Rev. As hfaha Mehari Hagos as
president of the Eritrean Lutheran Church: the dire ctory was accessed on 14
July 2008. [34]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
Jehovah’s Witnesses
19.25 A British fact-finding mission reported in Ap ril 2003 that:
“There are no Kingdom Halls [places of worship for the Jehovah’s Witnesses]
in Eritrea, nor have there been any since independe nce. The Government
owns all land and as they do not recognise the fait h it cannot get permission to
set up Kingdom Halls. Worship ‘underground’ is ille gal also. Meetings that are
not sanctioned are not allowed to involve more than 5 persons. There exists
an Eritrean Council of Elders but the branch office is in Nairobi (Kenya) and
has been for many years. All witnesses in Eritrea k now this. It is basic
knowledge even to attendees.”
[3] (p35)
PDF page 83
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
77
19.26 The US State Department 2008 International Re ligious Freedom report
explained that:
“Although members of several religious groups, incl uding Muslims, reportedly
were imprisoned in past years for failure to partic ipate in national military
service, the Government singled out Jehovah’s Witne sses for harsher
treatment than that received by followers of other faiths for similar actions.
Jehovah’s Witnesses who did not participate in nati onal military service were
subject to dismissal from the civil service, revoca tion of their business
licenses, eviction from government-owned housing, a nd denial of passports,
identity cards, and exit visas. They were also proh ibited from having their
marriages legalized by the civil authorities.
“In early 2008 [the] authorities fired a teacher of the Jehovah’s Witness faith
for refusing to perform military service.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses were jailed in h arsh conditions for lengthy periods; at
least three individuals were detained for more than 12 years, reportedly for
evading compulsory military service. However, the m aximum legal penalty for
refusing to perform national service is 2 years. In the past, Ministry of Justice
officials have denied that any Jehovah’s Witnesses were in detention without
charge, although they acknowledged that some of the m, and a number of
Muslims, were jailed for evading national service.
“According to credible sources, 25 Jehovah’s Witnes ses remained in detention
without charge or trial during the reporting period . Authorities detained 13 at
Sawa, 8 for allegedly failing to perform national m ilitary service. Authorities
detained those above the cut-off age for national s ervice eligibility (54 for men
and 47 for women) for attending religious meetings, preaching, or visiting
families of escapees.”
[4l] (p5)
19.27 A Jehovah’s Witnesses Office of Public Inform ation news release, dated 18
August 2008, reported on police arrests of Jehovah’ s Witnesses that had
taken place in July and August 2008 (after the peri od covered by the US State
Department 2008 International Religious Freedom rep ort). The news release
stated that:
“In what is the most open attempt in recent history to shut down a minority
religion in Eritrea, police have systematically arr ested 15 of Jehovah's
Witnesses during July [2008] and August [2008]. Som e of them are presently
confirmed to be imprisoned, but the whereabouts of others have not been
disclosed.
“On Tuesday, July 8, 2008, authorities began conduc ting raids on the local
residences of Jehovah's Witnesses. Long-time member s of the congregations,
men in their 50's, 60's and even 70's (sic), were s ubsequently rounded up in
their homes or places of work. In most cases these are the breadwinners for
their families.
“As of May 2008, there were 21 other Jehovah's Witn esses in prison in Eritrea.
False hopes of progress were raised in May [2008], and again in July [2008],
when three of them were released.”
[63]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 84
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
78
‘E VANGELICALS ’ C HURCHES
General information
19.28 The term ‘Pentes’ originates in Ethiopia, and is held to be a pejorative term
originating from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s di strust of Pentecostal
churches and their practices (African Christianity) , and in African Christianity’s
account, “a testimony to the influence of the Pente costal movement on
Ethiopian Protestantism.”
[82] (p2)
See menfesawyan
19.29 There is information on the practices of Pent es groups in Ethiopia on the
webpage of Jörg Haustein, a theologian specialising in the Pentecostal
churches, based at the University of Heidelberg, at
http://www.glopent.net/Members/jhaustein/ethiopia/p entecostal-and-
charismatic-movements [83] . The African Christianity website continues that in
Ethiopia:
“The Mulu Wengel (Full Gospel) church grew out of t he Heavenly Sunshine
Bible study, begun by a group of high school studen ts learning English and a
Mennonite doctor, though it was also decisively inf luenced by the teachings of
the Finnish Pentecostal Mission, and has never had formal connections with
any western mission. Meserete Kristos [another chur ch] followed Mulu
Wengel’s lead in cultivating the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit... both
Meserete Kristos and Mulu Wengel churches practice faith healing, exorcism
of demons, and glossolalia.”
[82] (p2)
19.30 There is no information that these practices are practised in the churches of
the same names in Eritrea, though Abbebe Kileyesus’ s article below claims
there are similaries. Information from the AI Decem ber 2005 report shows
similar societal prejudices against evangelical chu rches:
“Since then [May 2002], there has been a rapid grow th of evangelical
churches in Eritrea. This has often been a source o f tension between them
and the three main Christian churches, which were l osing members to them.
They had different doctrines, forms of worship and weddings, and ‘fellowship’
for prayer and study. They often proselytized (soug ht converts) or expressed
their faith in new, ‘charismatic’ ways in public pl aces, which attracted some
disapproval from members of the main religious grou ps – Orthodox, Catholic,
Lutheran and Islam.”
[5l] (p8)
PDF page 85
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
79
19.31 An article by Abbebe Kileyesus, entitled ‘Cos mologies in collision: Pentecostal
conversion and Christian cults in Asmara’, that was published in the April 2006
edition of African Studies Review, examined Eritrea n Pentecostalism as a
religious phenomenon. [89] . Kileyesus notes that the Asmara Pentecostal
community displays similar traits to the Ethiopian churches, stating:
“Although the nature of Asmara Pentecostal public space is increasingly
defined by Bible reading and group networking on a mass scale, Pentecostal
evangelism in Asmara is also navigated increasingly through audio and
videotapes as well as printed tracts…the media, bot h print and electronic, and
usually in the Tigrinya language, play a central ro le in this new wave of
Pentecostal proselytization or evangelization, in t he consolidation of the
congregation, and in the creation of a distinct gro up of born-again who are
different from all others.”
[89] (p81)
19.32 Kileyesus argues in the article that “aims to contribute to a better
understanding of the popularity of Pentecostalism a nd the formation of
religious identity in an Eritrean city”, that Asmar a has seen the growth of
Pentecostal movements as being in competition with traditional Christian
groups in Eritrea, particularly the Eritrean Orthod ox Church, against a
background of “rapid socioeconomic change”. [89] (p75) . Pentecostal Christians
are characterised as young, ambitious urbanites who seek prosperity over
adherance to the traditional controls of the Orthod ox Church. Difficulties with
secular authorities are restricted in the article t o Pentecostal opposition to the
Ethiopian Derg rule prior to Eritrea’s independence in 1993. The date of the
actual research is unclear from the article, possib ly reflecting practice prior to
September 2001. [89] (p91, footnotes 1, 3; p92, footnote 12)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 86
View this page in original PDF
Character encoding review needed: glyph-name-artifacts.
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
80
Menfesawyan “spirituals”
19.33 One article, posted on the Mission Network Ne ws website, talks of evangelical
Christians targeted by the Eritrean authorities as ‘ menfesawyan ’ which
translates into English as ‘spirituals’ and equates to practitioners identified as
charismatic Christians. The term menfesawyan more accurately describes
targeted Christians than Pentes, encompassing revival movements that span
all Christian denominations, including accepted, re gistered, unregistered and
banned groups. [75]
19.34 With regards to the number of unregistered Pe ntecostal and charismatic
churches in Eritrea, Human Rights Without Frontiers stated in a 26 November
2003 report that there were 12 independent churches so regarded by the
Government in 2002
[61] (p2) ; by 2005, “at least 36 evangelical and
Pentecostal churches” was the AI December 2005 esti mate. [5l] (p1) .
Kileyesus, in “Cosmologies in collision”, April 200 6, estimates that there are
six main different ‘branches’ operating in Asmara – Mulu Wangel [Mulu
Wengel], Kale Hiwat, Meserete Kristos, Rhema, Chari sma, and Hallelujah –
and that “Today there are around twelve thousand ac tive participants, another
two or three thousand Sunday service worshippers, a nd some two thousand
Ot āb ā (Orthodox T āwahdo Bét āk /uni0259r /uni0259stiyan ) church members who take part in
Pentecostal services occasionally.” [89] (p78)
19.35 Release Eritrea notes in a 17 December 2004 p osting that:
“Some of these churches [all evangelical and Pentec ostal required by the
Government to re-register their churches in May 200 2] are historically linked
with the worldwide Protestant denominations, such a s the Presbyterians,
Pentecostals, Baptists, Mennonites, Methodists. Oth ers are indigenous
churches, which are not linked to international Pro testant denominations,
including the Rhema church, the Hallelujah church, the New Covenant church,
the Philadelphia church, etc.” [31b]
19.36 The USIRF report for 2007 states “At the end of the period covered by this
report, 28 leaders and pastors of the unregistered Pentecostal churches had
been detained for more than 3 years without due pro cess.”
[4l] (p4) . BBC News
has reported that “During the past five years, a br utal campaign has been
waged in Eritrea against Christian minorities, focu sing mainly on the
evangelical and Pentecostal movements. Weddings, ba ptisms, church
services and prayer meetings have been raided by se curity forces. Guests or
congregation members have [been] rounded up and det ained en masse.” [8u]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 87
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
81
Known groups
19.37 Apostolic Church
Pastor Luele Gebreab ‘disappeared’ on 12 August 20 07, and was reported still
missing on 30 August 2007, in a report posted on th e VOM Australia website.
[87c]
19.38 Church of the Living God
Members have been named in arrest reports: Semere Z aid, an agriculture
lecturer at the University of Asmara (AI December 2 005 report)
[5l] (p12) ; and
‘Pastor Simon’ – “Originally from one of the Medhan e Alem revival groups
within the [Eritrean] Orthodox Church, Pastor Simon is a minister in the
Church of the Living God” (Voice of the Martyrs) [87a] . Pastor Simon was
arrested on 26 December 2005, but later reported as having escaped from
detention and was in hiding, as of 6 January 2006 ( Voice of the Martyrs). [87a]
19.39 Dubre Bethel Church
No information other than the church was located in Asmara in September
2003, when members were arrested, and then released unharmed after
several days’ detention. (AI report, December 2005)
[5l] (p10)
19.40 Faith of Christ Church
Arrest reports noted that members of the Faith of C hrist Church were arrested
in Adi-Kehey in December 2003 (AI report, December 2005). [5l] (p10)
19.41 Hallelujah Church/Hallelujah Pentecostal Church
Arrests reported include a March 2004 report of Pas tor Teweldemedhin and
55 members of the church arrested in Asmara on 12 F ebruary 2004. (Amnesty
International) [5b] . In September 2005 after the Hallelujah and Philad elphia
churches arranged a wedding party in Asmara, 20 peo ple were arrested and
detained for one month. (USSD report for 2005) Past ors are included in arrest
lists: Pastor Mengist Teweldemedhin. [4f] (section 2c)
19.42 Kale Hiwœt (Word of Life)
The USIRF report for 2005 refers to the church as “ the Kale Hiwot (Baptists)”
and notes that it has complied with some, but not a ll, of the Government’s
registration requirements.
[4g] (p2) . The AI report December 2005 adds the
church is “a long-established Baptist church affili ated to the SIM, formerly the
Sudan Interior Mission.” [5l] (p5) (also, African Christianity) [82] (p1) . On 13
October 2005, the operational headquarters of its d evelopment project were
closed down by the Government (Release-Eritrea). [31f] . Release-Eritrea
reported on 25 August 2006 that Kale Hiwot had had its NGO status revoked
by the Government, and all charitable ventures sequ estrated by the state. [31g]
(p2-4)
Members named – In January 2005, Pastor Ogbamichael Haimanot of the
Kale Hiwœt church was detained in Asmara along with 115 evangelical church
members. [5l] (p12) (AI December 2005 report). Twenty (other) members’
whereabouts are still unknown at the end of 2005 af ter their arrest in March
2004. [4f] (section 2c) (USSD report for 2005). Amnesty International reported
the release of ten members over October and Novembe r 2005 in an update
dated 29 November 2005. [5g]
PDF page 88
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
82
Pastors mentioned in arrest reports – Pastor Isaac Mehari; Pastor
Ogbamichael Haimanot (released January 2005 after b ecoming mentally ill);
Pastor Issa Mekonnen (Release Eritrea) [31e] . Pastor Simon Tsegay and Mr
Gebremichael Yohaness were arrested in March 2006 a nd “are believed to be
in the crime investigation prison in the centre of Asmara.” (Release-Eritrea, 25
August 2006) [31g] (p2)
19.43 “ Mensfesawyan”
This may be a misapplation of a spiritual movement rather than the name of
an individual church or denomination: the only know n mention of this ‘church’
is that it was located in Barentu town in January 2 005, and that some of its
members were arrested at a wedding on 9 January 200 5, along with Mullu
Wongel (Full Gospel) church members.
[5l] (p12) (AI December 2005 report);
[50l] (Awate); [86] (Indian Ocean Newsletter).
See
Mensfesawyan
19.44 Meserete Kristos (Christ is the Foundation)
The USIRF report for 2006 refers to the church as “ the Meserete Kristos
(Mennonite) church” and notes that it has complied with some, but not all, of
the Government’s registration requirements.
[4i] (p2) . The AI report of
December 2005 adds “affiliated to the worldwide Men nonite Church,
established for several decades.” [5l] (p5) . A key arrest report was reported by
Amnesty International in March 2006, of 200 guests being detained at a
Meserete Kristos wedding ceremony on 28 May 2005; m ost were held for one
month’s detention, but as many as 70 were detained for longer in Serwa army
camp. [5j] (p3)
19.45 Mulu Wengel/Mullu Wongel/Muluwœngel (Full Gospel)
The main church building complex in Gaza Banda dist rict, Asmara was seized
by the Government on 15 October 2003 (HRWF, 3 Novem ber 2003).
[61] . The
church is described by the Release International re port as “Eritrea’s largest
Pentecostal denomination.” [84a] . African Christianity’s account of the church’s
Ethiopian roots, however, identifies it as a breaka way Mennonite church that
has “insisted on maintaining its independence from western ties.” [82] (p1)
Mr. Kidane Gebremeskel; Pastor Abraham Belay; Pasto r Fanuel Mihreteab;
Pastor Hagos Abraha; Rev. Haile Naizghe; Rev Dr. Ku flu Gebremeskel;
Pastor Kidane Weldou; Pastor Tewelde Gebreab are al l listed as arrested in
June 2005 (Release Eritrea).
[31e] . Also, Pastor Hagos Toomey. [5l] (p12) (AI
report, December 2005). Further arrests were made in December 2005 (Voice
of the Martyrs), including Pastor Jorjo Gebreab. [87a]
19.46 New Covenant Church
Pastor Yohannes Tesfamichael has been listed as hav ing been arrested in
June 2005 (Release Eritrea).
[31e]
19.47 Philadelphia Church
Philadelphia church members were among those arrest ed at the September
2005 wedding party incident in Asmara, when 20 peop le were arrested and
detained for one month.
[4f] (section 2c) (USSD Human Rights report for 2005)
PDF page 89
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
83
19.48 Rema/Rhema
Pastors of the church, from lists of arrests, inclu de Pastor Habteab
Ogbamichael; Pastor Tesfasion Hagos. [8e] . The case of Helen Berhane was
widely reported in 2005 and 2006 (Amnesty Internati onal, Release-Eritrea,
USSD report for 2005). A gospel singer from the Rem a Church, Helen Behane
was arrested on 13 May 2004. [5l] (p11) (AI December 2005 report). The
Release Eritrea posting of 25 June 2005 goes into t he detail of Helen
Berhane’s detention. [31e] (p3) . In November 2006, there were reports of Helen
Berhane’s removal to a hospital in Asmara in Octobe r 2006, and then of her
full release from prison. [31h] (Release-Eritrea, 2 November 2006). In October
2007, the BBC reported that Ms Berhane was granted asylum in Denmark. [8x]
The Kileyesus “cosmologies in collision” article, April 2006, noted that the
Rhema church, prior to September 2001, was involved in exorcist practices
collectively known as “deliverance”. It was portray ed by Kileyesus’s informants
as a “long-term process” that involved “the need to continuously confront the
devil by means of public prayer sessions and delive rance meetings.”
[89] (p82) .
The Kileyesus article does not mention whether the deliverance rallies are still
attempted after the September 2002 arrests and impl ementations of the curb
on banned religious organisations.
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 90
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
84
20. E THNIC G ROUPS
20.01 The Encyclopedia of the Peoples of the World , published in 1993, identifies
“nine ethno-linguistic groups: Rasha’ida, Baria, Ku nama, Beja, Tigre, Tigray,
Bilin, Saho and Afar.”
[56] (p195) . The home page of Mebrat Tzehaie, updated
with 2005 population figures, adds further detail:
“Eritrea has a mixed Afro-Asiatic population that i s divided by religion and
language. There are nine ethnic groups in Eritrea, which are:
The Kushitic linguistic groups: Afar 4% (Denkalia), Bilen 2% (Keren area),
Hedareb 2% (Tessenei), Saho 3% (Foro)
The Nilotic linguistic groups: Kunama 3% and Nara 2 % (or Baria) (Western
lowlands)
The Semitic linguistic groups: Tigre 35% (Sahel) an d Tigrinya 48% (mainly in
the highlands)
Groups of recent Arab origin: Rashaida 1% (near Mas sawa).
Jiberti Muslims regard themselves as an additional (tenth) nationality.”
[25b]
Map of ethnic group distribution – from
http://home.planet.nl/~hans.mebrat/eritrea-people.h tm [25b]
20.02 The Constitution (in the 1996 draft translat ion) prohibits discrimination on the
grounds of race, ethnic origin, language, colour, s ex, religion, disability,
political belief or opinion, or social or economic status or any other factors.
[2]
(Article 14, s.2)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 91
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
85
L ANGUAGES
20.03 ‘The Languages of the World’ 2005 edition, by Kevin Katzner, stated that “the
two main languages…[in Eritrea] are Tigrinya, with about 2 million speakers,
and Tigre, with about one million. Others include A far (150,000) and Beja
(125,000).”
[60] . Lonely Planet in its guide to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti,
published in November 2000, adds:
“In theory Tigrinya, Arabic and English are all the official languages of Eritrea.
In practice Tigrinya is mainly confined to the high lands, Arabic to the coastal
regions and along the Sudanese border and English t o the educated urban
populations (particularly in Asmara)…each of the ni ne ethnic groups speaks
its own language: Afar, Arabic, Bilen, To Bedawi, K unama, Nara, Saho, Tigre
and Tigrinya. Amharic, a legacy of Ethiopian rule i s still widely spoken.”
[32] (p334)
20.04 Amharic, the main language of Ethiopia, is no t an accepted language in post-
independence Eritrea. The BBC reported on 6 January 2003 that the Eritrean
Government had banned Amharic-language songs.
[8m] . The article held that
this was problematic for part of the population, st ating “During the war [the
1998–2000 border war with Ethiopia] thousands of pe ople of Eritrean origin
were deported from Ethiopia and many speak Amharic as their first language.”
[8m] . The Ethnologue entry for Amharic states that the nu mber of speakers of
Amharic according to the 1998 census, i.e. before t he border war
displacements, were: “17,372,913 in Ethiopia (1998 census). 14,743,556
monolinguals. Population total all countries: 17,41 7,913. Ethnic population:
16,007,933 (1998 census).” [59] (Ethnologue, 15 th edition, 2005)
20.05 In the April 2003 African Studies Review , in the article ‘Language, education,
and public policy’, Tekle M Woldemikael has studied the Eritrean
government’s promotion of one national language as a lingua franca, while
also strengthening the use of the main indigenous l anguages as a medium of
education in order to promote ‘unity through cultur al diversity’.
[74] (p3) . The
article notes that English, Arabic, and Tigrinya we re privileged over other
languages for purposes of education, business and a dministration; and that
the policy of ‘mother-tongue education’ has been on ly partially successful, with
the integration of Tigre as the most successful of the projects. [74] (p4, 5) . The
Estifanos study however notes that the language of instruction before 1993
was that of Amharic, at primary level and beyond. [90] (p3, 5, 6) . Tekle M
Woldemikael concludes that the policy of giving ins truction in all Eritrean
languages may be abandoned by the government as res ources grow scarce.
[74] (p12)
See Armed Forces,
Tigrinya as language of instruction
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 92
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
86
M AIN E THNIC G ROUPS
Afar/Danakils
20.06 Information contained in The Lonely Planet Gu ide to Eritrea (2000 edition)
indicates that:
“Afars also known as the Danakils, make up 5% and i nhabit the long coastal
strip stretching from the Gulf of Zula into Djibout i. Predominantly nomadic
pastoralists, the people are Muslim, though element s of ancient ancestor-
worship still persist.”
[32] (p331)
20.07 Information contained in the OrvilleJenkins.c om,website, dated November
2008, indicates that:
“The Afar are one of the people about whom little i s available. Their
inaccessibility makes it difficult to obtain reliab le objective information…
through their myths of origin, the Afar claim Arab descent. Their language
indicates the Afar share a history with neighbourin g Cushite peoples.”
[85]
20.08 The Orville Jenkins website also explains tha t:
“The Afar are a distinct Eastern Cushite people, wh ose language and culture
are related to the Somali and Oromo. They are very traditional in culture and
belief; retaining many ancient Cushite animistic pr actices…they are a dark
brown or black people with Caucasian features, simi lar to the darker Somali
and Oromo. They are likewise distantly related to t he ancient Beja group of
peoples, who are Southern Cushites, and related in turn to the ancient
Egyptian race.”
[85]
20.09 The Orville Jenkins website continues:
“They are referred to by some sources as the Danaki l, from the Arabic name
of the Danakil Depression, or Desert, near the Red Sea in Ethiopia and
Eritrea. The Amharic name for them is Adal. Adal w as the name of an ancient
Muslim empire that almost defeated the old Abyssini an Empire at one time.
They call themselves Afar, which means in their lan guage ‘The Best’ or ‘First.’”
[85]
20.10 Information in the Africa Guide, published in 2003, explains that:
“ The Afar people in this area are usually found to be malnourished. Their
diets consist mainly of bread and milk. There is no natural source of water for
the Afar people. Water must be tanked in and as a r esult it is relatively
expensive. Many of the Afar people have anemia [or sic] and malaria, because
of their inadequate diets.”
[65]
PDF page 93
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
87
20.11 The Africa Guide continues:
“The Afar nomads have a very unique culture. Their daily life consists of
tending to livestock including goats, camels, and a few cattle located in this
region. The Afar people are very dependent on the l ivestock for the economy.
Religion is also a part of the Afar way of life. Th e majority studies the Muslim
religion. There is a small percentage that practice s Orthodoxy.”
[65]
Baria/Nara
20.12 The Lonely Planet Guide to Eritrea stated tha t “The Nara, also known as the
Baria, tribes make up 1.5% of the population and in habit the Barka Valley near
the Sudanese border.”
[32] (p333) . The Encyclopedia of the Peoples of the
World adds “they speak Nara, a Nilotic language. Th e Baria are Sunni
Muslims. They are sedentary agriculturalists. The a cademic ethnic label ‘Baria’
(Bareya) has in Amharic the literal meaning of ‘sla ve’, denoting the status of
the Baria (and the adjacent Kunamas) in the eyes of their dominant
neighbours.” [56] (p97)
Hedareb/Beja/Beni Amber/Beni Amer
20.13 The Lonely Planet Guide to Eritrea state d that:
“The Hedareb, along with their ‘brother’ tribes the Beni Amer and Beja, make
up 2.5% of the population, and inhabit the north-we stern valleys of Eritrea,
straddling the border with Sudan…most Hedareb are n omadic and travel great
distances in search of pasture. The people are Cush itic in origin (probably
directly descended from the ancient Beja tribe) and speak mainly Tigre and an
ancient Beja language. The Beni Amer are a strongly patriarchal, socially
stratified, almost feudal people. Their skills as c amel drivers and in raising
camels are legendary. Many of the men scarify their cheeks with three short,
vertical strokes – the Italians called them the ‘11 1 tribe’.”
[32] (p331-32)
Bilen/Bogos
20.14 Lonely Planet stated that “the Bilen inhabit the environs of Keren and make up
2.1% of the population. Cushitic in origin, the Bilen are either sedentary
Christian farmers or Muslim cattle rearers.”
[32] (p332) . The World Directory of
Minorities adds “the mostly agricultural people com prise two main tribes of
about 15,000 each: Bet Teqwe and the Gebre Terqe.” [6] . The Encyclopedia of
the Peoples of the World notes “they speak Bilin an d Tigre, members of the
central Cushitic language group. Until the second h alf of the nineteenth
century, they were Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, b ut since then have shifted
to Sunni Islam with a smaller number becoming Roman Catholics.” [56] (p112)
20.15 Lonely Planet stated that:
“Bilen traditional society is organised into kinshi p groups. The women are
known for their brightly coloured clothes and their gold, silver or copper nose-
rings which indicate their means and social status. Like the Beja language,
Bilen is slowly being replaced by Tigre, Tigrinya a nd Arabic, due to
intermarriage, economic interactions and because Ar abic is taught in local
schools.”
[32] (p332)
PDF page 94
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
88
Kunama
20.16 Lonely Planet notes “The Kunama are Nilotic i n origin, and are very dark
skinned. They are the original inhabitants of the region.”
[32] (p332) . A UK fact-
finding mission report of April 2003 adds that the Kunama are essentially
nomads who have been forced to settle, but have ret ained through isolation
and tenacity a cultural identity, which includes fe atures such as matrilinear
descent (where daughters inherit from mothers as th e mode of inheritance).
Women are therefore relatively privileged within Ku mara society. [3] (p41)
20.17 The UK fact-finding mission reported in A pril 2003 that:
“The Kunama has traditionally relied on the Ethiopi an Army when larger and
more powerful ethnic neighbours attacked them. For historic reasons,
although the majority of the Eritrean population st rongly supported Eritrean
independence, the Kunama still maintained their sup port for the Ethiopian
army, although there was also support for independe nce and a number of
Kunama fought on the side of the Eritrean Liberatio n Front (ELF). ‘the Kunama
people were in fact divided in opinion and had a gr eat respect for the
Ethiopians as well as many believed in Eritrea as a separate and independent
nation. In the absence of a unifying Kunama politic al figure all conflicting
opinions were heard’, stated Gilkes [a consultant o n the Horn of Africa].”
[3] (p42)
20.18 The UK fact-finding mission report noted tha t “land disputes between the
government and the Kunama, whereby the Kunama are p ushed into ever-
diminishing tribal lands, as the non-Eritrean popul ation expands to relieve
pressure in the more densely populated parts of Eri trea. This is further
complicated by a history of conflict between the Ku nama and the EPLF/PFDJ
(the ruling Eritrean party and its armed force prec ursor). 1994 Land
Proclamation (Law No. 58/1994): This is the princip al piece of legislation
regulating land ownership, and stipulates that all land is the property of the
state.”
[3] (p42) . Dr Patrick Gilkes, a consultant on the Horn of Af rica gave
information to the UK fact-finding mission in its r eport on the 1991–1997
Tigrean migration in Barentu and other Kunama areas , their subsequent flight
after the arrival of Ethiopian troops in 2000, and later return. [3] (p44)
20.19 The report further noted that Gilkes stated t hat probably the two best-known
Kunama resistance groups are the “Democratic Moveme nt for the Liberation
of Eritrean Kunama (DMLEK) and the Eritrean Democra tic Resistance
Movement-Gash Setit (EDRM).” The Eritrean Democrati c Resistance
Movement-Gash Setit (EDRM), “which also calls itsel f ‘Sawrawi Baito’, is led
by Ismail Nada and is reportedly close to the curre nt ELF. Some expect them
to merge with the ELF at some point. Nada a former ELF fighter is said to
think along similar lines to leading ELF-RC members .” The Democratic
Movement for the Liberation of Eritrean Kunama (DML EK) is “led by
Kerneolos Osman and is best known for the material it places on pro-
opposition websites. The DMLEK is based in Addis Ab aba.”
[3] (p44)
PDF page 95
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
89
20.20 UNHCR comments that “those Kunama who were d etained during 2004 were
also released during 2004.” [18b] . Refugees International, in an article dated
18 February 2004, stated that:
“UNHCR has begun discussions with the governments o f Ethiopia and Eritrea
concerning the possible voluntary return of the Kun ama to Eritrea.
Repatriation would be the ideal, most durable solut ion for the refugees;
however, there are no concrete plans in place at th is time. Eritrean officials
insist that the refugees would be welcomed back to Eritrea, but refugees are
sceptical of this claim. Many of the Kunama refugee s fled Eritrea to avoid
having their sons conscripted into the army. ‘I cam e here to save myself and
my family,’ one refugee told the UN. ‘Until things change I do not want to
return.’ Resettlement in Ethiopia does not appear t o be a viable option for the
Kunama, and few of the refugees have made efforts t o seek relocation in a
third country.” [21a] (p2)
20.21 A UNHCR report dated 5 July 2007 stated that :
“The UN refugee agency has begun the resettlement i n the United States of
some 700 ethnic Kunama refugees from Eritrea, flyin g out a first group of 29
from Addis Ababa after years of exile in northern E thiopia.
“…the 700 due for resettlement in the United States were displaced by the
1998-2000 border war between their native Eritrea a nd Ethiopia. The UNHCR-
assisted operation is due to last until September [ 2007] and the Kunamas will
be flown to several US cities, including Atlanta, O rlando, Seattle and Las
Vegas.
“The refugees are members of a largely rural ethnic group of about 100,000
people who reside on the disputed Ethiopia-Eritrea border. They crossed into
Ethiopia complaining of alleged persecution and har assment by the Eritrean
government.
“…today, almost 1,300 Kunama refugees are in Ethiop ia, but not all of them
want to be resettled in the United States.
“Several hundred withdrew their applications for re settlement, apparently due
to their strong sense of kinship and a desire to re main close to their ancestral
lands. They hope that one day a lasting political s olution will be found and they
will be able to return home.”
[18a]
20.22 The US State Department Human Rights report for 2008 added that,“there
were reports of government and societal discriminat ion against the Kunama,
one of nine ethnic groups, residing primarily in th e west.”
[4m] (section 5) .
PDF page 96
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
90
Rashaida
20.23 The Lonely Planet guide to Eritrea stated:
“The Rashaida are the only true Eritrean nomads. Ma king up just 0.5% of the
population, they roam the northern coasts of Eritre a and Sudan, as well as the
southern reaches of the Nubian desert. Like their n eighbours the Beja (related
to the Hedareb) they live by raising cattle and are Muslim…their language is
Arabic…the Rashaida people are known for their grea t pride; marriage is only
permitted within their own clan. The people are exp ert goat rearers, as well as
merchants and traders along the Red Sea coasts.”
[32] (p333)
Saho
20.24 Information published in 2007 in the World D irectory of Minorities website
indicates that “sandwiched between Afar and Tigre are Saho nomads and
semi-nomads…Saho speak local languages but have als o used Arabic in
commercial dealings and have long been exposed to f oreign influence in the
form of trade with expanding empires.”
[6] . The Encyclopedia of the Peoples of
the World adds “They are Sunni Muslims, with some E thiopian Orthodox
Christians.” [56] (p509)
20.25 Lonely Planet added that:
“Many Saho children (up to the age of 16) wear litt le leather pouches around
their neck, which are full of herbs and spices to w ard off evil spirits…The Saho
are organised in patrilineal descent groups. The le aders, elected by the male
assembly, are known as ‘rezantos’, and were formerl y military chiefs in times
of war.”
[32] (p331)
Tigrinya
20.26 The Lonely Planet Guide to Eritrea noted reg arding the Tigrinya majority:
“The Tigrinya make up 50% of the Eritrean populatio n and inhabit the densely
populated central highlands, extending over the pro vinces of Seraye,
Hamasien and Akele Guzay. The people are sedentary farmers and are
overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian, with just a smal l minority of Muslims, who
are better known as Jiberti.”
[32] (p330)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 97
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
91
Jiberti/Djiberti/Jeberty
20.27 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in a le tter dated 10 May 1996, stated
that the Tigrinya Jiberti are “Muslims scattered th roughout the Christian
Highlands who practise Islam but also observe some customs of the
Christians among whom they live.” The document also concludes that the
Jiberti speak the Tigrinya language and some Arabic .
[10b] . A Canadian
Immigration and Refugee Board Response to Informati on Requests (RIR)
ERI100844.e, dated 7 December 2005, added:
“In 26 November 2005 correspondence sent to the Res earch Directorate, a
professor at the Department of History of the Unive rsity of Durham, who
conducted research on the recent conflict between E thiopia and Eritrea, stated
that the Eritrea Jiberti community is ‘small’ but ‘ complex’. Without clarifying
this statement, the professor of history described the relationship between the
Jiberti community and the Eritrean government autho rities as ‘uneasy’ (26
Nov. 2005).” [68b]
20.28 The UNHCR Writenet report, published in Octob er 2006, ‘Eritrea: challenges
and crises of a new state’, adds, regarding the Jib erti, “a Muslim Tigrigna-
speaking group, which claims unique historical-reli gious antecedents, has
been calling for recognition of the group as an ‘et hnic’ group,…pursuant to
this, they have established the Eritrean al-Nhada P arty.”
[18d] (p18)
Tigre/Tegre
20.29 The World Directory of Minorities and Indige nous Peoples stated that:
“The Tigre (Tegre) peoples, who repre sent about one-third of the country’s
population, are dominant. Culturally and ethnically they are related to the Beja
of Sudan. Claiming Arab origin, their language, Tig re, is Semitic. Mostly
Muslim, their primary occupation is cattle herding. Most are nomadic,
however, some have settled by rivers such as the Ba rka and on state cotton
plantations...Tigre is used to describe the people who speak Tigre and the
language itself. It shared origins with Tigrinya bu t is now very different. Its use
is declining under the impact of Tigrinya in Eritre a.”
[6]
20.30 The Encyclopedia of the Peoples of the World stated that the Tigre also speak
“Bedawiye and Arabic. They are Sunni Muslims or Ethiopian Orthodox
Christians. A major shift from the latter to the fo rmer religion took place during
the first half of the nineteenth century, which loo sened Tigre links with the
Ethiopians”.
The same Encyclopedia noted that “the Tigre include ten major
tribal units: Ad Sawra, Ad Sheikh, As Mu’allim, Afl enda, Bet Asgede, Bet Juk,
Marya, Mensa, Meshalit and Sabdarat”, and also note d that “historically ‘Tigre’
was used to denote a vassal to a ruling stratum cla iming descent from the
Beni Amer or Saho.” [56] (p600) . Lonely Planet stated that “Tigrean society is
traditionally hierarchical, with a small aristocrac y known as ‘ shemagille ’ ruling
the masses. When the village leader dies, his power passes to his offspring.”
[32] (p330) .
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 98
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
92
21. L ESBIAN , G AY , B ISEXUAL AND T RANSGENDER P ERSONS
21.01 Asylumlaw.org’s ‘World Survey’ notes regarding Eritrea, “Eritrea
Homosexuality: Legal. M (F situation unclear) Age o f consent 18.
Transgender: No data or legal situation unclear.”
[15] . The website Behind the
Mask, which surveys and monitors the situation of h omosexuals in Africa,
poses the initial problem regarding information on this issue:
“Some contradictory indications regarding Eritrea, despite the fact that ILGA
[International Lesbian and Gay Association] (source La Seminaire Gai) list the
status of homosexuality in Eritrea as being legal, two gay men are known to
have been granted asylum in 1995 by the US (IGLHRC AP). Eritrea appears
to have no sodomy laws.” [37a]
21.02 The International Lesbian and Gay Association ‘State-sponsored Homophobia’
report, published in May 2008, stated that in legis lative terms, Eritrea follows
the old Ethiopian law and homosexual acts (both mal e and female) are illegal.
The punishment for homosexual acts is imprisonment.
[12]
21.03 According to the British Embassy in Asmara, in a letter dated 14 July 2003:
“Penal Code Proclamation of 1957 No. 158/1957 Book V Title IV Section II
which is still in force in Eritrea strictly prohibi ts ‘Sexual Deviations’, among
which is performing sexual acts with someone of the same sex.” Confirmation
is given that people who commit “such an act are pr osecuted and punished
whenever found guilty.”
[10f]
21.04 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2007 categorically stated
that homosexuality is illegal and emphasises a soci etal non-acceptance.
[4h]
(section 5) . Further, the FCO, in a letter dated 9 September 2 005, stated that:
“Homosexuality is dealt with severely in Eritrea an d that anybody with a known
history of this kind would find it very difficult t o return and reside in the country.
If the individual had previously come to the attent ion of the authorities in the
context of his/her sexuality there could be problem s in gaining entry to Eritrea
and he/she would certainly be ‘ear-marked.’ ” [10c]
21.05 Behind the Mask carries another article, ‘Hot el employees expelled for
“immorality”’, dated 8 October 2004, that illustrat es the ambivalence, relating
the arrest and expulsion of three Western employees working in a hotel in
Asmara, on a “question of immorality”. An unnamed d iplomat said “it is the first
time such a reason is put forward [sic], homosexual ity is not forbidden by the
law, but it is not accepted by tradition.”
[37b]
21.06 Most of the above information is reiterated i n the Canadian IRB’s reply to a
request, dated 28 February 2007.
[68e]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 99
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
93
22. D ISABILITY
22.01 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted that:
“The law and unimplemented constituti on prohibit discrimination against
persons with disabilities in employment, education, or in the provision of other
state services, and there were no reports of discri mination in practice…there
are no laws mandating access for persons with disab ilities to public
thoroughfares or public or private buildings, but m any newly constructed
buildings provided such access.”
[4m] (section 5)
22.02 In comments submitted to the Advisory Panel o n Country Information on 8
March 2006, UNHCR stated “the facilities for the di sabled are not functioning
and there is very limited assistance to disabled, d espite the high numbers.”
[18e] . AllAfrica.com reported on 31 January 2006 in an a rticle that would
indicate that facilities are functioning, though th e information is dependent
upon government sources:
“ Community-based rehabilitation programs for the dis able [sic] in the Southern
region are bearing fruitful outcome. Reports from t he Ministry of Labour and
Human Welfare indicated that out of 1,600 disabled nationals, 877 have made
significant improvement in their standard of living in 2005 thanks to the
rehabilitation program. Likewise, another 321 disab led persons received
health services and were provided with job opportun ities. Moreover, the
Ministry extended over one million Nakfa interest-f ree loans that would be paid
back after 3 years to 96 disabled citizens so as to help them improve their
standard of living”. [42c]
22.03 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 likewise noted the
government-stated commitment:
“The government dedicated substantial resources to support and train the
thousands of men and women with physical disabiliti es that resulted from the
war for independence and the conflict with Ethiopia .” [4m] (section 5)
22.04 The ICRC, in their annual report for 2007, pu blished on 27 May 2008, stated:
“Eritrea’s three physical rehabilitation centres (A smara, Assab and Keren)
lacked the materials to produce enough mobility dev ices to meet demand.
According to government estimates, there were some 58,000 disabled people
in the country, many of them war amputees. In an IC RC programme initiated
in late August [2007] with the Labour and Human Wel fare Ministry, the centres
received raw materials, components and physiotherap y equipment, and 12
staff participated in an eight-week prosthetics/ort hotics course.”
[40a] (p4)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 100
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
94
23. W OMEN
L EGAL AND P OLITICAL R IGHTS
23.01 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted that:
“Women have a legal right to equal educational oppo rtunities, equal pay for
equal work, and equal property rights; however, in practice men retained
privileged access to education, employment, and con trol of economic
resources, particularly in rural areas. Women gener ally did not enjoy a social
status equal to men.”
[4m] (section 5)
23.02 The same US State Department report continued :
“Sexual harassment is illegal; however, cultural no rms prevented women from
reporting these types of incidents, and no one was charged or prosecuted for
sexual harassment.”
[4m] (section 5)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
S OCIAL AND E CONOMIC R IGHTS
23.03 AI reported on 19 May 2004 that “Women played an important part in the
EPLF’s liberation struggle in both military and civ ilian roles and there was an
official commitment to gender equality in the EPLF and its social policies.”
[5c] (p21)
23.04 A Canadian IRB reply to a request, published on 28 February 2007, gave
details of the work of the National Union of Eritre an Women, described as an
Eritrean Government-sanctioned “non-governmental or ganization as well as a
government mechanism concerned with equality”.
[68g]
23.05 AllAfrica.com reported on 30 January 2006 that:
“The Chairperson of the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW), Ms. Leul
Gebreab, attended the UN meeting in New York on put ting an end to gender
discrimination…in her briefing, Ms Leul said that t he issue of gender equality
in Eritrea was practiced as a significant aspect of the Liberation struggle
before the adoption of gender equality at global le vel. She added that Eritrean
women have taken [an] active role along with their male counterparts in all
domains of life during the 30 year struggle.” [42b]
PDF page 101
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
95
Gender role of women
23.06 Everyculture.com noted that:
“Since subsistence agriculture is the main producti on activity in Eritrea, the
division of labor is influenced by custom. Women’s input in agricultural
production is vital but certain tasks, such as plou ghing and sowing, are
conducted only by men. Animals are generally herded by young boys, while
young girls assist in fetching water and firewood f or the household.”
[108]
23.07 Everyculture.com further explains that:
“Since Eritrean society is still highly influenced by customary principles, the
status of women in many communities is inferior to that of men. The war of
liberation, where female fighters served side by si de with men, was believed to
have changed the status of women. The EPLF culture of gender equality,
however, did not penetrate deeply into the Eritrean patriarchal culture.
Nevertheless, with the government’s policies of mod ernization and gender
awareness, changes are slowly occurring in the stat us of Eritrean women.”
[108]
Marriage
23.08 Right to Education.org carries a profile on E ritrea stating:
“According to article 46 of proclamation No. 1, 199 1 of the TCCE, marriage is
solely based on the voluntary agreement of both par tners. In general, persons
have to attain the age of 18 years if they are goin g to marry. In spite of this,
the Code in many articles talks of under-age marria ge. But for an under age
person to marry, he/she must voluntarily agree and get the permission from
his/her parents (article 309/1of the Transitional P enal Code of Eritrea (TPCE)).
… With regard to the minimum marriageable age, alth ough the draft Civil
Code of Eritrea states that the marriageable age is 18, this does not apply if
the man and woman have both attained the full age o f 16 years and the
woman submits to the authority who will celebrate t he marriage a declaration
made by a doctor stating that the woman is pregnant or has already given
birth to a child (article 581/2 of the draft Civil Code).”
[48]
23.09 The profile continued:
“In many parts of the country, the male elders of t he extended families pursue
all marriage alliances – usually along religious, e thnic and linguistic lines. Girls
are often betrothed between the ages of 8 and 14 an d conclude the marriage
between the ages of 13 and 15. Girls often have no choice in their marriage
partner. However, in some ethnic groups, such as th e Nara, marriage is not
acceptable until the woman is 18 and the man 20 yea rs of age.” [48]
23.10 Everyculture.com notes that:
“Customary rules of marriage vary among the ethnic groups. Generally, girls
marry at an early age, sometimes as young as fourte en. A large share of the
marriages in the rural areas are still arranged by the family groups of concern.”
[108]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 102
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
96
23.11 The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) has stated in a report
published in 2003 entitled ‘Violence against Girls in Eritrea’, that:
"Eritrean civil law provides that the minimum age for marriage for both
girls and boys is 18. Nevertheless, customary law carries great weight in
Eritrean society and often girls are married at ag es well below the legal
limit. It is widely acknowledged in Eritrea that g irls are married earlier than
boys. The traditional view holds that the ideal ag e for marriage for a girl
is between 12 and 18.”
[43]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
Abortion
23.12 According to information [undated] published by the United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs Populatio n Division:
“According to the most recent information available , abortion practices in
Eritrea are still governed by the abortion law of E thiopia. Since gaining its
independence from Ethiopia in April 1993, Eritrea h as sought to progressively
adopt a new system of regulations; however, the Pen al Code has not yet
been revised. The Ethiopian Penal Code of 1957 proh ibits abortion except
when it is performed to save the pregnant woman fro m grave and permanent
danger to her life or health that cannot be averted in any other way. A person
who performs an illegal abortion is subject to ‘rig ourous’ [sic] imprisonment for
up to five years. If the person has acted for gain or habitually made a
profession of abortion, the punishment is increased to three to 10 years’
rigourous [sic] imprisonment and payment of a fine. Such a person may also
be prohibited from practising his or her profession . A woman who procures
her own abortion is subject to three months to five years in prison. If the
pregnancy has been terminated as a result of a grav e state of physical or
mental distress, especially following rape or inces t, or if caused by extreme
poverty, a court may consider these conditions as extenuating factors at the
time of sentencing.
“Except when impossible, the danger to the pregnant woman's life or health
must be certified in writing by a registered medica l practitioner. A second
doctor must provide a concurrent opinion. The pregn ant woman or, if she is
incapable, her next of kin or legal representative, is required to give consent
to the intervention. In the case of grave and immed iate danger that can be
averted only by an immediate intervention, these pr ocedural requirements
need not be met.
“Although the Government of Eritrea has affirmed it s interest in population
matters and is in favour of family planning, its ef forts have been concentrated
on the reorganization of the country after independ ence. The formulation of
population policies in Eritrea is still at an early stage. The Family Planning
Association was established in 1992. However, the A ssociation’s limited
human and financial resources are a major constrain t in the expansion and
promotion of family planning education and services . Currently, family
planning methods are little known among the populat ion of Eritrea. Unwanted
pregnancies, including among adolescents, and unsaf e abortions are
becoming increasingly serious public health and soc ial problems.”
[45]
PDF page 103
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
97
Antenatal Care
23.13 The UNFPA [United Nations Population Fund] si tuation analysis on
population, reproductive health and gender prepared by Margaret N.Thuo,
Adviser, Behaviour Change Communication and Advocac y UNFPA CST Addis
Ababa, published in December 2005, reports that:
“According to 2002 EDHS, 70% of pregnant women in t heir recent
pregnancies (within five years preceding the survey ) received antenatal care
from health professionals. Nurses and midwives prov ided care to 46% of
pregnant mothers and doctors to 24% of women. Tradi tional Birth Attendants
played a negligible role (less than 1%). Younger an d urban women are more
likely to receive antenatal care compared to older and rural residents. The
overall antenatal coverage has increased to 70% in 2002 compared to the
1995 EDHS of 50%.”
[33]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
Postnatal Care
23.14 The UNFPA situation analysis of December 2005 continues:
“Postnatal care is rare in Eritrea. About 92% of wo men who have delivered do
not receive postnatal care. Only 2% of women receiv ed postnatal care after
delivery in the first two days, and 5% within 7–41 days after delivery. Thus
little attention has been given to postnatal care i n Eritrea (EDHS 2002). This is
an area for concern because complications related t o pregnancy also occur
immediately after delivery up to 42 days after deli very.”
[33]
Maternal Deaths
23.15 The UNFPA situation analysis of December 2005 stated:
“The 1995 EDHS estimated maternal deaths to be 998 per 100,000 live births.
The 2002 EDHS did not collect information on matern al mortality and so there
is no comparable figure. However, UNICEF observes t hat pregnancy and
childbirth in Eritrea are always risky. It estimate s a lifetime risk for 1 in 14
Eritrean women to die from pregnancy-related causes . The condition is made
worse by home delivery where the risks to the healt h of the mother and baby
are higher. The immediate causes of maternal mortal ity include
haemorrhagesepsis, obstructed labour, eclampsia, pr eclampsia, and unsafe
abortions, which cannot often be treated in a prope r and timely manner due to
lack of emergency obstetric care and an effective r eferral system. Delays in
reaching the care due to poor awareness by individu als and a lack of
transportation facilities for the communities compo und these complications.”
[33]
PDF page 104
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
98
23.16 The UNFPA report of December 2005 continued:
“Case fatality on facility-based data in the year 2 002 was 250 per 100,000 live
births at the national level. It was 1,546 per 100, 000 live births (highest) in
DKB and 501 per 100,000. Maternal health is affecte d by a host of factors:
nutrition, education, access to health facilities, access to trained health
workers etc. Of these factors, the one that is most likely to have a positive
effect on maternal health is the rapid expansion of health facilities across the
country, reducing distances travelled to access fac ilities and ensuring
availability of trained personnel. On the other han d, because of cultural and
religious factors, reinforced by illiteracy, many w omen still prefer home
delivery. The constraints on improving maternal hea lth in Eritrea include:
malnutrition, high levels of adult female illiterac y and high proportion of births
that are not assisted by skilled birth attendants. The Government intends to
train more service providers and use adult literacy classes to motivate women
to deliver at health facilities.”
[33]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
V
IOLENCE A GAINST W OMEN
23.17 The US State Department Human Rights repo rt for 2008 stated that:
“Violence against women was pervasive. Domestic vio lence is a crime;
however, domestic violence cases were rarely brough t to trial, and there were
no legal penalties enshrined into law. Women seldom openly discussed
domestic violence because of societal pressures. Su ch incidents were more
commonly addressed, if at all, within families or b y clergy. The authorities’
response to domestic violence was hindered by a lac k of trained personnel,
inadequate funding, and unsupportive societal attit udes.” [4m] (section 5)
23.18 A Canadian IRB reply to a request, published on 28 February 2007, added
that “a May 2003 report published by the World Orga nization Against Torture
(Organisation mondiale contre la torture, OMCT) in 2003 identifies dowry
payments and honour crimes as contributing to viole nce against women.”
[68g]
For FGM, See Children, Female Genital Mutilation ( FGM)
Rape
23.19 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 stated that:
“Rape is a crime; however, it was unc lear whether spousal rape is illegal.
There was no information available on the prevalenc e of rape. Authorities
often responded to reports of rape by encouraging t he perpetrator to marry the
victim.”
[4m] (section 5)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 105
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
99
T RAFFICKING OF WOMEN
23.20 The US State Department 2008 Trafficking in P ersons report, published in
June 2008, did not include a country narrative for Eritrea in its collection of
country narratives.
[4d] . The US State Department Human Rights report for
2008 stated that “there were no reports that person s were trafficked to, from,
or within the country.” [4m] (section 5)
23.21 Anti-Slavery International, in its working pa per ‘Trafficking in women forced
labour and domestic work in the context of the Midd le East and Gulf region’,
published in 2006, stated:
“Eritrea is mainly a sending country of migrants. I t is currently not possible to
establish how many are possibly trafficked. Most in formation available
suggests that Eritrean women migrate for employment to the Middle East and
Gulf countries, some of them hoping that they will get to Europe. The use of
smugglers is widespread, as it is often difficult t o leave the country legally.
There seem to be no efforts by the Eritrean authori ties to address trafficking in
persons. As far as the TPO was able to establish, t here is no legislation on
trafficking and embassies do not provide any servic es, nor do they help if a
trafficked migrant worker is being repatriated. In fact, some of the migrant
workers interviewed, made it clear that the repatri ation back to Eritrea is the
least desired scenario, as they claim to have reaso nable grounds to fear
compulsory military service and/or some form of pun ishment for having
illegally emigrated from the country.”
[103]
See also
Trafficking
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 106
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
100
24. C HILDREN
O VERVIEW
24.01 The CIA World Factbook section on Eritrea (22 January 2009 version) states
that it is estimated that 42.9 per cent of the popu lation is below the age of 15
years, estimating 1,085,116 males and 1,072,262 fem ales. The same source
estimates a population growth of 2.447 per cent per annum, with a birth rate of
33.62 births per 1,000 of population in 2008 (on av erage, 4.84 children are
born per woman).
[28] (p3) . Infant mortality is, however, high, with 44.22 deat hs
per 1,000 live births. [28] (p4) . Life expectancy from birth is of 60.05 years. [28]
(p4) . There are no significant gender imbalances in the p opulation at birth (1.03
male to 1 female), in the general child population (1.01 male to 1 female) or in
the general adult population (0.99 male to 1 female ). [28] (p4) . The age of
majority is 18, with the individual obtaining the v ote. (Child Soldiers Global
Report, 2008) [97] .The Behind the Mask profile of Eritrea gives the a ge of
consent as 18 years. [37a] . The US State Department Human Rights report for
2008 further noted that the “legal minimum age for marriage for both men and
women is 18, although religious entities may bless marriages at younger ages.
UNICEF reported that child marriage occurred in the west and in coastal
areas.” [4m] (section 5)
See
Early marriage
24.02 Eritrea is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC), the International Labour Organisation Minimum Age Convention
1973 (ILO 138) and the African Charter on the Right s and Welfare of the
Child. and acceded on 16 February 2005 to the optio nal protocol.
[97] (Child
Soldiers Global Report 2008)
C HILD R IGHTS – CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
24.03 On the government institutions overseeing chi ldren’s affairs, the US State
Department report for 2008 stated that:
“The Ministry of Labor and Human Welf are is responsible for policies
concerning children rights and welfare. The Childre n’s Affairs Division in the
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare covered childca re, counselling, and
probation.”
[4m] (Children)
24.04 The Constitution (unimplemented and suspended by the onging State of
Emergency, Article 27) only mentions children speci fically in Article 22 in
relation to the right to enjoy family life and that “ (3) Parents have the right and
duty to bring up their children with proper care an d affection; and, in turn,
children have the right and the duty to respect the ir parents and to sustain
them in their old age.” [2] (Article 22)
PDF page 107
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
101
Child labour
24.05 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted that:
“ Although the government has a national plan of acti on to protect children
from exploitation in the workplace, it was not enfo rced effectively, and child
labor occurred. The legal minimum age for employmen t is 18 years, although
apprentices may be hired at age 14. The law prohibi ts children, young
workers, and apprentices under age 18 from performi ng certain dangerous or
unhealthy labor, including working in transport ind ustries, working in jobs
involving toxic chemicals or dangerous machines, an d working underground
such as in mines and sewers. It was common for rura l children who did not
attend school to work on family farms, fetching fir ewood and water and
herding livestock, among other activities. In urban areas, children could be
seen in auto mechanic outfits working in car repair shops. Some children
worked as street vendors of cigarettes, newspapers, or chewing gum to either
supplement household income or at the behest of old er children. There were
no known instances of forced child labor.”
[4m] (section 6)
24.06 The International Labour Organisation (ILO) h as reported in a paper ‘The
Effective Abolition of Child Labour’, published by Cornell University in 2005,
that:
“In Eritrea, the principle of the effective aboliti on of child labour is recognised
in articles 14(2), 16 and 22(3) of the Constitution , in articles 52, 53, 54, 548,
562, 565 and 567 of the Transitional Penal Code and articles 68, 69, 3.17(a)
and (1) (2) of the Labour Proclamation of Eritrea n o 118/2003, but not in
judicial decisions and collective arguments.[Eritre a ratified in 2000 the
Minimum Age Convention, 1973(No.138).] Macro Policy No. 13.1.2)a) which
concerns basic schooling for children and No. 13.3. 2(h) which concerns legal
protection for economic and social forms of exploit ation are aimed at ensuring
the effective abolition of child labour. [Reference is made to the application of
ratified Convention No. 138].”
[101]
24.07 The ILO paper also explains that:
“Article 69(10 of the Labour Proclamation of Eritr ea No. 118/2001) defines
hazardous work as:
(a) work in passengers’/goods’ transport by railway , air and sea in dock side
and warehouse involving heavy weight lifting, pulli ng and pushing or any
other related type of labour;
(b) work connected with toxic chemicals, dangerous machines, electric power
generation plants, transformers or transmission lin es;
(c) underground work, such as mines, quarries and s imilar work; and
(d) working in sewers and tunnel digging.”
[101]
PDF page 108
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
102
24.08 The paper ILO concluded that:
“The minimum age for engaging in the abovementioned types of work is 18 for
both boys and girls. Articles 548(1), 565 and 567 o f the Transitional Penal
Code of Eritrea and Articles 65 and 68 of Labour Pr oclamation of Eritrea No.
118/2001 are aimed at eliminating the worst forms o f child labour. .. According
to Public Prosecution Head Office there has not bee n single judgement given
against child labour in Eritrea. Child labour in it s worst forms (such as sale
and/or trafficking; debt bondage, serfdom, forced o r compulsory labour; forced
recruitment for armed conflict; prostitution; porno graphy; illicit activities, in
particular production and trafficking of drugs, etc ) does not exist in the
country.”
[101]
Children in judicial and penal systems
24.09 There have been reports that during mass det entions and giffas , children have
been detained with families.
[67a] (Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 8 June
2007). There have also been reports that detainees have been separated from
dependent children.
See Freedom of religion
, Arrests
C HILDCARE AND PROTECTION
24.10 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted that there are
“no laws against child abuse and no government prog rams to combat the
problem. Physical punishment was widespread and soc ially accepted.”
[4m]
(section 5) . The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in the ‘Treaty Body
Report: Rights of the Child: Eritrea – 6 June 2003’ stated “the Committee is
concerned at the lack of available data on ill-trea tment of children, including
child abuse and corporal punishment. It also notes with concern that corporal
punishment is not expressly prohibited by law and i s widely practiced in the
home and in institutions.” [43] (section 31)
Trafficking of children
24.11 Awate.com has reported in an article ‘Eritrea n regime now trafficking children’,
dated 24 August 2007, that:
“Through its connections with Sudan’s Eastern Front, the Eritrean regime is
now trafficking Eritrean children to the Gulf State s to serve as camel jockeys.
The ‘legal’ age for camel jockeys is 15 and it is n ot clear whether the children
Eritrea is exporting are 15 or much younger. What i s clear is that the Arab Gulf
States prefer children who are 8–12 years old.
“According to our source, the children have been ta ken from the surrounding
areas of Tessenei in Western Eritrea. The trafficki ng is said to be carried out in
coordination with officials from the Eastern Front who carry Eritrean diplomatic
passports. The cash-starved Eritrean regime has a l ong history of participating
in any commercial activity that will raise money. S hortly after independence, it
organized a maid export service charging the mostly young females exorbitant
rates for exit visas and work permits in the Middle East.”
[50ac]
See
Trafficking for wider overview PDF page 109
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
103
Orphans
24.12 A British fact-finding mission reported in Ap ril 2003 (FFM report, April 2003)
that the number of orphans (“orphan is defined as ‘ a child who lost either one
or both parents or has been abandoned’.”), accordin g to various national
surveys, were 90,000 total in 1992–93; 51,000 in ne ed of urgent support in
1999–2000, and in October 2002, 552 orphans were cl assed as AIDS
orphans.
[3] (p72) . The 2008 United Nations General Assembly Special
Session on HIV/AIDS report gives figures of 105,000 orphan and vulnerable
children (OVC) in 2006 of whom 40,000 are related t o HIV/AIDS. [98]
24.13 The FFM April 2003 report notes that the Erit rean Government’s policy is to
avoid institutionalising orphans, and instead of or phanages, the Government
promotes reunification programmes, foster care, ado ption, and a system of
community-based children’s homes (also known as gro up care). UNICEF
(according to the UNICEF representative in Eritrea) regarded the alternative
programmes as models of good practice for countries in similar situations.
[3] (p73) . Children’s homes of 10 to 12 children and two hou semothers are the
Government’s preferred option to institutional care , if the extended family
cannot be used. [3] (p72-73) . The review of placements is undertaken by social
workers of the Ministry of Labour and Human Welfare , with regular checks,
though hampered by lack of guidelines and a lack of skilled staff. [3] (p73)
24.14 With regards to the formal orphanage system, the fact-finding mission was
informed that:
“There are several large orphanages within Eritrea adding that Asmara has
one of the biggest. Orphanages are either run by th e state or Christian NGOs
in the country. They are considered by UNICEF to ha ve satisfactory facilities
such as adequate bedding, food and clothing provisi ons etc. Acceptability for
entry to an orphanage is universal; there are no un acceptability rules that
apply. Eritrea does all that it can for orphans, an d the Eritrean public and
expatriate community supports them in this policy.”
[3] (p73-74)
24.15 The World Bank reported on 15 December 2004:
“Another promising approach which could be ‘scaled up’ and used as an
example in other countries is the Eritrea Integrate d Early Childhood
Development Project (ECD), the largest World Bank p roject to specifically help
orphans. It reaches out to families with vulnerable children by giving them
economic assets such as cows or donkeys which have generated extra money
to pay for orphans to go to school. So far, this pr ogram, which is supported by
the Italian government, has successfully helped 28, 000 orphans in Eritrea.”
[55a]
PDF page 110
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
104
24.16 The World Bank Social Protection Unit (WBSPU) reports in ‘Costs of Projects
for Orphans and other Vulnerable Children: Case stu dies in Eritrea and Benin’,
published in July 2004, that:
“The Eritrea Integrated Early Childhood Development Project (IECD)…
expands delivery and improves the quality of basic services to young children.
To achieve this, it delivers services in the areas of health care, nutrition,
psychosocial stimulation, early childhood education and social protection.
These services aim to benefit children under the ag e of 6, primary school-age
children; and 32,000 children facing especially dif ficult conditions – mainly
orphans.” [55c]
24.17 The WBSPU report continued:
“Following independence, many Eritrean families abs orbed war orphans and
this imposed on extra economic burden on the famili es. In response, the
reunification and reintegration project promotes th e reintegration of children
with their close relatives by providing their host family with economic support.
The terminology used may be misleading as most chil dren are not ‘physically
reunited’ within their extended families; most of t hem are already living with
them when the families receive the economic support . (‘Tracing and
reunification’ per se concerns essentially children placed in residential care).
Under the program, host families choose between sup port in the form of
livestock or an income-generated scheme.”
[55c]
24.18 The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Er itrea (UNMEE) notes in an
article ‘Orphans benefit from Eritrea’s strong fami ly values’, dated 13
September 2007, that:
“Thanks to the Eritrean tradition of strong family values, the dedication and
commitment of the country’s Ministry of Labour and Human Welfare and its
close collaboration with UNICEF and other UN agenci es, the number of
orphans in the country has decreased significantly since 1992. Today Eritrea
has 50,000 orphans compared to the 90,000 identifie d by a national survey in
1992.” [102]
24.19 The UNMEE article also noted:
“One of the projects that has helped to bring about this change is known as
Mahzel which has been implemented in Gash Barka reg ion. Ms Leila Blacking,
Chief of UNICEF’s Communications Section explained that the project, which
is named after a traditional baby carrier made of l eather, addresses the
problems of the most vulnerable orphans identified by community committees
and then referred to a central committee for consid eration. In most cases, the
orphans are placed with their extended family and t he assistance provided
covers the cost of looking after the child, and the provision of a means of
income for life for the child.”
[102]
PDF page 111
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
105
24.20 The UNMEE article stated that:
“According to the Social Welfare Department statist ics more than 27,000
orphans were reunited with blood relatives or host families under the “Mahzel”
project. Mr. Habtom Sium, Director of the Departmen t said that one of the
preferred options is to place orphans within their extended families. In
collaboration with other stakeholders, the departme nt has so far reunited
42,000 with either their extended families or with other families willing to take
them in. However, Mr. Habtom also explained that th e number of children who
have been adopted has not been encouraging. For tho se orphans who cannot
be reunited with their extended families or adopted , a community-based group
care programme, which provides group homes, was sta rted in 1996. To date,
there are 19 group homes all over the country provi ding homes for 132
orphans.” [102]
24.21 The UNMEE article explained that:
“In Eritrea, Mr. Habtom said that institutional car e for orphans remains a last
resort and as a result, institutions in Keren and M endefera have closed.
Asmara Orphanage Centre, established in 1945, is st ill open but only cares for
278 orphans, compared to 10,000 in 1993. Shelter, f ood, schooling,
counselling, vocational training, guidance, health, sport and recreation are the
principal facilities provided by the orphanage. The children are aged between
1 up to 18 years old. Following the growing number of children that HIV/AIDS
has orphaned, the Department offers 200 Nakfa a mon th, per child, to the
care-taking family. UNICEF’s Child Protection Offic er, Mr. Baerbel Hoefers,
said that the Mahzel project deals partly with chil dren who have lost parents to
AIDS while stressing that additional fund[s] would be needed to address this
issue.” [102]
24.22 The UNMEE article concluded that:
“ ‘Demobilisation of an orphan begins immediately a fter 18,’ said Mr. Habtom,
‘with all the counselling given to prepare the orph an to lead his future life. The
orphan has to have completed high school and in the process of seeking
further studies or getting a job.’ Because orphans are less likely to go to
school than children within the family unit, educat ion remains a top priority for
all programmes involving these children. Mr. Habtom also mentioned a
successful education programme, initiated in 1992, aimed at helping street
children and young commercial sex workers. More tha n 9,000 street children
have benefitted from the programme and Nakfa10 mill ion has been invested in
changing the lifestyle of young prostitutes.”
[102]
24.23 The International Committee of the Red Cross operates the Red Cross
message system and a tracing of relatives system in Eritrea, in relation to
families parted by the border conflicts. (ICRC annu al report 2007 – see
references)
[40a]
See
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 112
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
106
E DUCATION
24.24 Education is officially compulsory between th e ages of seven and 13 years.
(Europa World, retrieved 14 July 2008).
UNESCO estimates quoted by Europa
are that “in 2003/04 primary enrolment included 48 percent of children in the
relevant age-group (boys 52 percent; girls 44 perce nt), while the comparable
ratio for secondary enrolment was only 24 percent ( boys 28 percent; girls 19
percent).” [1a] (Education) .
24.25 The Children’s Legal Centre profile on Er itrea, education system, undated,
stated:
“School enrolment is low as a little over half of c hildren attend school and one
in five girls make it into secondary schools. Durat ion of compulsory education:
7 years from the age of 7. Primary (basic) educatio n: elementary school 5
years and middle school 2 years. Secondary educatio n lasts for 4 years at the
end of which students take the Eritean Secondary Ed ucation Certificate
Examinations. Since 2003, the last year must be tak en at a boarding school
near the Sawa military training facility.”
[99]
See also
Military service and education
24.26 The Children’s Legal Centre profile of Eritre a also stated:
“Basic level technical training, students enrol aft er completion of basic
education. Technical schools: 3 years, students enr ol upon successful
completion of grade 10 and an entrance exam. At the end of year three
students take the Eritrean Secondary Education Cert ificate Examinations.”
[99]
24.27 The US State Department Human Rights report for 200 8 report noted that:
“Education through grade seven is compulsory, and t uition-free; however,
students were responsible for uniforms, supplies, a nd transportation, which
was prohibitively expensive for many families. Educ ation above grade seven
requires a nominal fee and is not compulsory. There was a shortage of
schools and teachers at all levels, remedied in par t by holding morning and
afternoon shifts at schools. According to estimates by the Ministry of
Education, the net enrollment rate of school-age ch ildren in the 2003-04
school year was approximately 43 percent; the gross elementary (grades one
to five) enrollment rate was 71.7 percent. Approxim ately 75 percent of the
population was illiterate. In rural areas, young gi rls usually left school early to
work at home.”
[4m] (section 5)
24.28
The International Network for Higher Education (INH E) in Africa gives an
account of the University of Asmara prior to its gr adual dissolution between
September 2004 and September 2006. [100] . An article on Awate.com, dated
20 January 2008, examines the reasons for the disso lution, noting the official
reasons given of the need for skills that could be provided through lower level
further education, and the suggestion that it was a further restriction after the
repression of the press and political opposition. [50ak]
PDF page 113
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
107
24.29 Europa Online, accessed on 20 January 2009, n oted that:
“In 2004/2005 there were an estimated 5,500 student s enrolled on bachelor
degree courses at the University of Asmara. The Uni versity of Asmara was
officially closed in September 2006. Higher educati on would henceforth be
provided by six newly-established technical institu tes, each associated with a
relevant Government ministry. The institutes provid e education in the fields of
science, technology, business and economics, social sciences, agriculture and
marine training.”
[1a] (Education)
H EALTH AND WELFARE
24.30 The World Bank study of the Eritrean health c are system, published in 2004,
and utilising data mainly taken from the Ministry o f Health’s surveys of 2001,
stated:
“Eritrea’s child health care indicators show poor h ealth conditions among
children. Diarrhoeal diseases are still a major cau se of morbidity (and
sometimes mortality) among the under-5[s]. Yet less than half who fall sick are
taken to a health facility or are seen by a health professional. Malnutrition
among children remains high, and as many as 50 perc ent of children are
anemic.” [55b] (p12)
24.31 The UK Department for International Developme nt (UK DFID) notes in its
October 2007 profile of Eritrea that “Eritrea is cu rrently on track to meeting the
‘Universal primary education’; ‘Promoting gender eq uality & empowering
women’ and ‘Reducing child mortality’ [currently, 1 68 deaths per 100,000
births] goals. With ‘Ensuring environmental sustain ability’ Eritrea is on track
with the drinking water target, but off track with the sanitation target. On the
‘Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger’ goal there is insufficient data to go
on, but with the remaining goals (‘Maternal health’ and ‘Combat AIDS, malaria
TB & others) Eritrea is off track.”
[20]
PDF page 114
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
108
S PECIAL PROTECTION ISSUES
Military service and education
24.32 The US State Department Human Rights report for 200 8 stated that:
“The government required all students who reached t he final year of
secondary school to attend school at a location adj acent to the Sawa military
training facility in the western section of the cou ntry. Students who did not
attend this final year did not graduate and could n ot sit for examinations that
determined eligibility for advanced education. The remote location of this
boarding school, security concerns, and societal at titudes reportedly resulted
in many female students not enrolling for their fin al year; however, women
could earn an alternative secondary school certific ate by attending night
school after completing national service. Many stud ents elected to repeat
grades or dropped out of high school after the 11
th grade to avoid forced
conscription into the Sawa military education.
“…attendance at Sawa is compulsory and those who do not attend remain at
risk of arrest. Students at Sawa are typically 18 o r older, although a fair
percentage are as young as 16. The initial three mo nths of June through
August are spent undergoing military training. Stud ents who receive poor
grades in high school have in the past been sent to the Wi’a military training
camp in lieu of being allowed to complete the acade mic year.”
[4m] (section 5)
24.33 On the point of few female students enrolling in Sawa, Michaela Wrong noted
in her contribution to a panel discussion at the Ro yal African Society’s 14 July
2005 conference on the UK Eritrean refugee experien ce, “some of the girls
going to Sawa had returned pregnant or deflowered. The perception amongst
conservative Eritrean families of what might happen to their daughters could
account for the high number of women applying for p olitical asylum abroad.”
[80]
24.34 BBC News, in a report dated 11 January 2004, stated that:
“The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, says the north-east African
country of Eritrea is breaking human rights regulat ions by making children
complete the final year of their secondary educatio n at …Sawa – in the far
west of the country near the Sudan border – …Now to matriculate you must
leave home and complete Grade 12 in Sawa – a move t he government say
was taken because they do not have the money to exp and secondary schools
around the country…Those who attend grade 12 in Saw a and matriculate will
have the chance to pursue further educational oppor tunities. For those who
choose not to go – their national service begins wh en they turn 18 and that
usually starts with training in Sawa’s military cam p.”
[8q]
See Military service – School leavers and conscript ion
PDF page 115
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
109
Child soldiers
24.35 The ‘Child Soldiers Global Report 2008’ state d that:
“Eritrea’s Second and Third Periodic Reports to the UN Committee on the
Rights of the Child stated that the minimum recruit ment age was 18, and that
full-time students and those who were temporarily m edically unfit could have
their service deferred.”
[97] (Child Soldiers Global Report 2008)
See
Military service and education
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
24.36 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 reported that:
“An estimated 89 percent of girls had undergone FG M. Almost all ethnic and
religious groups in the country practiced FGM, desp ite extensive government
efforts to curb the practice. In the lowlands, infi bulation – the most severe form
of FGM – was practiced. In March 2007 the governmen t issued a proclamation
declaring FGM a crime and prohibiting its practice. The government and other
organizations, including the NUEW [National Union o f Eritrean Women] and
the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students, sponsored a variety of
education programs during the year [2008] that disc ouraged the practice.”
[4m]
(Section 5)
24.37 The Eritrean Government announced the banning of FGM in April 2007, as
reported by IRIN on 5 April 2007.
[19c]
24.38 The Inter-Parliamentary Union (information on Eritrea undated) added further
detail:
“Infibulation, excision and sunna are reportedly pr actised in Eritrea by Muslims
and Christians. According to WHO, the prevalence wa s 97% in 1995 despite
positions taken against FGM by the Eritrean People’ s Liberation Front and the
National Union of Eritrean Women. However, the IPU has no first-hand official
statistics or other details on this subject.
“The IPU has no information on the existence of spe cific legislation.
”…in 1996, government policy was enunciated to elim inate FGM; to create
and enforce legislation prohibiting practices such as FGM; to include in
women’s health care the prevention of such practice s as FGM; and to provide
treatment, counselling and rehabilitation for women suffering from FGM-
related complications. The Government includes info rmation on FGM in its
health and general education programmes. The Minist ry of Health carries out
government policy relating to FGM and provides trai ning on the topic to
primary health care coordinators throughout the cou ntry.”
[54]
PDF page 116
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
110
24.39 The UNICEF Eritrea FGM/C country fact sheet d ated 2002 states that there
was a drop from 95 per cent prevalence to 89 per ce nt in 2002, hence the
variance between the USSD and IPA figures. It noted that 39 per cent of
women had been subjected to infibulation, the most severe form of
circumcision, with a further 46 per cent subject to clitoridectomy. The UNICEF
data indicates that most circumcision occurs before the age of 12 years, with
84 per cent of circumcisions performed by local cir cumcision practitioners.
[27c]
24.40 An Agence France Presse article of 19 March 2 005 illustrates the
Government’s mobilisation to tackle the issue, rela ting how a National Union
of Eritrean Youth and Students group presented a pl ay tackling the issue in a
village.
[66a]
See also Violence Against Women
D OCUMENTATION
24.41 With regards to birth certificates, the US St ate Department’s ‘Visa reciprocity
schedule’ (accessed in January 2009), for Eritrea s tated:
“Available. Requests for copies of previously issue d birth certificates should be
addressed to the Office of Civil Status, Municipali ty of Asmara; or to the
equivalent office of any other municipality offices in which the birth was
registered; in person or through a third party havi ng a power of attorney
through the Eritrean Embassies/Consulates overseas.
Persons applying for birth certificates should cont act the appropriate municipal
authorities and present hospital birth records, bap tismal certificate, and
statement by witnesses familiar with the birth whic h have been notarized by
their zonal court, to be registered at any municipa lity offices.”
[4c]
24.42 The schedule also added:
“Eritrean National ID cards are only issued in Tig rinya and Arabic to those
over 18 years of age and are easily alterable, maki ng proof of Eritrean
citizenship difficult to determine.…children under the age of 16 can travel on
the Eritrean passport of a parent. Each accompanyin g child must be issued a
separate visa, which is affixed to the traveling pa rent’s passport.”
[4c]
24.43 There have been reports that children of 11 a nd over have been denied exit
visas, and in some cases, children from the age of six.
[4h] (section 2d) (The US
State Department Human Rights report for 2007)
See Exit-entry procedures
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 117
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
111
25. T RAFFICKING
25.01 Anti-Slavery International in its working pap er ‘Trafficking in women, forced
labour and domestic work in the context of the Midd le East and Gulf region’,
published in 2006, stated:
“Eritrea has approximately 59,000 internally displa ced persons due to the
border war with Ethiopia. UNHCR began repatriating about 150,000 Eritrean
refugees from Sudan in 2000. Among international in struments relevant to our
study, Eritrea has ratified the Universal Declarati on of Human Rights and ILO
Conventions No. 29 and 111, but has not ratified IL O Conventions No. 95 and
No. 143. The ICCPR, the ICESCR and the Internationa l Convention on the
Protection of the Right of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families
are not ratified, nor is the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is in princip le responsible for
implementing its labour laws and co-ordinating labo ur migration.”
[103]
25.02 The Protection Project reported on 26 January 2006 that:
“Children are reportedly trafficked within Eritrea, and perhaps to the Middle
East…trafficking in African women and children for forced prostitution or labor
is exacerbated by war, poverty, and flawed or non-e xistent birth registration
systems, according to a recent study by UNICEF…seve ral factors contribute
to the existence of trafficking within Eritrea…wide spread poverty and
hunger…massive civilian displacement…the growing se x industry…the
presence of these [UNMEE] troops has worried many E ritreans, who are
concerned about the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus…fo reign soldiers have
been accused of purchasing sex from Eritrean childr en.”
[57]
25.03 The US State Department annual report on the trafficking of people, for 2007,
published on 12 June 2008, does not include a count ry narrative for Eritrea in
its collection of country narratives.
[4d]
See
Trafficking of children , Trafficking of women
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 118
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
112
26. M EDICAL ISSUES
G ENERAL
26.01 The World Health Organisation in its 2006 Cou ntry Health System Fact Sheet
for Eritrea stated that (on 2004 data), life expect ancy is 58 years for males and
62 years for females; healthy life expectancy (on 2 002 data) being 49 for
males and 51 years for females.
[41b] The World Bank produced a study on
the health sector in Eritrea in 2004, mainly workin g on studies commissioned
by the Eritrean Ministry of Health in 2001. One key finding was that the top five
causes of in-patient mortality (in 2000) were malar ia, HIV/AIDS, TB, ARI
(Acute Respiratory Infection), and hypertension. [55b] (p11) . Seventy-one per
cent of Eritrea’s burden of disease and cause of de ath was directly related to
communicable and preventable disease. [55a] (p11) . The estimates given in this
study of life expectancy is for 50 years at birth, rising to 57 years from the age
of 15 years. [55a] (p6) .
26.02 Europa World Online, accessed on 20 January 2009, r eported that: the under
five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births, 2006) i s 74; HIV/AIDS (% of persons
aged 15-49, 2005) is 2.4; physicians (per 1,000 hea d, 2004) is 0.05
[1a] (Health)
26.03 Afrol news, in an article dated 15 March 2005, repo rted that the Eritrean
Ministry of Health announced the opening of the fir st medical school in Eritrea
since independence, the Orotta School of Medicine, with an initial intake of 32
students.
[16] . Asmera.nl states that “Medical care is improving rapidly in
Eritrea, new hospitals and health facilities are op ened every year. Modern
facilities may not always [be] available outside As mara…basic non-
prescription medicines are available in Asmara, but the selection is not large.
Supplies of medicine can be irregular. Visitors sho uld bring a supply of any
necessary drugs and prescriptions.” The same site h as photographs posted of
main hospitals and one of the pharmacies in Asmara. [25a]
26.04 AllAfrica, in an article, ‘President holds ta lks with WHO regional director’,
dated 25 September 2007, stated that:
“President Isaias Afwerki today received and held t alks with Dr. Luis G.
Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in Massawa . In the meeting, the
WHO official lauded Eritrea’s efforts to ensure bas ic health services, provide
basic health care to mothers and children, and on i ts disease prevention
measures…indicating that it is one of the governmen t’s top national
development strategies to expand health services in all parts of the country,
President Isaias noted that encouraging achievement s have already been
scored in this sphere…he informed Dr. Sambo that cl ose cooperation of the
WHO towards reinforcing Eritrea’s health developmen t programs is of major
significance. The President also assured him that E ritrea is prepared to make
good use of the WHO’s recommendations to further st rengthen the health
sector…meanwhile, the Eritrean Minister of Health t oday held talks with the
WHO delegation headed by the Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Luis G.
Sambo. Minister Saleh Meki explained to the delegat ion the current activities
of his ministry, the achievements registered, the c hallenges encountered, and
the endeavors to meet these challenges.”
[42a]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 119
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
113
O VERVIEW OF A VAILABILITY OF M EDICAL T REATMENT AND D RUGS
26.05 The World Health Organization has estimated t here to be three physicians per
100,000 people in Eritrea; which Physicians for Pea ce in May 2007,
estimated, on the basis of a population of 4.8 mill ion people, meant that there
were only 144 doctors in Eritrea.
[9] . The World Bank study of June 2004
notes “Eritrea relies on imports for all its pharma ceutical needs. Drugs and
medical supplies are imported through PHARMECOR, a parastatal agency,
and private firms.” [55b] (p31)
See
Economy
26.06 Asmera.nl (no date) states that there are the following hospitals in Asmara:
“Orota Referral Hospital…gives medica l services to people from all over
Eritrea with critical condition [sic]; Berhan Aini Eye hospital; St. Mary hospital;
Sembel hospital; Hospitem – Ospedale Italiano Ente Morale; Mekane Hiwet
hospital. Health centres in Asmara deal with vaccin ations, wound dressing,
anti-conception [sic], ante-natal care and minor ai lments and surgery.”
[25a]
26.07 In comments submitted to the Advisory Panel o n Country Information on 8
March 2006, UNHCR stated:
“The medical system suffers from an acute lack of r esources which include
medical personnel, medicines, facilities etc. There is no national cardiac
treatment available, no burn unit and very limited trauma care facilities. Also,
ongoing medical training is very limited and candid ates for medical school may
not travel abroad to accept scholarships.”
[18e]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 120
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
114
HIV/AIDS
26.08 The 2008 United Nations General Assembly Spec ial Session on HIV/AIDS
(UNGASS) report, produced by the Eritrean Ministry of Health, National AIDS
and TB Control Division, gives background informati on on HIV/AIDS in Eritrea:
“Like in other developing countries, HIV/AIDS has b ecome a major threat for
Eritrea’s socio-economic development as it affects its major productive labor
force. The first AIDS case was reported in 1988. At present, the estimated
number of people living with HIV is in the range of 70,000 – 100,000.
According to the nationwide ANC sentinel surveillan ce conducted in 2005, the
prevalence of HIV in pregnant women was 2.38%. Ther e were variations
between regions/zones, age groups and occupations. In 2006, special surveys
were also conducted on the most-at-risk populations , namely CSWs in
Asmara, Massawa and long distance truck drivers nat ionwide. The HIV
prevalence rates were 8.08%, 14.67% and 7%, respect ively. Another study
that was conducted in TB patients in Asmara showed HIV prevalence of
34.33% indicating that co-infection rate was high. In comparison to the 2.38%
prevalence in the general population HIV prevalence in the most at risk
populations is very high and needs extensive target ed intervention.” [98] (p6)
26.09 The main government initiative to combat HIV/ AIDS is the HAMSET project
launched in 2001: “HAMSET stands for HIV/AIDS, Mala ria, Sexually
Transmitted Diseases and Tuberculosis. It is a Worl d Bank supported
multisectoral project which involves government min istries, civil society (Non
Government Organizations, Faith based organizations , private sector and
people living with HIV/AIDS).” (UNGASS 2008)
[98] (p7)
26.10 The UNGASS report 2008, stated, regarding tre atment:
“In Eritrea, the estimated number of adults and chi ldren with advanced HIV in
2006 were 12,600. Of these only 1,884 were receivin g antiretroviral therapy in
accordance with the country’s approved treatment pr otocol, constituting 15%.
In 2007 the estimated number of adults and children with advanced HIV were
12,940, of which 3,062 were receiving antiretrovira l therapy, constituting 24%.
It is worth noting here that ART is provided freely to all who are medically
eligible.
“The estimated population infected with HIV in the country lies in the range of
70, 000–100,000. The National Strategic Framework h as the provision of
treatment, care and support as one of its major goa ls. In line with this, the
MOH has recently finalized a series of national ARV and clinical care
guidelines and implementation plans. In 2006, the M OH prepared Eritrean
HIV/AIDS Care Manual. The government has acknowledg ed that with the
increase in the number of HIV infected people, they will rely on conversant
compassionate providers of care to help them unders tand a complicated
illness, to assist them in coping with HIV-related diseases, and to provide
them with comfort and treatment needed to improve t he quality and length of
their life.
PDF page 121
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
115
“In order to meet these goals, it would be essentia l to mobilize all available
health care providers and resources in the country (NATCoD, 2006).
Due to the relatively low prevalence and urban domi nance of the epidemic,
63% of AIDS cases are reported from the hospitals i n the capital city.
Therefore, the antiretrovirals are provided in thes e hospitals and other
hospitals located in the Zones. Officially ART was launched in the country in
September 2005 in five designated sites in the capi tal city and other towns.
Since its launching ART was expanded to the six Zon es and by the end of
2007 at least one ART site exists in each Zone. As of 2007, 14 out of the 30
public, military and private hospitals are providin g antiretrovirals, constituting
47% of these health facilities.” [98] (p35)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
C ANCER T REATMENT
26.11 No information could be found regarding treat ment of cancer in Eritrea.
However, regarding cancer and Eritreans, the Washin gton University
Harborview Medical Center website for collating cul tural practices and
attitudes towards medicine, EthnoMed.org, noted:
“If an Eritrean becomes ill with cancer or another life-threatening illness, they
first follow the western medical plan. Eritreans st rongly wish that the family be
informed first of a diagnosis or poor prognosis rat her than the patient. They
often believe that if they return to Eritrea and ar e treated with plant roots or
other modalities they will be healed. They feel tha t many treatments in
Western medicine allow the disease to spread furthe r in the body.”
[69]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
K IDNEY D IALYSIS
26.12 Eritrean (state) radio announced on 11 Januar y 2003 the building of a private
facility in Asmara, stating, “Located at Sembel Hou sing Complex in Asmara,
the hospital has 60 to 80 beds and is equipped with modern equipment to treat
patients with intestinal, joint, gallstone, kidney and other diseases.”
[26a]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 122
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
116
M ENTAL HEALTH CARE
26.13 The World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘Mental H ealth Atlas 2005’ stated in its
Eritrea country profile that though there is a ment al health policy devised in
1997, there is no specific mental health legislatio n other than provisions in the
Penal Code; there is no national mental health prog ramme, nor budget
allocations for mental health.
[41a] (p1-2) . On actual provision, the WHO Mental
Health Atlas states “Mental health is a part of the primary health care system.
Actual treatment of severe mental disorders is avai lable at the primary level.
Severe mental disorders are primarily treated at th e tertiary level (at St Mary’s
Psychiatric Hospital). However, limited care is ava ilable at secondary and
primary levels.” [41a] (p2) . The WHO Mental Health Atlas 2005 notes that
phenobarbital, chlorpromazine, and diazepam are ava ilable at the primary
health care level. [41a] (p3) .
26.14 The WHO published a report in 2006 about the mental health care system in
Eritrea. This report stated that:
“In 1971 the [Eritrean] government bu ilt a special neuro-psychiatric hospital in
southwest Asmara, called St. Mary’s Hospital. This hospital was planned to
provide 120 beds, a number that increased significa ntly in time to a today’s
number of 160 beds. The wards have since been chang ed from big sleeping
hallways of 36 beds, to smaller compartments with 4 to 6 beds. The hospital
now consists of several wards, which make up the in patient department, as
well as an outpatient department.
[41c] (p6)
“…in 2005, the mental hospital staff consisted of one psychiatrist/director, one
matron, one administrator, four head nurses, eight psychiatric nurses, one
psychology graduate, eleven general nurses and twen ty-two health assistants,
supported by a laboratory and a pharmacy.
[41c] (p6)
“…there are two wards for male patien ts (one for civilians and one for military
patients) and one for female military and civilian patients. Until now, the only
way to restrain patients has been to chain them to their beds by their ankles.
About one-third or more of all patients are chained .
[41c] (p7)
“…the outpatient department is open 5 .5 days a week. About 10 new patients
are seen on a daily basis, which means about 2,700 new patients a year are
served. Sometimes patients are referred, but the ma jority of patients refer
themselves. Most patients (both in and outpatients) come from the Asmara
region.
[41c] (p7)
“…during the last few years the MoH [ Ministry of Health] has been training
around 60 primary care workers in basic mental heal th knowledge; physicians
as well as nurses in one week training are trained to diagnose and treat the
most frequent psychiatric disorders and to do follo w up…although some of
these professionals are able to apply their knowled ge, the majority are not
able to do this since there is not a good distribut ion system of psychotropic
drugs and they do not have access to these drugs.
[41c] (p7)
PDF page 123
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
117
“…Eritrea’s mental health policy was last revised in 1998 and includes the
following components: developing community health s ervices, downsizing
large mental hospitals, developing a mental health component in primary
health care, human resources, involvement of users and families, advocacy
and promotion, human rights protection of patients, equity of access across
different groups, financing, quality improvement an a monitoring system.
[41c] (p10)
“In addition, a list of essential med icines is present. These medicines include
Antipsychotics, Anxiolytics, Antidepressants, Mood stabilizers and
Antiepileptic drugs.
[41c] (p10)
“…according to the data for the year 2004, the total number of human
resources working in mental health facilities or pr ivate practice is 0.83 per
100,000 [of the] population. The breakdown per 100, 000 [of the] population is
as follows: 0.06 psychiatrists (2 psychiatrists), 0 .06 other medical doctors (2
medical doctors not specialized in psychiatry), 0.3 3 nurses (12 nurses), 0.03
(1 psychologist), but no social workers or occupati onal therapists.”
[41c] (p18)
See also
Overview of availability of medical treatment and d rugs
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 124
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
118
27. H UMANITARIAN ISSUES
27.01 More recently, the Amnesty International annu al report 2008 noted that “two-
thirds of the population remained dependent on inte rnational emergency food
aid.”
[5a]
27.02 One of Eritrea’s key humanitarian concerns, a s identified by the UK
Department for International Development’s ‘Country Profile’, updated on 24
October 2007, is water shortage, exacerbated by fou r years of drought, that
has led to food insecurity and malnutrition.
[20]
27.03 The Human Rights Watch annual report 2006, pu blished in January 2007,
adds to information about NGO expulsions from Eritr ea in 2006, stating that
six Italian aid NGOs were expelled, and the Governm ent confiscated their
equipment.
[29h] (p5, 6)
27.04 The BBC reported on 6 November 2006 that the Eritrean Government has
expelled two more aid agencies, in addition to the nine previously expelled in
2006. The International Rescue Committee and the Sa maritan’s Purse, both
organisations that worked in eastern Sudan, but bas ed on the Eritrean side of
the border, have been asked to leave. The BBC artic le states “The Eritrean
government said their [the agencies’] work was no l onger needed following a
recent peace deal for eastern Sudan.” The article, however, adds
“Correspondents say it [the Eritrean Government] is suspicious of the
international community.”
[8n] . A Reuters article dated 17 July 2008 notes that
the Eritrean Government is still pursuing a policy of self reliance, claiming that
“food aid creates a culture of dependency”, though the article also talks of the
Eritrean Government’s “fractious ties” with the int ernational community over
the past few years. [106b]
See Economy
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 125
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
119
28. F REEDOM OF M OVEMENT
28.01 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted:
“The law and unimplemented constitution provide for freedom of movement,
foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation; howev er, the government restricted
some of these rights in practice. While citizens co uld generally travel freely
within the country and change their place of reside nce, the government
restricted travel to some areas within the country, particularly along the border
with Sudan and Ethiopia. In August [2008] the gover nment suspended exit
visas and passport services to its citizens. By yea r’s end [2008] the
government provided document and travel service[s] only to known
government loyalists. The government did not accept applications from
persons requiring judgments from an adjudicator. Ma ny persons who
previously were issued passports were not allowed t o renew them, nor were
they granted exit visas. Military police periodical ly set up roadblocks in Asmara
and on roads between other cities to find draft eva ders and deserters. Police
also stopped persons on the street and forcibly det ained those who were
unable to present identification documents or movem ent papers showing they
had permission to be in that area.”
[4m] (section 2d)
28.02 An Awate.com article of 2 July 2007 noted th at there were military checkpoints
in operation on major roads leading out of the capi tal Asmara, stating:
“Asmara and its environs are undergoing through [si c] an extensive roundup.
Armed soldiers are scattered in two’s [sic] and thr ee’s [sic] in the streets of
Asmara and have been stopping cars and even buses t o search for koblelti
[absent without leave] and demobilized aghelghilot [national service recruits.]
Instead of stopping cars and buses at the usual roa dblocks (Adiguadad, Kurbo
Embeito and Adi Abeito), the security officials hav e set up new checkpoints at
alternate locations in the city and its environs.”
[50ab]
See also
Roundups ( Giffa )
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 126
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
120
29. INTERNALLY D ISPLACED P EOPLE (IDP S )
29.01 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted:
“Approximately 19,000 IDPs from the conflict with E thiopia were permanently
resettled during the previous year [2007]. Approxim ately 6,625 IDPs remained
in two camps in the Debub zone, and approximately 1 ,250 refugees remained
in an IDP camp in the Southern Red Sea Zone. There also was a large but
unknown number of IDPs residing outside camps durin g the year. The
government allowed UN organizations to provide assi stance to IDPs. During
the year [2008] all remaining IDPs were resettled, although some remained
living in tents.”
[4m] (Section 2d)
29.02 The UNICEF Eritrea background note, undated, states that “Some 50,000
people – 70 per cent of them women and children – r emain displaced by the
conflict with Ethiopia. Meanwhile, the return of 30 ,000 internally displaced
persons to their villages has strained basic servic es.”
[27b] . UNICEF, however
gave further figures in a news story dated 12 Febru ary 2008, stating “It is
estimated that the Government, supported by a joint United Nations
programme and partners, was able to resettle over 4 0,000 internally displaced
persons (IDPs) in 2006 and 2007, while close to 13, 000 IDPs are still in
camps.” UNICEF’s activities with IDP communities around Lay ho are based
around education, the provision of essential drugs, and planning a
supplementary feeding system. [27a] (UNICEF, 12 February 2008). The US
State Department report for 2007, however, adds “th e country made rapid
progress in resettling the remaining 12,000 IDPs.” [4h] (Section 2d)
E RITREANS FROM E THIOPIA
29.03 “ Ethiopia expelled 70,000 Eritreans living in the co untry, a move strongly
criticized by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations..”
(Europa Online, accessed 20 January 2009)
[1a] (History) HRW reported in
January 2003 that “expellees were asked to fill out a detailed registration form
and were issued the same type of registration card that Eritrean refugees
returning from exile received. Once registered, the deportees were entitled to
the standard government assistance for returning re fugees: including short-
term housing, food, and settlement aid; medical cov erage; and job placement
assistance.” [29e] (pp28-29)
29.04 The same HRW report added that:
“For the first year of the war, the ERREC issued th e expellees an identification
card known as a ‘green card’ or ‘Repatriated Refuge es Card’...the card did not
identify the citizenship of the holder. ERREC’s cle rks were instructed to note,
under the heading ‘remarks,’ that the individual or individuals named on the
card had been ‘forcibly expelled from Ethiopia’. Th e cards were written in both
Tigrigna and Arabic, the two languages of Eritrea. In mid-1999, the ERREC
began issuing expellees from Ethiopia a new identif ication card, labelled
‘Identification Card For Eritreans Expelled from Et hiopia,’ and also known as
the ‘blue card’. The information on the card largel y corresponded to that on the
green card, although the blue card used English in addition to Tigrigna (sic)
and Arabic.”
[29e] (p28 footnote)
PDF page 127
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
121
29.05 The ICRC 2008 report, outlining ICRC activiti es in 2007, stated that:
“Thousands of people communicated with relatives on the other side
of the closed Eritrea-Ethiopia border through the t racing and RCM
services. At their request, people of Eritrean or E thiopian origin
were repatriated and children, the elderly and the sick reunited with
relatives across the border, under ICRC auspices. T his was their only
legal means of returning to their country of origin . Their official
documents were also forwarded so that they could ap ply for further
studies or jobs. Prior to repatriation, 71 needy pe ople obtained their
exit visas from Eritrea with ICRC financial support .” [40a] (p102)
29.06 The ICRC, in its Eritrea Field Newsletter of 31 March 2008, which outlines the
activities of the ICRC in Eritrea in 2007, notes: “ …as a neutral humanitarian
intermediary, the ICRC helped retrieving essential documents such as
education or work certificates that people living i n Eritrea or in Ethiopia were
not able to obtain by themselves, due to the lack o f relations between Eritrea
and Ethiopia.”
[40b] . The 2008 ICRC report gives the details of 42 offi cial
documents relayed across the border in 2007. [40a] (p103)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 128
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
122
30. F OREIGN R EFUGEES
R EFUGEES IN E RITREA
30.01 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 stated the basic
situation regarding people seeking refuge in Eritre a:
“The law and unimplemented constitution do not prov ide for the granting of
asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 195 1 UN Convention relating
to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, an d the government did not
establish a system for providing protection to refu gees. As a result the
government cannot provide legal refugee or asylum s tatus; however, in
practice the government provided some protection ag ainst the expulsion or
return of refugees to countries where their lives o r freedom would be
threatened and provided temporary protection to app roximately 135 persons
from Sudan and 4,789 persons from Somalia on a prim a facie basis. The
government cooperated with the Office of the UN Hig h Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) in assisting refugees who were not from Ethiopia.
“The government requires noncitizens to pay an annual fee for a residency
card; there was no discrimination regarding nationa lity. The fee was 500 Nakfa
($34), which was used to demonstrate that a foreign er was not indigent. If the
foreigner could not pay the fee he was first referr ed to the ICRC for
repatriation, but if he refused repatriation, he wa s incarcerated for 60 days, at
which point the cycle began again.”
[4m] (section 2d)
30.02 Awate reported on 24 March 2008 that Sudanese , Ethiopian and Somali
opposition groups amongst refugee populations, who had formerly been
welcomed by the Eritrean Government, were finding t hat they had become
victims of the general economic collapse as the Eri trean Government was no
longer able to financially support them. Thus, Suda nese, Ethiopian and Somali
opposition groups are in the process of relocating from Eritrea.
[50aq]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 129
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
123
E THIOPIANS IN E RITREA
30.03 HRW, in a report dated January 2003, noted th at:
“The legal status of Ethiopian residents in Eritrea who had not sought Eritrean
nationality at the time of the war’s outbreak [1998 – 2000 war between
Ethiopia and Eritrea] does not appear to be in disp ute. The Eritrean
government as a rule considered them as aliens. It did not automatically issue
the Eritrean national identity card or passport to these Ethiopians nor did it
recruit them for employment reserved for nationals. Ethiopians were also not
called up for military service in Eritrea. For the purposes of residency and
departure procedures, the Eritrean government conti nued to deal with
Ethiopian nationals under the normal institutions a nd procedures governing
aliens residing in the country, i.e. they were requ ired to acquire residency
permits and obtain exit visas to leave the country. ”
[29a] (p31)
30.04 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2005 reported that “the
government granted 19 Ethiopians who deserted the E thiopian army,
residency status.”
[4f] . BBC News reported on 1 December 2005 that “at least
seven Ethiopian soldiers have defected to Eritrea w hile on a private training
course in Israel, the Israeli foreign ministry has confirmed. The Eritrean
ambassador in Israel said the soldiers – reported t o be of Eritrean descent –
arrived at his house and asked for political asylum .” [8p]
30.05 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2006 added:
“Another 1,400 Ethiopians sought asyl um with the UNHCR, but the
government refused to issue them exit visas…the UNH CR was
accommodating 1,100 Ethiopians in urban areas, an i ncrease from only 5
cases in 2002. The government issued residency perm its to Ethiopians living
in the country for a fee; however, it did not issue them exit visas. Ethiopians
unable to pay the residency permit fee were not leg ally eligible for
employment. The government prohibited the ICRC from continuing its program
of purchasing residency permits for Ethiopians unab le to afford the annual
fee.”
[4k] (section 3)
30.06 There are 16,000 Ethiopians estimated to have temporary residence in Eritrea,
including 600 Ethiopians in the Gash Barka region “ to which the UNHCR had
no access or responsibility” (US State Department H uman Rights report for
2006). The US State Department Human Rights report for 2006 continues “the
Government issued residency permits to Ethiopians l iving in the country for a
fee; however, it did not issue them exit visas.” [4k] (section 3)
30.07 A British fact-finding mission of April 2003 reported that:
“One international observer commented to the delega tion that since 2000 the
attitude towards Ethiopians had changed, not as a r esult of any Government
led initiative but as a result of a shift in the at titude of the public and police
towards them. The inability to earn a living had be en a leading cause for those
that chose to be repatriated. Without the possibili ty of work they have little
option but to leave. The source added that since th e end of the war not only
have societal attitudes changed, but with so much o f the potential workforce in
the military it is possibly a lot easier to gain em ployment now if one is
registered as a resident foreigner.”
[3] (p45) PDF page 130
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
124
30.08 “Ethiopia expelled 70,000 Eritreans living in the c ountry, a move strongly
criticized by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations.
Eritrea subsequently encouraged a similar number of Ethiopians to leave
Eritrea.” (Europa Online, accessed 20 January 2009) [1a] (History)
30.09 The Canadian IRB noted in a reply to a reques t dated 20 February 2007 that
the ICRC had continued to assist with repatriations . The UNMEE had
monitored the process and the reply added that:
“The UN Secretary-General noted that ‘persons of Et hiopian origin continue to
face discriminatory practices in Eritrea, including the demand for payment or
high “repatriation clearance fees”.’ He further not ed that persons of Eritrean
extraction were reportedly detained prior to their repatriation. In several of his
reports to the UN Security Council, the Secretary-G eneral reiterated appeals
to the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea ‘to ensu re that the repatriations
remain voluntary and that they are carried out in a proper and dignified
manner’.”
[68c]
30.10 In comments submitted to the Advisory Panel on Country Information on 8
March 2006, UNHCR stated “Ethiopians must renew res idency permits every
year not [every] six months,”
[18e] , correcting a USSD report for 2005
statement, “Ethiopian nationals reportedly were sin gled out for arrest because
they were unable to pay the necessary fees to renew their residency permits
every six months.” [4f] . Awate has reported that the Ethiopian opposition
groups that had found refuge in Eritrea had, by Mar ch 2008, essentially
disintegrated, with some groups (AFD, OLF, CUD and EPPF) disintegrating
from internal ethnic fissures, and others (TPDM, EP PF) crumbling after
financial support from the Eritrean Government dwin dled away. [50aq]
See Refugees other than Ethiopians in Eritrea
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
Prisoners of war
30.11 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2005 noted that “the
[Eritrean] government prohibited the ICRC from visi ting the unknown number
of Ethiopian soldiers who the government claimed we re deserters from the
Ethiopian army or to visit any Eritrean detainees o r prisoners”.
[4f]
30.12 The Human Rights Watch 2003 report stated “in late August 2002, Eritrea
repatriated 279 Ethiopian prisoners of war (POWs), stating that it had thereby
returned all POWs, but the Ethiopian government acc used Eritrea of still
holding prisoners in undisclosed locations.”
[29g]
30.13 The BBC reported on 29 November 2002 that m ore than 1,200 Eritrean
prisoners of war held by Ethiopia for more than two years had returned home.
The BBC reported that the International Committee o f the Red Cross said it
wants to work with the Ethiopian and Eritrean gover nments on the cases of
some individual PoWs still being held by either cou ntry. However, the Red
Cross said all registered prisoners from the confli ct – which ended two years
before – had now been repatriated. The last group o f registered Ethiopian
prisoners was sent home three months before the rep ort.
[8r]
PDF page 131
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
125
R EFUGEES OTHER THAN E THIOPIANS IN E RITREA
30.14 In comments submitted to the Advisory Panel o n Country Information on 8
March 2006, UNHCR stated “there were a very low num ber of arrivals in 2004
and only 41 persons in 2005. The total camp populat ion for Sudan as of end of
December 2005 is 748 persons. These include all the Sudanese who were
accommodated there since 1999.”
[18e] .
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 132
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
126
31. C ITIZENSHIP AND N ATIONALITY
31.01 The Eritrean Nationality Proclamation No.21/1 992 published in April 1992
details the criteria and law regarding Eritrean Nat ionality.
[7]
31.02 On 27 January 2004, the Home Office received a letter from the Eritrean
Embassy in London clarifying certain points with re gards to obtaining Eritrean
nationality from the UK. The letter stated that:
“a A person who is with an Eritrean father/mother w ould be eligible for
Eritrean nationality as long as the person provides three witnesses.
b The political views of the three witnesses are no t relevant to establishing
the nationality.
c The political views of the applicant for national ity are not relevant to
establishing eligibility for nationality and obtain ing an Eritrean passport.
d The voting in the 1993 Referendum is not a necess ary precondition to
establishing nationality.
e Paying a 2% tax on nationals overseas is not a pr econdition for eligibility
for Eritrean nationality and obtaining a passport.
f Claiming refugee status overseas does not preclud e eligibility for Eritrean
nationality or obtaining an Eritrean passport.
g All application forms are filled in person by the applicant at the Embassy’s
consular section and has [sic] to be authorised by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in Eritrea. No application forms out of the standard provided by the
Embassy are accepted.”
[14]
31.03 A British fact -finding mission reported on 2 9 April 2003 that “if a person’s
parents or grandparents were born in Eritrea you wi ll certainly be entitled to
Eritrean nationality but will have to prove this.” It was also confirmed that
applicants would not be asked about their views, po litical or otherwise. [3] (p46-
48)
T HREE WITNESSES
31.04 The British fact-finding mission [FFM] report published on 29 April 2003
contains the most detail about ‘the three witnesses method’.
[3] (p48) . The FFM
states “An applicant can call on any ‘three witness es’ to verify that the
applicant is an Eritrean national. The ‘three witne sses’ must be Eritreans who
hold an Eritrean identification card or passport. T hough every adult is
supposed to have a national ID card and anyone hold ing an Eritrean passport
would be in possession of that card, identity recor ds are not centralised and it
is often difficult to find information about an ind ividual…while documentation
can help a person to prove nationality the Eritrean government now relies on
the ‘three witness’ rule.” [3] (p48)
31.05 Furthermore, it noted that “they [an applican t] can choose any three Eritreans
in the world that they know personally. The person abroad will have to go to
the Eritrean embassy of that country in order to an swer questions. These are
standard questions about how long they have known t he person, relationship
etc. They sign a piece of paper that is then faxed onwards.”
[3] (p48)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 133
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
127
T HE 1993 REFERENDUM
31.06 The British Embassy in a letter dated 2 July 2001 noted that “the Political
Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs…was qui te clear that the 1993
referendum plays no part in whether or not someone is entitled to Eritrean
nationality.”
[10a] . The FFM of April 2003 reiterated the point, addin g:
“Participation had importance when Eritrea first ac hieved independence but
now over a decade later this is no longer the case. The problem is that many
people were not able to vote in the referendum for one reason or other and it
would not be reasonable or logical to apply such cr iteria after a decade of
independence. Some had been in inaccessible areas, some had been sick,
some out of the country, some were too young.” [3] (p49)
31.07 The 2003 FFM report further noted that:
“Over time such a criterion has lessened in importa nce to the point now where
it is of little importance…the initial vote was con ducted largely thanks to the
machinery of the Ethiopian government. They held th e central records. We
[the Eritrean authorities] have most of the informa tion now but since the border
war, we can no longer check any discrepancies. Ther efore we cannot always
verify if a person voted in the referendum or not.”
[3] (p49-50)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 134
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
128
M IXED MARRIAGE AND MIXED BIRTH
The following paragraphs relate to reunions of part ners in mixed Eritrean and
Ethiopian marriages.
31.08 A British fact-finding mission reported on 29 April 2003 that “in most cases a
mixed marriage will prove to be no problem if both partners are already in
Eritrea. If they are split between Eritrea and Ethi opia then the ICRC arranges
visits and temporary reunions…if both partners are in Eritrea…the non-
Eritrean would apply for a residence permit. This i s also the situation if a
person is unable to prove nationality. While a pers on attempts to prove their
credentials, a person is given a residence permit, these are renewable every
six-months. With most residence permits a person is allowed to work….in
cases where a person is part of an expelled mixed m arriage they will if at all
possible be dealt with faster…the Eritrean Governme nt is very sympathetic to
such cases.”
[3] (p50)
31.09 This 2003 FFM report also noted that:
”In the case of a mixed birth a perso n would generally not have too many
problems as long as they can prove that they have E ritrean roots. This would
make them eligible for Eritrean nationality under t he normal procedures of the
nationality proclamation.”
[3] (p50)
31.10 In comments prepared for the Advisory Panel o n Country Information meeting
on 8 March 2005, UNHCR stated [regarding family reu nion and the ICRC
arranging visits between split families] that:
“In reality, this is extremely difficult for the ma jority of cases and not all are
able to avail themselves of the ICRC mechanism, whi ch is the only possibility
for travel between the two countries. A person must decide to move
permanently to the other country if they are to rep atriate with ICRC and often,
Ethiopia will not accept the arrival of an Eritrean spouse and vice versa.”
[18b]
31.11 In comments prepared for the Advisory Panel o n Country Information meeting
on 8 March 2005, UNHCR stated [regarding nationalit y issues]:
“If a couple is in a mixed marriage, it is very dif ficult to acquire Eritrean
nationality for the foreign spouse who wishes to do so. With regard to dual
nationality, the person will only be regarded as an Eritrean citizen if s/he is in
Eritrea and no consideration will be taken to the o ther nationality, an issue
which has caused some friction between certain west ern diplomatic missions
and the Government of Eritrea, especially with rega rd to detention cases.”
[18b]
PDF page 135
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
129
31.12 This 2003 FFM report also stated that:
“There are over three million people in Eritrea, as well as hundreds of
thousands in the Diaspora (Eritreans abroad)…even i f they came from
Ethiopia or Sudan they would have known many other Eritreans. It is a matter
of history that those in Ethiopia kept close contac t with family in Eritrea, even
those that stayed in Ethiopia after independence. M ost formed ‘clubs’ to
celebrate and remember their culture. Those in the Sudan lived in ‘Eritrean
communities and camps’…many tens of thousands of th ose returned from
Ethiopia and Sudan had their stay regulated and hav e Eritrean passports.’ not
only will we [the authorities] allow witnesses from all over the globe but we will
follow up claims. So for example if someone claims to be from a certain village
we will send word to that community so that they ca n get the witnesses to
come forward.”
[3] (p49)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 136
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
130
32. F ORGED AND F RAUDULENTLY OBTAINED DOCUMENTS
32.01 According to information from a Response to I nformation Request, dated 8
July 2008, published by the Research Directorate of the Canadian Immigration
and Refugee Board (IRB), the Eritrean government is aware that some
Eritrean national identity cards have been fraudule ntly obtained but does not
know how common this practice is. The Response to I nformation Request
also refers to a report published by the “The India n Ocean Newsletter” dated 3
March 2008, about Ethiopian refugees buying Eritrea n national identity cards
in ‘Khartoum from Eritrean intermediaries’.
[68j] (p50)
32.02 Information dated 8 July 2008 from another IR B Response to Information
Request, stated that:
“To obtain the [Eritrean] national identity card, a person has to prove that
he/she is [of] Eritrean origin. A person is said to be [of] Eritrean origin, if
he/she was a resident in Eritrea in 1933. Any one b orn from such a person
(either father or mother, or both) is also consider ed [to be of] Eritrean origin.
- This can be proved:
- by presenting a certificate of birth,
- three witnesses, who are above the age of 40, or
- any other relevant document.”
[68k]
32.03 According to the US State Department’s ‘Visa reciprocity schedule’ (accessed
in January 2009):
“Eritrean passports do not show the applicant’s nat ionality…posts [American
diplomatic posts] may issue visas in the Eritrean p assports, but should insist
that another document indicating nationality…is als o presented with the
passport when possible. Eritrean National ID cards are only issued in Tigrinya
and Arabic to those over 18 years of age and are ea sily alterable, making
proof of Eritrean citizenship difficult to determin e.”
[4c]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 137
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
131
33. E XIT - ENTRY PROCEDURES
33.01 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 noted that:
“In general citizens had the right to return; however, citizens had to show proof
that they paid the 2 percent tax on foreign earned income to be eligible for
some government services, including exit visas upon their departure from the
country. Applications to return to the country file d by ‘citizens’ living abroad
were considered on a case-by-case basis if the appl icant had broken the law,
contracted a serious contagious disease, or was dec lared ineligible for political
asylum by other governments.”
[4m] (section 2d)
33.02 On 1 June 2006, new regulations were brought in by the Eritrean authorities
regarding the entry into, and travel within Eritrea , by foreign nationals. The
Government of Eritrea required all visitors and for eign residents to obtain
travel permits for any travel outside Asmara city l imits.
[4b] (US Overseas
Security Advisory Council [OSAC], 19 March 2008); [38a] ( Eritrea Daily , 31
May 2006). The OSAC travel warning continues “The G SE [Government of the
State of Eritrea] has cited security and safety con cerns as the reasons for
requiring travel permits for all travel outside Asm ara.” [4b]
33.03 Shabait, the official Eritrean Government new s agency, gave figures on 17
December 2007 of tourist numbers in 2006 “the Minis try of Tourism disclosed
that over 80,000 tourists comprising Eritrean natio nals living abroad and
foreigners visited Eritrea this year, and that a to tal of 60 million US dollars has
been earned from the tourism industry.”
[26e] . Europa Online stated “since May
2006 it has been necessary for foreign nationals to obtain a permit 10 days in
advance in order to travel outside of the capital.” [1a] (Business – tourism)
33.04 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 stated that:
“Citizens and some foreign nationals were required to obtain exit visas to
depart the country. There were numerous cases where foreign nationals were
delayed in leaving for up to two months when they a pplied for an exit visa.
Persons routinely denied exit visas included men up to the age of 54,
regardless of whether they had completed national s ervice; women under the
age of 47; members of Jehovah’s Witnesses; and othe r persons out of favour
with, or seen as critical of, the government.”
[4m] (section 2d)
33.05 The US State Department Human Rights report f or 2008 added:
“In 2006 the government began refusing to issue exi t visas to children 11
years and older. The government also refused to iss ue exit visas to children,
some as young as five years of age, either on the g rounds that they were
approaching the age of eligibility for national ser vice or because their
expatriate parents had not paid the 2 percent incom e tax required of all
citizens residing abroad. Some citizens were given exit visas only after posting
bonds of approximately 150,000 nakfa ($10,000).”
[4m] (section 2d)
PDF page 138
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
132
33.06 The Canadian IRB published a reply dated 27 F ebruary 2007 that describes in
detail the different sorts of Eritrean passports, t he Eritrean domestic identity
card, the Eritrean driver’s licence, and notes that birth, death and military
service certificates can only be obtained by Eritre an citizens within Eritrea.
[68d]
33.07 Awate carried a report on 17 July 2006, ‘ In tit-for-tat, Eritrea refuses entry visa
to Americans’ that reported that Eritreans holding dual American and Eritrean
identity would only be accepted into Eritrea on the validity of their Eritrean
identification papers. The report outlines the fina ncial penalties of being
redocumented by the Eritrean authorities, and notes “The new directive would
deny these Eritreans the safety net of their adopte d countries.”
[50h]
33.08 A report published by Awate.com in September 2008 alleged that there is a
visa regime agreed by the Eritrean and the Sudanese Governments that
targets all visa Eritreans leaving Eritrea via Suda n. The report also referred to
the denial of visas by Egypt to Eritrean passport h olders. The report stated
that:
“In exchange for Euros and US dollars, the Eritrean embassy in Khartoum
issues Eritrean passports to escapees who secure vi sas (mostly to the Arab
Gulf states.) Ironically, the Eritrean citizens wou ld have been shot on sight if
the Eritrean government border patrol had spotted t hem days earlier. Once a
visa is secured for a foreign country, they need to get an exit visa from
Sudan’s immigration office. Following its reconcili ation with Eritrean officials,
the Sudanese government has instructed its immigrat ion office not to issue
exit visas to Eritreans unless they bring a no-obje ction letter from the Eritrean
embassy in Khartoum. Prior to issuing the no-object ion letter, the Eritrean
embassy requires the applicants to fill lengthy for ms (their relatives,
addresses, etc) and transfers the information to th e Eritrea embassies in their
destination country. This assures their loyalty onc e they arrive in the foreign
land. They are required to pay a mandatory 2% of th eir income taxes. If they
refuse to co-operate, their relatives risk denial o f any service from the
government.” [50aj] (Awate.com report “For PFDJ, Yesterday’s Target is
Today’s Income Opportunity”, 13 September 2008)
See Reports
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 139
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
133
ILLEGAL EXIT FROM E RITREA
33.09 Awate.com published an article on 26 November 2006 about the Eritrean
opposition in Sudan, in which it mentions the issue of Eritrean youth leaving
the country illegally. The article identified “thre e escape routes from Eritrea:
via Senafe, to Ethiopia; via Tessenei to Sudan and via official visits in the
Middle East to Europe.”
[50r] (p2) . The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report
2007 adds “Refugee agencies estimated that each mon th in 2006 about 700
Eritreans fled to Sudan and another 400 to Ethiopia .” The 2008 update to the
Human Rights Watch report added “Refugee agencies r eport that
approximately 120 young men fleeing conscription ar rived in Sudan each
week in 2006 and 2007 and that another 400 to 500 r each Ethiopia monthly,
even though border guards reportedly have orders to ‘shoot-to-kill’.” [29i] . The
BBC added to the reporting of the Sudan border situ ation with the account of
one escapee who was now (March 2007) living in Liby a. [8c] .
33.10 An Awate report dated 25 September 2008 s tated that:
“The exile to Ethiopia and Sudan, which was averagi ng about 300 a month,
has nearly doubled in recent months…most of the emb assies in Eritrea do not
provide consular services. Consequently, Eritreans used to go to neighbouring
Kenya, Sudan and Djibouti to get entry visas…most E ritreans under the age of
50 are supposed to be enlisted either in the armed forces or the reserve: the
exit visas used to be granted only to senior citize ns and Eritreans requesting
to be re-united with expatriates. Now, Eritrea’s im migration office has issued a
blanket denial for all passport and exit visa reque sts from Eritrea.” [50q]
33.11 An Awate article of 21 May 2008 talks of the various groups that have recently
fled Eritrea, quoting UNHCR figures of “over 15,000 Eritreans fled to the
Sudan during 2007 alone” and to “Ethiopia in 2007 w as estimated at 7,500,
bringing their total number up to 25,000.” The arti cle continues, stating that “a
small privileged group composed of the children and families of high
government officials and ministers as well as of lo yal cadres, some in need of
specialised medical diagnosis and treatment, are al lowed to travel via Asmara
Airport and encouraged to acquire permanent residen ce permits in the West,
posing as paperless political asylum seekers. When granted refugee status
they travel frequently to Eritrea and remain ardent supporters of the regime
from whom they have sought ‘asylum’. Likewise, many of the perpetuators of
human rights violations in Eritrea have their entir e families transferred abroad
and travel regularly to visit them. Unfortunately, the behaviour of this bogus
group casts doubt on the credibility of the majorit y of Eritrean refugees who
have a solid moral and legal case for asylum in the West.”
[50d]
PDF page 140
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
134
T REATMENT OF RETURNED FAILED ASYLUM SEEKERS
33.12 Individuals who have been arrested or detaine d, having returned voluntarily
and not as FAS, include Aster Yohannes, wife of one of the G15/G11 political
detainees, and Saleh Ali Sheikh and his wife Saret Ramadhan, as reported by
Amnesty International on 19 May 2004:
“Eritreans returning from abroad, like Aster Yohann es, risk arbitrary detention
if they return to Eritrea and are suspected of oppo sing the government – even
if they have a foreign passport. In May 2003 two Er itrean nationals, Saleh Ali
Sheikh, and his wife, Saret Ramadhan, were reported ly detained on arrival
from Saudi Arabia at Asmara airport and ‘disappeare d’.”
[5c] (p22)
See Prison conditions
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
E
RITREAN RETURNEES FROM M ALTA
33.13 Two-hundred-and-twenty Eritreans were returne d by the Maltese Government
in September and October 2002. Amnesty Internationa l’s report ‘You have no
right to ask’, published on 19 May 2004, noted that the returnees “[were]
forcibly deported…back to Eritrea, where they were immediately detained on
arrival to Asmara and sent to nearby Adi Abeto mili tary detention centre.”
[5c] (p23)
33.14 AI added in the same report that:
“In response to Amnesty International’s concern abo ut the deportations, the
Maltese government said that it was ‘not in possess ion of any evidence that
any ill-treatment was afforded to the Eritreans rep atriated from Malta’ and that
the Eritrean Director for Refugees ‘was reported to have rejected any
allegations of ill-treatment’.
“Some 200 other Eritreans – also mostly army desert ers or conscription
evaders – remained in detention in Malta in poor co nditions, some appealing
in court against the threat of deportation. The Mal tese authorities were much
criticized for their treatment of the Eritreans and other migrants and asylum-
seekers, at a time when Malta was applying to join the European Union and
therefore expected to comply with European Union as ylum standards and
establish refugee status determination procedures m ore in line with
international standards. In December 2003 they rele ased most of the
remaining Eritrean asylum-seekers to a non-custodia l hostel. The rest were
released in February 2004 and resettlement was bein g considered for all 105
Eritrean asylum-seekers still in Malta. (29) More E ritreans reportedly arrived in
Malta in April 2004 after encountering difficulties at sea.”
[5c] (p23)
PDF page 141
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
135
33.15 Malta Media reported on 23 May 2004:
“With reference to reports in some newspapers on th e deportation of Eritrean
citizens in 2002, the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs insists that the
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) did not oppose their
repatriation. The Ministry also said that the Eritr eans did not apply for refugee
status in Malta and were illegal immigrants to all effects. The reaction was
triggered by reports from Amnesty International tha t some of these Eritreans in
question were imprisoned and tortured after their r eturn from Malta.”
[58]
33.16 There have been reports on the treatment of t he returnees from Malta. AI
stated in the 19 May 2004 report:
“As Amnesty International learned later, women, chi ldren and those over the
conscription age limit of 40 years were released af ter some weeks in Adi
Abeto prison but the rest of the Malta deportees – mostly army deserters –
were kept in incommunicado detention and tortured. Some EPLF veterans
among them were sent separately to ‘Tract B’ milita ry prison in Asmara. The
rest were transferred to the secret Dahlak Kebir is land prison in December
2002. Later the civilians (about 95) were sent to s ecret mainland prisons in
July 2003, leaving behind about 85 conscript desert ers in Dahlak Kebir. About
30 later escaped and fled again to Sudan, where the y sought UNHCR
protection. They gave testimonies of their detentio n and torture to Amnesty
International.”
[5c] (p23)
33.17 The UNHCR, in its position paper of January 2 004, also noted the treatment of
the Malta returnees and concluded “It appears that the deportees from Malta
to Eritrea may have faced persecution owing to an i mputed political opinion,
conscientious objection or other reasons. It cannot be excluded that future
deportees would face a similar risk.”
[18c] (p7)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
E RITREAN RETURNEES FROM L IBYA
33.18 In September 2006, Human Rights Watch publish ed ‘Stemming the flow:
abuses against migrants, asylum seekers and refugee s’, which includes
information on the Libyan Government’s treatment of Eritrean refugees and
migrants in Libya. In chapter VI, the report outlin es the poor conditions that
Eritrean refugees and migrants are detained in, suc h as in Kufra, with deaths,
neglect and abuse reported.
[29b]
33.19 Amnesty International (AI) issued an Urgent A lert dated 8 February 2007 that
expressed concern over the possible forced return o f 430 Eritrean nationals, at
that moment held in detention by the Libyan authori ties. It stated:
“Reports suggest that the Libyan authorities may ha ve beaten and raped or
sexually abused some detainees, and some detainees may even have died in
custody as a result of such torture or other ill-tr eatment. According to Amnesty
International’s information, of the 430 detainees, 130 detainees, including
several women and children, are detained at a deten tion centre in al-Marj,
1,000 km from the Libyan capital Tripoli, while the remaining 300 are detained
in Misratah, about 200km from Tripoli.”
PDF page 142
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
136
“…in August 2006, 300 Eritreans were detained in Li bya and threatened with
deportation. It however appears that they were not deported although the
whereabouts of some of them remains unknown (see UA 225/06, MDE
19/004/2006, 24 August 2006).” [5q]
33.20 AI was further alarmed about returns to Eritr ea in January 2008, with news of
the Libyan Government’s programme for the deportati on of over one million
illegal immigrants. The BBC reported on 17 January 2008 that Human Rights
Watch had roundly condemned the Libyan Government i nitiative.
[8t]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
E RITREAN RETURNEES FROM ISRAEL
33.21 An IRIN article of 27 February 2008 mentioned that the Israeli Government
was rounding up over 240 African asylum-seekers, in cluding and primarily
Eritreans, with a view to conducting mass returns. UNHCR has recorded an
influx of over 7,400 claimants over the past three years. [19b]
33.22 A Reuters report, dated 31 August 2008, stated that :
“Israel has forcibly returned to Egyp t dozens of African migrants who had
slipped into the Jewish state, and rights activists say they fear some are
refugees who risk torture if Egypt sends them home as expected.
“Egyptian security sources said Israe l had returned 48 migrants of Eritrean,
Sudanese and Senegalese nationality to Egypt this m onth [August 2008], and
that Cairo planned to deport them all.
“…activists say Eritreans had surpass ed [the] Sudanese as the largest group
of African migrants in Israel. Nearly all arrive vi a Egypt and include
Pentecostal Christians fleeing religious persecutio n and others trying to avoid
military service.
“…Egypt for years tolerated tens of t housands of African migrants on its
territory, but its attitude soured in recent months after it came under pressure
to halt a rising flow of Africans across the sensit ive Sinai border with Israel.”
[106c]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
E
RITREAN R ETURNEES FROM E GYPT
33.23 On 1 July 2008, a total of 740 Eritrean natio nals (655 male and 85 female)
were returned en masse from Egypt. Shabait, the Eritrean State news agenc y,
stated that the returnees “expressed satisfaction w ith the warm hospitality
accorded them.”
[11c] . Awate, on 10 July 2008, expressed reservations on h ow
the returnees will eventually be treated. [50au] . A Reuters report, dated 8
January 2009, stated that Egypt depor ted a group of 32 Eritreans in January
2009, most of whom had tried to flee across the Egy ptian desert to Israel. The
Eritreans were flown back to their country's capita l Asmara. [106d]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 143
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
137
E RITREANS SEEKING REFUGE IN E THIOPIA
33.24 Fuller details of the situation of people of Eritrean origin in Ethiopia are given
in the COIS Country Report on Ethiopia at
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/ethiopia-22 0108.doc
33.25 An article by Refugees International, dated 3 0 May 2008, gave an update of
people of Eritrean origin in Ethiopia, stating:
“Sources suggest that many, perhaps most, Eritreans living in Ethiopia
reacquired citizenship under a nationality proclama tion enacted in 2003. But
as one person related, ‘People are still afraid to talk though their position has
improved.’ Some interviewees reported problems obta ining national
identification cards, including 3-year delays and i nterrogation by immigration
officials. RI observed national IDs showing ‘previo us nationality’ as Eritrean.
Eritreans with Ethiopian citizenship said they stil l feel compelled to conceal
their background, even among close friends. They ra rely congregate as a
community, nor are they politically engaged. Some s poke of employment
discrimination. An Ethiopian in a third country sai d, ‘They made us feel nothing
for that country. My kids in Eritrea are not in a g ood life. Those in Ethiopia are
treated as foreigners. They get work permits but mu st not bring attention to
themselves.’ A woman in Addis Ababa said she is afr aid to open a bank
account because her family lost a lot of property d uring the conflict.
“Although the nationality proclamation states that ‘no Ethiopian may be
deprived of his nationality’ unless he renounces hi s citizenship or acquires
another nationality, interviewees were uncertain ab out their status in the event
of renewed conflict. Similar ambiguity appears in t he Directive to Determine
the Residence Status of Eritrean Nationals Residing in Ethiopia, which states
that a residence permit may be canceled ‘where the bearer …is found to be an
undesirable foreigner.’ In the event of renewed con flict, individuals of Eritrean
origin are unsure of their fate. As one man from As mara observed, ‘the gap
between law and implementation is like the space be tween the sun and the
moon, and no one knows how to close it’."
[21b]
33.26 The Ethiopian Government has a policy of cont aining Eritrean refugees in
camps near the border, the main camp being Shimelba Camp, which houses
18,000 refugees, is close to full capacity, and sti ll receiving 600 refugees a
month. (Refugees International, 30 May 2008).
The Refugees International
article of 30 May 2008 states that:
“The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugee s (UNHCR) and its
implementing partner, the Ethiopian Administration for Refugee/Returnee
Affairs (ARRA), grapple with issues residents face, such as insufficient food
rations, restricted mobility, presence of Eritrean opposition groups, and limited
access to education and mental health services. Abo ut 75 percent of camp
residents are young males, many university-educated , who fled conscription or
political persecution, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a
widespread problem. Often arriving without Eritrean identity documents,
women and children may be even more vulnerable when seeking reunification
with a husband or father, only to find that individ ual has moved on. Others
expressed concern about the small size and gender c omposition of police
patrols.” [21b]
PDF page 144
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
138
33.27 The US Committee Refugees International’s ‘Wo rld Refugee Survey 2008’
added further details about Shimelba camp and refug ees from Eritrea in
Ethiopia:
“Ethiopia also hosted some 23,900 Eritrean refugees . About 16,800 of them
lived in Shimelba camp near the northern border: th is group included some
4,000 ethnic Kunama, whom the Eritrean Government h ad accused of
supporting Ethiopia in the 1998 to 2000 dispute; ev angelical Christians fleeing
religious persecution; and newer arrivals fleeing f orced conscription. Most of
the Kunama turned down the option of U.S. resettlem ent after guerrilla leaders
who wanted to keep them in the camp showed them the movie Roots and
violent American television police dramas and told them that Americans would
steal their organs. Another 7,100 ethnic Afar Eritr ean refugees lived in the
remote Afar region of northern Ethiopia…between 300 and 600 ethnic Tigrinya
Eritrean refugees entered per month as fear grew ov er the possibility of war
between Ethiopia and Eritrea over their disputed bo rder.” [51a]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
E RITREANS SEEKING REFUGE IN S UDAN
33.28 An IRIN article dated 2 August 2004 stated th at:
“Eritrea is one of several countries that has been chosen for UNHCR’s pilot
testing of a new initiative dubbed the 4Rs – Repatr iation, Reintegration,
Rehabilitation and Reconstruction – which is alread y being tested in Sierra
Leone, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The 4Rs project a ims to ensure that the
return of the refugees and their reintegration is b acked by ‘solid rehabilitation
and reconstruction programmes’, UNHCR reported.”
[19d]
33.29 An Awate article of 3 January 2008 regards Er itrea’s inclusion as a 4R country
as “premature, but perhaps overwhelmed with signifi cantly larger scale
migrations (Darfur, Somalia, Congo, etc), it has no t treated the Eritrean
refugees in Sudan with the care they deserve.”
[50an]
33.30 An Awate article, dated 3 January 2008, provi des details regarding what
happens to Eritrean arrivals after being arrested b y the Sudanese border
patrols. The article stated:
“When they cross the border, they will be arrested by Sudanese border patrol
and detained in the refugee camps which have hosted thousands of Eritreans
since the 1960s. But before they arrive at the refu gee camps, they will stop by
at the detention centers. Here, they will be asked how much money they have,
if they have a mobile phone or an address book that shows they have relatives
abroad. They are dispossessed of their money and di rected to call their family
members abroad and ask them to send money. From the detention centers,
they will be driven to Wed Sherifey refugee camp. T here, the authorities will
ask them to pay a fee (the equivalent of $3 USD) to have their pictures taken.
If they don’t have the money, and most won’t, they will be dumped in a shack
at transit camp or deported back to Eritrea. If the y do have the money to pay
for the pictures, they are transported to Camp 26, where they will be asked to
pay $10 USD to receive a refugee ID card.”
[50an] PDF page 145
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
139
33.31 The article continued, describing conditions in the transit camps and refugee
camps as both overcrowded and poorly provisioned, w ith the added risk for
females of sexual harassment by the Sudanese guards . It adds that Eritrean
escapees are arrested if found in Kassala, as they move up to Khartoum or
Port Sudan. The article also alleges that the Eritr ean authorities are providing
incentives for local East Sudan border officials to arrest and forcibly deport
Eritrean escapees. [50an]
33.32 The US Committee Refugees International’s ‘Wo rld Refugee Survey 2008’
added further details about refugees from Eritrea i n Sudan:
“In May [2007], authorities deported six Eritrean a sylum seekers from Kassala
State. In mid-June [2007], following a court ruling , Sudan deported two
Eritrean families seeking asylum, despite UNHCR’s u rging Sudan to process
their applications for refugee status. In mid-July [2007], the Government was
reportedly preparing to deport up to 500 refugees t o Eritrea the following
week, most of them UNHCR-registered residents of Wa di Sherife camp.
Police arrested 25 Eritreans and Ethiopians and dep orted them before
UNHCR had a chance to assess their status. In Augus t [2007], Sudan
deported 36 refugees back to Ethiopia. Despite reas suring UNHCR that it
would not repeat the practice, the following month Sudan handed over at least
15 refugees to Ethiopian authorities at the Metema border crossing. In
October [2007], the Government deported 11 Ethiopia ns allied to the Ethiopian
opposition movement. Other deportations went unrepo rted…there were no
confirmed reports of attacks on refugees by foreign agents but an Eritrean
opposition source alleged that Eritrean agents abdu cted Eritreans and took
them to Eritrean prisons.
“Sudan was party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
(1951 Convention), its 1967 Protocol, and the 1969 Convention governing the
Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa (Afr ican Refugee Convention),
but retained a reservation to the 1951 Convention’s right to freedom of
movement. The Asylum Act appointed a Commissioner f or Refugees (COR),
defined refugees generally following the 1951 and A frican Refugee
Conventions, but did not prohibit refoulement, nor did it outline procedures or
clear criteria for expulsion. It gave the Minister of Interior or his delegates the
right to grant asylum for renewable periods of five years. If the Minister failed
to decide on applications within one month, the Asy lum Act deemed them
granted, for a renewable period of three months. Th e Asylum Act had no
provisions for appeal. UNHCR monitored the Governme nt’s refugee status
determination.”
[51b]
PDF page 146
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
140
33.33 On 17 July 2007, Christian Solidarity Worldwi de (CSW) reported that local
sources in Khartoum had noted that “the Sudanese au thorities have been
conducting daily house to house arrests of Eritrean s since Thursday 12 July
2007” marking 500 Eritreans for deportation. [67b] . (Also in Christian Today , 18
July 2007. [52b] . The sources claim that the majority detained have been
granted refugee status by the local officers of the UNHCR. The article added:
“The harassment and ‘disappearances’ of key Eritrea n refugees occurred
periodically in the past. However, the recent mass roundups are the most
visible sign to date of a continuing rapprochement between the governments
of Eritrea and Sudan, which has seen the Sudanese g overnment
progressively clamping down on the activities of th e Eritrean diaspora. Several
observers feel this may be part of a strategy agree d upon during a visit to
Sudan in June by high ranking Eritrean security off icials with an unannounced
agenda.” [67b]
33.34 An Awate article, dated 7 December 2008, repo rted on an incident that took
place in November 2008 involving Eritreans who had been placed in a
detention centre in Sudan. The article stated:
“On Sunday, November 30, 2008, Eritrean soldiers sh ot at individuals
attempting to escape a detention center, killing on e and wounding two in the
process.
“The three individuals were part of a group of seve nteen refugees who had
been forcefully returned by Sudan and handed to Eri trean security officials.
The escape attempt occurred while the Eritrean auth orities were in the
process of transporting them from their detention c enter at Asebera.
“There are tens of other refugees awa iting deportation in Kassala prisons.
“Sudan, and specifically the regional government of Kassala, the Sudanese
province bordering Eritrea, has been cooperating wi th the Eritrean government
for more than two years now. It has been, to the de triment of Eritrean
nationals, deporting escapees and facilitating inte lligence activities by the
Eritrean security inside Sudanese territories.”
[50ao]
See
Opposition in exile
E RITREANS SEEKING REFUGE IN K ENYA
33.35 A Dehai article of 7 July 2008 mentions that there is an Eritrean community in
Kenya, which includes people of Eritrean origin who have lost their Ethiopian
nationality and regard themselves as stateless; the case study quoted outlines
the problems Eritreans face in terms of housing and employment in Kenya.
[11e]
See also (Refugee International, 30 May 2008)
[21b]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 147
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
141
E RITREANS SEEKING REFUGE IN E UROPE
33.36 “Eritrea Daily” carried a report dated 2 Nove mber 2007 on Eritrean nationals
claiming asylum in Switzerland, stating:
“People from Eritrea currently top the list for asy lum applications. They
accounted for more than 14 per cent of all asylum a pplications in the first nine
months of 2007…refugees in Switzerland are given so -called B-residence
permits. Although they must be renewed annually, af ter a certain number of
years the permit can be converted to one that allow s the holder to stay
indefinitely. A provisional status is much more pre carious…currently around
2,500 Eritreans live in Switzerland.”
[38c]
33.37 The German authorities returned two Eritrean FAS on 14 May 2008; Amnesty
International stated on 29 May 2008:
“Neither man has been seen since they arrived in the capital Asmara.
Amnesty International believes they were detained a t Asmara airport upon
arrival, and are being held incommunicado. They are at risk of torture or other
ill-treatment.”
[5k] . On 23 July 2008, the German authorities overturned their
initial decision to forcibly return an Eritrean.” [5m]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 148
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
142
34. E MPLOYMENT R IGHTS
34.01 The US State Department Human Rights Report f or 2008 stated basic
information about employment in Eritrea:
“The law provides workers with the legal right to f orm and join unions to
protect their interests; however, some government p olicies restricted free
association or prevented the formation of some unio ns, including within the
civil service, military, police, and other organiza tions providing essential
services. All unions, including the Teacher's Union , Women's Union, Youth's
Union, and Worker's Union, were run by the governme nt. Membership in
these unions was required. The government did not e ncourage the formation
of independent unions by employees of private busin esses. Union leaders
were typically government employees, and union acti vities were generally
government sanctioned. The Ministry of Labor and Hu man Welfare must grant
special approval for groups of 20 or more persons s eeking to form a union.
There were no reports that the government opposed t he formation of labor
associations during the year; however, the governme nt did not approve the
formation of any unions.
“The law allows strikes; however, all unions were c losely aligned with the
government and thus did not exercise or promote the right to strike.
“The law allows unions to conduct their activities without interference, and
collective bargaining is allowed. In practice all u nions are subservient to the
government, which sets wages for union workers, emp loyees of PFDJ-owned
enterprises, and government employees. Wages are se t independently in the
small private sector, although workers are not allo wed to organize
independently.
“Since most businesses were government-owned, union s did not experience
antiunion discrimination.”
[4m] (section 6)
PDF page 149
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
143
F ORCED OR COMPULSORY LABOUR
34.02 The US State Department Human Rights repo rt for 2008 stated:
“The law
prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by children; however,
there were reports that some citizens between the a ges of 18 and 54
performed compulsory labor during the year. Nearly all persons between the
ages of 18 and 54 by law were subjected to national service; however, during
the year many were demobilized after they completed their requirement, or
were found medically unfit. The criteria for demobi lization was unclear and
allowed the government to arbitrarily recall citize ns or deny them key rights as
freedom of movement.” [4m] (section 6) .
34.03 A dissident activist, Berhan Hagos, writi ng on collective farming in Eritrea in
an article posted on 6 May 2006 on the Adal61.com w ebsite, gave an
illustration of national service as forced labour:
“It is said that at one time, tomatoes and other ve getables were being
produced by Warsai Yekealo for export to Italy. As the farm was near Sawa, it
was being flown from Sawa airport to Italy. The tom atoes were being sun dried
and salted for export. The frustrated young Warsai Yekealo began to spray
soil instead of salt on the tomatoes, resulting in large spoilage. There were
repercussions on the Warsai Yekealo. But the proble m of slave labor didn’t
escape the Italian buyers who asked PFDJ to pay the Warsai Yekealo at the
farm, but the government refused. The export busine ss was shut down.”
[76] (p1)
34.04 The UNHCR Writenet report of October 2006 noted that:
“The ongoing Warsai-Yikeallo development campaign, which aims to involve
national service conscripts in development work and was first introduced after
the border war ended, was intended to rehabilitate the war-devastated
economy. It has itself become open-ended and this h as generated discontent
among the young. As a consequence, some have left.”
[18d] (p21)
See Active National Service
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 150
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
144
Annex A: Chronology of Major Events
1952 UN approves federation between Eritrea and Ethiopia ; however, Ethiopian rule
effectively stifles Eritrean autonomy.
[1b] (p402)
1958 Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM) founded.
[1b] (p402)
1961 Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), which had supersed ed ELM, begins armed
campaign for Eritrean independence from Ethiopia.
[1b] (p402)
1962 Eritrea’s status reduced to that of an Ethiopian pr ovince.
[1a] (History)
1972-74 Civil war in Eritrea between ELF and breakaway Popu lar Liberation Forces
(which went on to form the Eritrean People’s Libera tion Front [EPLF] in 1977).
[1b] (p402)
1974 Revolution which brings hard-line Marxist ‘Derg’ r egime to power.
[1b] (p402)
1977-78 Further splits within ELF.
[1b] (p402)
1985 Second civil war between ELF and breakaway factions , leading to further
splits from ELF, effectively neutralising it as an effective military force; EPLF
now the main opposition force to Ethiopian rule.
[1b] (p402)
1990 EPLF captures Massawa.
[1b] (p402)
1991 May: EPLF captures Asmara; at same time Eritrean People’ s Revolutionary
Defence Force (EPRDF) captures Addis Ababa and over throws Derg; EPRDF
recognises EPLF as government of Eritrea and agrees independence
referendum for Eritrea in 1993.
[1b] (p402, 426)
1993 April: UN-supervised referendum overwhelmingly approves in dependence
from Ethiopia.
[1b] (p403)
24 May: Independence proclaimed. [1b] (p403)
28 May: International recognition of independence of the St ate of Eritrea;
EPLF establishes transitional government, with EPLF leader Issayas Afewerki
becoming first President of Eritrea. [1b] (p403)
8 June: Issayas Afewerki elected first President of Eritrea by the National
Assembly. [1b] (p403)
1994-95 Conferences on constitutional reform held throughou t Eritrea, but Government
opponents not invited to participate.
[1b] (p403)
1994 February: EPLF becomes the People’s Front for Democracy & Jus tice (PFDJ)
and espouses its support for a pluralistic politica l system.
[1b] (p403)
1995 May: Government rationalisation programme cuts size of c ivil service and
reorganises administrative regions.
[1b] (p403)
1997 May: New Constitution adopted by Constituent Assembly bu t not fully
implemented. Government officials continue to insis t that the Constitution
would be implemented gradually.
[1b] (p403)
PDF page 151
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
145
1998 May: Border conflict with Ethiopia erupts into heavy fi ghting; thousands of
Eritreans expelled from Ethiopia and many Ethiopian s leave Eritrea. [1b] (p404)
1999 February: Upsurge in fighting with Ethiopia.
[1b] (p404)
March: Ten opposition groups based in Sudan form Alliance of Eritrean
National Forces (AENF), led by ELF-CC’s Chairman. [1b] (p408)
2000 May: Ethiopia launches all-out attack on Eritrea, captu ring territory taken by
Eritrea in May 1998.
[1b] (p404)
June: Eritrea and Ethiopia sign ceasefire agreement and a gree to UN
monitoring force along border. [1b] (p404)
October: Eritrean professionals and academics meet in Berli n, Germany, and
write a letter to President Issayas Afewerki, since known as the ‘Berlin
Manifesto’, about the ‘political and economic chall enges that confront us as a
new nation’. [1b] (p405)
December: Eritrea and Ethiopia sign peace agreement in Alger ia establishing
commissions to mark border, exchange prisoners, ret urn displaced people and
hear compensation claims. [1b] (p404-05)
2001 February: Eritrea accepts United Nations plans for a tempora ry demilitarised
zone along its border with neighbouring Ethiopia.
[1b] (History)
22 February: Ethiopia says it has completed its troop withdrawal from Eritrea
in accordance with a United Nations-sponsored agree ment to end the border
war. [1a] (p406)
April: Eritrea announces that its forces have pulled out of the border zone with
Ethiopia – a key provision of the peace agreement s igned between the two
countries. [1b] (History)
May: A dissident group at the centre of the PFDJ publicl y expresses strong
criticisms of the President. This group is known as the ‘Group of 15’ or ‘G-15’.
(In later sources as ‘G11’, thus referred to as ‘G1 5/G11’) [1b] (p405)
July: Semere Kesete, the student union president at the University of Asmara,
makes a speech at the graduation ceremony criticisi ng the Government. He
was arrested shortly afterwards. [1b] (p406)
August: Hundreds of students protest about Kesete’s arrest; police arrest 400
of them, two of whom die during hard labour in dete ntion. [1b] (p406)
September: The Government closes all privately owned newspape rs.
Following this the police arrest ten leading journa lists. [5c] (p6)
18 September: Security authorities detain 11 members of the G11/G 15 group.
Four members escape arrest. [1b] (p406)
2002 February: It was decided that the National Assembly would comprise 75
members of the PFDJ Central Committee and 75 direct ly elected members. All
but eight of the 50-member Constitutional Commissio n were government
appointees, and there was no provision for any oppo sition participation in the
interim system.
[1b] (p403)
31 March: The ten journalists arrested in September 2001 begi n a hunger
strike. Nine of the ten were moved from the 1st Pol ice Station in Asmara to an
unknown location. [5c] (p7)
13 April: The International Tribunal announces the border dec ision. Both
Eritrea and Ethiopia declare victory. Confusion ove r which country controls
Badme remains. [1b] (p405)
May: Roma Gebremichael, the wife of one of the G-15 deta inees, is arrested.
[5c] (p7) PDF page 152
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
146
May: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) annou nces that by
the end of the year Eritreans in Sudan would no lon ger automatically be
entitled to refugee status.
August: Semere Kesete escapes prison and flees to Ethiopia. [8f]
October: Malta deports over 200 asylum seekers back to Eritr ea. They are
detained on arrival and held incommunicado without charge or further
explanation. [5c] (p5)
29 November: 1,130 POWs and 95 civilian internees of Eritrean or igin are
released by the Ethiopian authorities and repatriat ed. [1b] (p405)
2003 March: The Boundary Commission categorically rules Badme t o be in Eritrean
territory. Ethiopia voices its opposition to the ru ling.
[1b] (p405)
2004 February: Former Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy is named UN
special envoy to help defuse the stand-off between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
[1b] (p405)
July: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan visited the Horn of Africa in a new
initiative to kick-start the stalled Ethiopian-Erit rean peace process. [19e]
September: UNMEE expresses disappointment after the Eritrean
Government re-imposed restrictions of movement alon g a crucial supply route
for its peacekeepers. [19e]
November: Prime Minister Zenawi announces a five-point plan t o try to end
the border stalemate with Eritrea, saying his count ry would accept, “in
principle”, the April 2002 ruling of the independen t Boundary Commission that
was intended to end hostilities between the two nei ghbours. He, however,
insists that the ruling is still illegal and unjust . Any attempt to implement the
Hague-based decision, he adds, “might lead to a ser ious escalation of the
tension between the two countries and thereby under mine the peace”. [19e]
December: Eritrea calls on Ethiopia to abide by the ruling of an independent
commission that delineated their disputed border in 2002 and urges the
international community to help secure peace and st ability in the Horn of
Africa. It demands Ethiopia’s “cooperation with the Boundary Commission to
ensure expeditious demarcation of the boundary” and calls for “full and
unconditional respect of the Algiers Agreement”. [19e]
2005 February: The United Nations noted a large number of troops b eing deployed
at the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The tro ops remained on their own
soil, but Ethiopian soldiers had come within a 20–4 0 kilometre range of the
frontier.
[8h]
July: UNMEE expresses concern over ‘continuing incidents of violence’ along
the disputed 1,000 km border between the neighbouri ng countries. [19f]
August: Martti Ahtisaari, UN special envoy for the humanita rian crisis in the
Horn of Africa, conducted an eight-day visit to the region to assess prospects
for long-term food security. The government asks th e US Agency for
International Development (USAID) to cease its oper ations in the Horn of
Africa country. [19f]
October: The Government imposes more restrictions on the mov ement of UN
peacekeepers, days after grounding UN helicopter fl ights. [19f]
December: The Eritrean Government rejects a claim by Amnesty International
that it engages in religious persecution. The UN re locates some UNMEE staff
to Ethiopia following Eritrea’s decision to expel E uropean and North American
personnel. [19f]
PDF page 153
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
147
2006 20 January: The patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church place d under
arrest. [31a]
24 February: The Eritrea Government launched a recall of demobil ised troops,
along with launching a number of national service r ound-ups. [50j]
1 June: Travel restrictions into and within the country enf orced by the Eritrean
Government for foreign nationals and dual nationali ty holders. [4c] [4d] [50h]
16 October: The Eritrean army moves 1,500 troops and 14 tanks i nto the
demilitarised zone of the Ethiopian/Eritrean border . The UN Security Council
protests at the “flagrant” breach of the ceasefire. [8g]
3 November: Helen Berhane, a Rhema church member who had been d etained
without trial for 18 months, who was abused and tor tured, was confirmed as
having been released from detention. [5o] [31h] [67c]
6 December: Giffa begins in Asmara; 500 parents and relatives of youn g people
missing from official registers targeted for arrest , detention and fines. [5e]
2007 25 January: Further Government restrictions and impositions pla ced on the
deposed patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church.
[49]
5 April: The Government bans the practice of FGM. [19c]
9 May: 80 members of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a r egistered
denomination, arrested in Asmara. [87g]
8 June: Police raids in Asmara, detaining Pente Christians. [67a]
4 July: The 21st round of National Service conscripts calle d up. [50aa]
2 August: Round-ups and checks on the conscription status of women, including
mothers (Awate, 2 August 2007)
8 September: US gives stark warning to Eritrea. (BBC, 8 Septembe r 2007) [8v]
18 September: Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the Euro pean Union
on political prisoners in Eritrea. [105]
25 September: Ethiopia threatens to terminate peace deal with Er itrea.
(Voice of America, 25 September 2007) [107a]
15 October: Attempted assassination of Col. Simon Ghebredengel .
(Awate, com, 15 October 2007) [50af]
November: “Eritrea accepts border line demarcated by interna tional boundary
commission. Ethiopia rejects it.” (BBC timeline, 19 June 2008) [8j]
2008 January: “UN extends mandate of peacekeepers on Ethiopia-Eri trea border
for six months. UN Security Council demands Eritrea lift fuel restrictions
imposed on UN peacekeepers at the Eritrea-Ethiopia border area. Eritrea
declines, saying troops must leave border.” (BBC ti meline, 19 June 2008)
[8j]
15/16 February : UNMEE withdraws its force of 1,400 troops and 200 military
observers as a “temporary withdrawal”, with the Eth iopian Government
permitting withdrawl to northern Ethiopia. (Agence France Presse, 15
February 2008) [66c] However, a dispute arose between the UN and the
Eritrean Government about how how much equipment th e UN could leave,
with the UN insisting on leaving with all its trans port: the Eritrean Government
prevented both fuel and food rations reaching the U N force.
(BBC News, 16 February 2008) [8o]
April : “UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon warns of likeli hood of new war
between Ethiopia and Eritrea if peacekeeping missio n withdraws completely.
Outlines options for the future of the UN mission i n the two countries.
Djibouti accuses Eritrean troops of digging trench es at disputed Ras Doumeira
border area and infiltrating Djiboutian territory. Eritrea denies charge.”
(BBC timeline, 19 June 2008) [8j]
May : “Eritrea calls on UN to terminate peacekeeping mi ssion.”
(BBC timeline, 19 June 2008) [8j] PDF page 154
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
148
June : “Fighting breaks out between Eritrean and Djibout ian troops.”
(BBC timeline, 19 June 2008) [8j]
September : An Eritrean government intelligence camp in Molok hseito was
reportedly attacked by armed units of the Eritrean National Salvation Front
(ENSF) [50z]
November: The Eritrean government launched a fresh crackdown on
Christians. At least 110 evangelical believers were detained. The Christians
were arrested in all parts of the country apart fro m Asmara. Those detained
included 65 members of the evangelical Kale Hiwot C hurch. [110]
2009 January: The UN Security Council gave Eritrea an ultimatum t o withdraw its
forces from a disputed border region with Djibouti within five weeks. The UN
resolution also called for Eritrea to remove its mi litary hardware from the Ras
Doumeira region and the island of Doumeira. [8b]
February: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) repo rted that a
bomb explosion killed two people and wounded eight others at a restaurant in
western Eritrea. The ABC report further stated that “Eritrea blamed Ethiopia
for an earlier bomb attack in January 2008 that kil led one person and
wounded several others in another market town near the western border”.
[109]
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 155
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
149
Annex B: Political Organisations
Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF)
The ARDUF is known locally as Ouguguma, which is a newly created Afar word for
revolution.
[70b]
Afar National Liberation Movement (ANLM)
The ANLM is a pro-Ethiopian Afar-based organisation .
[70b]
Alkhalas
Website given in an Awate.com article of 15 Februar y 2007 as
http://www.alkhalas.org/eng-home1.htm
[50t]
Alliance of Eritrean National Forces (AENF) – see Eritrean National Alliance .
[1a] (p419)
Association of Eritrean Initiative (AEI)
The AEI is also known as the Eritrean Initiative Gr oup (EIG) and is led by Mhamed
Medeni. It is a member of the AENF/EDA. Its popular support inside Eritrea is very
limited.
[70b]
Eritrean Democratic Party
Website given in an Awate.com article of 15 Februar y 2007 as http://www.selfi-
democracy.com [50t]
Eritrean Islamic Jihad (EIJ)
Radical opposition group; in August 1993 split into a military wing and political wing;
leader of political wing Sheikh Mohamed Arafa.
[1b] (p419)
Eritrean Islamic Salvation Movement (EISM)
Known until 1998 as Eritrean Islamic Jihad (EIJ), t he EISM is led by Sheikh Khalil
Mohammed Amer. The EIJ was allied to Sudan and had bases in that country. It is a
member of the AENF/EDA and has Muslim support.
[70b]
Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Eritrea ( DMLE)
An organisation opposed to the People’s Front for D emocracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Leadership Hamid Turky. [70b]
Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
After 1962, Eritreans who opposed union carried on sporadic guerilla warfare against
Ethiopia, and the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) w as founded. In 1972 a rival insurgent
group, the Eritrean Popular Liberation Forces (EPLF ), was formed and battled the ELF
for supremacy.
[1b] (p419)
Eritrean Democratic Resistance Movement (EDRM)
Led by Ismail Nada, the EDRM is based on the Nara a nd other ethnic minorities from
the Gash-Setit zone. It is a member of the AENF/EDA . It is narrowly ethnic in make-up.
[70b]
Eritrean Kunama Democratic Liberation Movement (EKD LM)
Led by Qernelyos, the EKDLM, which is based on the Kunama ethnic group, is
allegedly supported by Ethiopia. It is a member of the AENF/EDA.
[70b]
PDF page 156
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
150
Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF)
Mainly Muslim and formed in the late 1950s to pursu e Eritrean autonomy. It initiated
anti-Ethiopian guerilla activity in the early 1960s , but its influence later declined as it
was increasingly marginalised by the breakaway Erit rean People’s Liberation Front
(which later became the People’s Front for Democrac y and Justice). Now split into
numerous factions, the ELF opposed the PDFJ transit ional government of Eritrea.
Website given in an Awate.com article of 15 Februar y 2007 as http://www.omaal.net
[50t]
Eritrean Liberation Front-Central Command (ELF-CC)
Founded 1982; Chairman Abdella Idriss.
[1b] (p419)
Eritrean Liberation Front-National Council (ELF-NC)
Leader Hassan Ali Assad.
[1b] (p419)
Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council (EL F-RC)
Established by former ELF members who remained outs ide EPLF; President Seyoum
Ogbamichael; leader Ahmed Mohamed Nasser.
[1b] (p419) . Ogbamichael died on 17
December 2005. [22]
Eritrean National Alliance (ENA)
Formerly Alliance of Eritrean National Forces (AENF) and founded in 1999.
Changed name in 2002 – Grouping of 13 opposition or ganisations (including EIJ, EIS,
ELF, and a number of ELF factions). Military wing s et up in 2003; Chairman Hiruy
Tedla Bairu; Secretary General Husayn Khalifa.
[1b] (p419)
Eritrean People’s Congress (EPC)
Led by Abu Siehel, the EPC is allegedly backed by S udan. It is a member of the
AENF/EDA with limited support from Muslim Eritreans .
[70b]
Eritrean People’s Liberation Front Democratic Party (EPLF-DP)
The first opposition organisation to be created fro m the membership of the PFDJ that
now rules Eritrea. Established at the end of 2001 w ith a statement on the Internet, the
EPLF/DP aims to protest at President Afewerki’s aut horitarian rule. It is believed that
one of its founding members is the former Defence M inister, Mesfin Hagos.
[1b] (p419)
Eritrean Revolutionary Democratic Front (ERDF)
Led by Berhane Yemane, the ERDF, which is a member of the AENF/EDA, was close
to Sagem and consequently friendly with Ethiopia.
[70b]
Islah
Website given in an Awate.com article of 15 Februar y 2007 as http://www.islaher.org
[50t]
Islamic Salvation Movement
Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement (EIJM), Harakat al Jihad al Islami’ – The Federation
of American Scientists (statement last updated 1999 ) said: “The Eritrean opposition
group Harakat al Jihad al Islami (EIJM) changed its name to Harakat al Khalas al
Islami (Islamic Salvation Movement) in September 19 98. The Movement has been
seeking the forceful overthrow of Eritrea’s governm ent and its replacement by an
Islamic government. Sudanese authorities indicated their support of the Movement
allowing the Movement’s Secretary-General Sheikh Mo hamed Amer to hold a news
conference in Khartoum.”
[24]
PDF page 157
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
151
People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Founded 1970 as the Eritrean Popular Liberation For ces (EPLF); following a split in the
Eritrean Liberation Front, renamed the Eritrean Peo ple’s Liberation Front in 1977;
adopted present name in February 1994. Christian an d Muslim support; in May 1991
took control of Eritrea and formed provisional Gove rnment; formed transitional
Government in May 1993; Chair Isaias Afewerki, Pres ident of Eritrea; Secretary
General Alamin Mohamed Said. [1b] (p419)
Popular Liberation Forces
Breakaway faction from ELF which went on to form EP LF in 1977.
[1b] (p402)
Red Sea Afar Democratic Organisation
Afar opposition group; Secretary General Amin Ahmma d.
[1b] (p419)
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 158
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
152
Annex C: Prominent people: past and present
T HE G OVERNMENT
Afewerki Isaias
President Isaias Afewerki is the dominant figure in Eritrean politics: head of state,
government and ruling party. He was born in 1945 an d joined the Eritrean Liberation
Front (ELF) in 1966 after studying engineering at A ddis Ababa University. He
underwent military training in China and quickly ro se up the ELF chain of command. He
helped found the Eritrean People's Liberation Force s in 1970, which became the
Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) at the 1s t organisational congress of 1977
and became Secretary-General of the front in 1987. At independence he became
chairman of the State Council of the National Assem bly and later secretary general of
the Provisional Government of Eritrea. Isaias has p resided over the country since
assuming power on the fall of the Dergue in May 199 1 and was elected president by
the National Assembly in June 1993. During 1997 and 1998, however, critics accused
him of pursuing an overly aggressive foreign policy towards neighbours and of blocking
the planned transition to democracy. Post-war, ther e appears to be no chance of
Eritrea’s government regaining this momentum under Isaias’ authoritarian rule. Since
late 2002, he has also assumed responsibility for m ost of the defence portfolio.
[70b]
(Jane’s Security Sentinel, October 2007)
Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo
Vice-President, former local government minister.
[93] (EIU Country Profile 2006)
Berhe Arefaine
Minister of Agriculture
[70b]
Asfaha Abraha
Minister of Construction
[70b]
Ephrem Sebhat
Minister of Defence
[70b]
Rusom Semere
Minister of Education
[70b]
Tesfai Gebreselassie
Minister of Energy and Mines
[70b]
Abrehe Berhane
Minister of Finance
[70b]
Salih Muhammad Uthman
Minister of Foreign Affairs
[70b]
Dr Meki Saleh
Minister of Health
[70b]
Ali Abdu
Minister of Information and Culture
[70b]
Fozia Hashim
Minister of Justice
[70b] PDF page 159
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
153
Askalu Menkerios
Minister of Labour and Human Welfare
[70b]
Gebremariam Woldemikael
Minister of Land, Water and Environment
[70b]
Haj Ali Ahmed
Minister of Maritime Resources and Fisheries
[70b]
Futur Woldai
Minister of National Development
[70b]
Nur Husayn Aminah
Minister of Tourism
[70b]
P OLITICAL P ARTY L EADERS
Ahmed Nasser
Leader of ELF-RC until 2003.
[1a] (p403)
In its sixth regular meeting in Addis Ababa (Octobe r 2003), the ENA had resolved and
appointed a committee for a national conference cha ired by Ahmed Nasser, who had
recently abandoned his official position in ELF-RC and later joined the ENA without
assessment of his past withdrawal from it.
Alamin Mohamed Said
Secretary-General of PFDJ.
[1a] (p419)
Amin Ahmmad
Secretary General of Red Sea Afar Democratic Organi sation.
[1a] (p419)
Hamid Turky
Leader of Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Eritrea.
[1a] (p418)
Hassan Ali Assad
Leader of ELF-NC.
[1a] (p419)
Hiruy Tedla Bairu
Leader of the ENA; replaced Abdallah Idris in Janua ry 2005.
[59]
Issaias Afewerki
Secretary-General of EPLF, Chairman of PFDJ and Pre sident of Eritrea June 1993 to
present.
[1a] (p403 & 419)
Mesfin Hagos
Former Defence Minister, member of G-15 group of di ssenters. Hagos escaped arrest
in September 2001 by being out of the country. Lead er of EPLF-DP.
[1a] (p419)
Sebhat Ephrem
Minister of Defence.
[1a] (p418) ; [93] (EIU Country Profile 2006)
Semere Kesete
Once President of Students’ Union at University of Asmara.
[8f]
PDF page 160
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
154
Seyoum Ogbamichael
President of ELF-RC.
[1a] (p419)
Sheikh Mohamed Arafa
Leader of EIJ.
[1a] (p419)
* It is more usual for people in Ethiopia and Eritr ea to be addressed by their first name.
This is reflected in this list and at times in the text of this report.
T HE G15/G11 POLITICAL PRISONERS
Ogbe Abraha
Army General; formerly Chief of Staff of the Defenc e Force, Minister of Trade and
Industry, and Minister of Labour and Social Welfare ; he has chronic asthma.
Aster Fissehatsion
Director in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affai rs; executive member of the official
National Union of Eritrean Women; EPLF official sin ce 1977; former wife of Mahmoud
Ahmed Sheriffo, also detained in September 2001; sh e has stomach ulcers.
Berhane Gebregziabeher
Army Major-General; head of the National Reserve Fo rce; EPLF political bureau
member since 1977.
Beraki Gebreselassie
Former Ambassador to Germany (to May 2001); previou sly Minister of Education and
Minister of Information and Culture.
Hamad Hamid Hamad
Head of the Arabic (Middle East) Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; former
Ambassador to Sudan.
Saleh Kekiya
Former Minister of Transport and Communication, Vic e-Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Head of the Office of the President.
Germano Nati
Regional Administrator.
Estifanos Seyoum
Army Brigadier General; former Head of the Inland Revenue Service (to August 2001).
Mahmoud Ahmed Sheriffo
Former Vice-President (dismissed in February 2001), Minister of Local Government,
and Minister of Foreign Affairs; EPLF co-founder.
Petros Solomon
Former Minister of Maritime Resources; previously Minister of Foreign Affairs, EPLF
military commander and intelligence chief, EPLF pol itical bureau member since 1977.
PDF page 161
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
155
Haile Woldetensae (or Weldensae, also known as “Durue”)
Former Minister of Trade and Industry (until July 2 001); previously Minister of Foreign
Affairs during the war and the peace talks, and als o Minister of Finance; former EPLF
head of political affairs and political bureau memb er since 1977; he is diabetic.” [5d] (p6)
IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS
Compiled from the Committee to Protect Journalists’ list [30]
Zemenfes Haile
Ghebrehiwet Keleta
Selamyinghes Beyene
Hamid Mohammed Said
Saleh Ajezeeri Said Abdulkadir
Yosuf Mohamed Ali
Amanuel Asrat
Temesgen Gebreysus
Mattewos Habteab
Dawit Habtemichael
Medhanie Haile
Dawit Isaac
Seyoum Tsehaye
Fessaye Yohannes (“Joshua”) Reported by AI on 15 February 2007 as may have
died in prison.
[5p] RWB has also stated that Joshua died in January 200 7. [17a] . IRIN
reported on 16 November 2006 that three journalists of the 2001 arrests may have died
in Eiraeiro prison in the intervening five years. [19a]
See Freedom of Speech and Media
Return to contents
Go to list of sources
PDF page 162
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
156
Annex D: List of abbreviations
AI Amnesty International
CEDAW Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discr imination Against
Women
CPJ Committee to Protect Journalists
CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child
EU European Union
FCO Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK)
FGM Female Genital Mutilation
FH Freedom House
GDP Gross Domestic Product
HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodefici ency Syndrome
HRW Human Rights Watch
ICG International Crisis Group
ICRC International Committee for Red Cross
IDP Internally Displaced Person
IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cres cent Societies
IMF International Monetary Fund
IOM International Organisation for Migration
MSF Médecins sans Frontières
NA Northern Alliance
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NGO Non Governmental Organisation
OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affair s
ODIHR Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Right s
ODPR Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees
OECD Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Developme nt
OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
OSCE Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europ e
RSF Reporteurs sans Frontières
STD Sexually Transmitted Disease
STC Save The Children
TB Tuberculosis
TI Transparency International
UN United Nations
UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultura l Organization
UNGASS United Nations General Assembly Special Session
UNHCHR United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
UNMEE United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USSD United States State Department
WFP World Food Programme
WHO World Health Organization
Return to contents
Go to list of sources PDF page 163
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
157
Annex E: References to source material
The Home Office is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Numbering of source documents is not always consecu tive because some older
sources have been removed in the course of updating this document.
[1] Europa Publications
a Europa Online Eritrea section (via subscription)
www.europaworld.com
,
Date accessed 20 January 2009
b Regional Survey: Africa south of the Sahara, 2005 edition (hard copy)
[2] Draft Constitution of Eritrea, Constitutional C ommission of Eritrea,
Asmara July 1996
http://www.parliament.go.th/parcy/sapa_db/cons_doc/ constitutions/data/Erit
rea/Eritrea.htm
Date accessed 15 August 2008
[3] Home Office
Report of Home Office fact-finding mission to Eritr ea: 4–18 November 2002
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type,FACTFINDING,UKHO ,ERI,3f4f24f20,0.html
Date accessed 15 August 2008
[4] United States Department of State (www.state.gov)
a Background Note: Eritrea, March 2009
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2854.htm
Date accessed 2 April 2009
b Overseas Security Advisory Council – 19 March 200 8, Asmara, Eritrea:
2008 Crime and Safety Report
http://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=8 0306
Date accessed 26 June 2008
c Travel.State.Gov, Reciprocity schedule, Eritrea
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciprocity/recip rocity_3557.html#
Date accessed 20 January 2009
d Trafficking in Persons Report: Eritrea section, 1 2 June 2008
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/
Date accessed 17 July 2008
e International Religious Freedom (USIRF) report 20 06: Eritrea,
15 September 2006
http://wwww.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/713 00.htm
Date accessed 27 September 2006
f Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2005 , Eritrea: March 2006
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61568.htm
Date accessed 15 March 2006
g International Religious Freedom Report for 2005, Eritrea, November 2005
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51471.htm
Date accessed 15 November 2005
h Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2007 , Eritrea:
11 March 2008
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100480.h tm
Date accessed 10 April 2008
PDF page 164
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
158
i May 2006, Annual Report of the United States Comm ission on International
Religious Freedom
http://www.uscirf.gov/countries/publications/curren treport/2006annualRpt.p
df#
Date accessed 7 June 2006
j 2008 Country Reports on Terrorism
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2007/103705.htm [ style]
Date accessed 6 May 2008
k Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2006 , Eritrea: 8 March 2007
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78733.htm
Date accessed 12 March 2007
l International Religious Freedom Report 2008, Erit rea: September 2008
http://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/1083 67.htm
Date accessed 12 November 2008
m Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2008 , Eritrea:
25 February 2009
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/11900 0.htm
Date accessed 26 February 2009
[5] Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org
a Eritrea Annual Report 2008 (covering events from January to December
2007)
http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Africa/Eri trea
Date accessed 2 July 2007
b Pastor Mengist Tewelde-Medhin and 55 members of t he Hallelujah
Pentecostal Christian Church, Public AI Index: AFR 64/002/2004, 9 March
2004
http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGAFR64002200 4
Date accessed 9 March 2006
c Eritrea: ‘You have no right to ask – Government r esists scrutiny on human
rights’ – 19 May 2004
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR64/003/2 004/en/dom-
AFR640032004en.pdf
Date accessed 28 June 2004
d Eritrea: Arbitrary detention of government critic s and journalists 18
September 2002
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR64/008/2 002/en/dom-
AFR640082002en.pdf
Date accessed 3 November 2004
e Eritrea: Over 500 parents of conscripts arrested 21 December 2006
http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGAFR6401520 06
Date accessed 2 January 2007
f Press Release - Egypt: Govt Forcibly Returns Up to 1,400 Asylum Seekers
From Eritrea, 13 June 2008
http://allafrica.com/stories/200806130152.ht ml
Date accessed 31 March 2009
g Eritrea: Further information on fear of torture/p risoners of conscience:
Evangelical church members released (Public AI Inde x: AFR 64/015/2005),
29 November 2005
http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGAFR 640152005
Date accessed 9 March 2006
h Eritrea: Fear of torture or ill-treatment/incommu nicado detention/detention
without charge (Public AI Index: AFR 64/011/2005), 28 July 2005
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR64/011/ 2005/en/dom-
AFR640112005en.html
Date accessed 1 August 2008 PDF page 165
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
159
i Eritrea: Fear of torture or ill-treatment/prisone rs of conscience, 75
evangelical Christians (Public AI Index: AFR 64/001 /2006),
17 February 2006
http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR 640012006?open&of=
ENG-ERI
Date accessed 9 March 2006
j The Wire, Vol.32, No. 02, Religious persecution i n Eritrea, March 2006,
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGNWS21002200 6?open&of=ENG-
ERI
Date accessed 9 June 2006
k Urgent Action 145/08, AFR 64/002/2008, Yonas Haile Mehari, Petros
Aforki Mulugeta, 29 May 2008
www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa14508.pd f
Date accessed 2 July 2008
l Eritrea – Religious Persecution, 7 December 2005,
http://web.amnesty.org/library/pdf/AFR640132005ENGL ISH/$File/AFR6401
305.pdf
Date accessed 13 December 2005
m Further information (on Mohamed Ferah) EUR 23/002 /2008, Yonas Haile
Mehari, Petros Aforki Mulugeta, 25 July 2008
www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR23/002/2008/en
Date accessed 31 July 2008
n Eritrea Annual Report 2003 (covering events from Ja nuary to December
2002)
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,AMNESTY,,ERI ,,3edb47d41a,0.html
Date accessed 31 March 2008
o Eritrea: gospel singer Helen Berhane released, 3 November 2006
http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGAFR6401420 06
Date accessed 20 February 2007
p Eritrea: prominent journalist reported dead in se cret prison, 15 February
2007
http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGAFR6 40022007
Date accessed 20 February 2007
q Libya: 430 Eritrean nationals, 8 February 2007
http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGMDE1 90042007
Date accessed 21 February 2007
r Eritrea Annual Report 2006 (covering events from Ja nuary to December
2005)
http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/eri-summary-eng
Date accessed 17 July 2006
s Pastor and churchgoers held in detention at risk of torture, Amnesty
International calls for their immediate and uncondi tional release,
8 September 2007
http://amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=1743 8
Date accessed 17 September 2007
[6] World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Pe oples
Eritrea Overview section
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,MRGI,,ERI,,4 954ce2a19,0.html
Date accessed 1 April 2009
[7] Eritrean Nationality Proclamation (Number 21/19 92)
Gazette of Eritrean laws, Vol. 2/1992, Number 3, Er itrean Provisional
Government
PDF page 166
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
160
[8] British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News Onl ine http://news.bbc.co.uk/
a Country profile of Eritrea, 17 June 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_pro files/1070813.stm
Date accessed 18 July 2008
b UN in Eritrea pull-out ultimatum, 14 January 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7829406.st m
Date accessed 15 January 2009
c Eritreans risk death in the Sahara, 25 March 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6492961.stm
Date accessed 26 March 2007
d Djibouti troops killed on border, 11 June 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7448348.st m
Date accessed 31 July 2008
e Eritrea incursion ‘to pick crops’, 17 October 200 6
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6057352.stm
Date accessed 13 November 2006
f Students’ daring jailbreak in Eritrea, 9 August 2 002
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2182775.stm
Date accessed 22 April 2005
g UN criticises Eritrea ‘incursion’, 16 October 200 6
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6057352.stm
Date accessed 17 October 2006
h Concern at Horn troop deployment, 17 February 200 5
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4274759.stm
Date accessed 27 April 2005
i Eritrea army ‘entered Djibouti’, 6 May 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7385690.st m
Date accessed 31 July 2008
j Timeline: Eritrea, 19 June 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_pro files/1070861.stm
Date accessed 17 September 2008
k Eritrean crackdown on religions, 7 December 2005
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4506602.stm
Date accessed 12 December 2005
l Not so fond farewell to Eritrea, 10 March 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7283293.st m
Date accessed 14 March 2008
m Eritrea bans Ethiopian songs, 6 January 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2632399.stm
Date accessed 24 November 2006
n Eritrea expels more aid agencies, 6 November 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6122454.stm
Date accessed 13 November 2006
o UN troops ‘trapped’ in Eritrea,16 February 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7248085.st m
Date accessed 18 February 2008
p Ethiopia troops defect to Eritrea, 1 December 200 5
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4488904.stm
Date accessed 5 December 2005
q Eritrea rapped for ‘military schooling’, 11 Janu ary 2004
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3386965.st m
Date accessed 20 January 2009
r Eritrean POWs return home, 29 November 2002
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2528461.stm
Date accessed 25 April 2006
PDF page 167
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
161
s Horn of Africa ‘crisis’, UN warns,16 December 200 5
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4530642.stm
Date accessed 26 April 2006
t Deportations from Libya ‘illegal’, 17 January 20 08
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7193737.stm
Date accessed 17 January 2008
u Eritrean Christians tell of torture, 27 September 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7015033.stm
Date accessed 1 October 2007
v US gives stark warning to Eritrea, 8 September 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6985656.stm
Date accessed 10 September 2007
w Warning of new Horn of Africa war, 9 September 20 07
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6982244.stm
Date accessed 9 September 2007
x Asylum for Eritrean gospel singer, 22 October 200 7
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7056120.stm
Date accessed 17 December 2007
[9] Physicians for Peace
1 May 2007, Two physicians from New Mexico head to Eritrea to launch
medical education program
http://www.partnershipforeritrea.org/documents/New _Mexico-
Eritrea_Release_FINAL.pdf
Date accessed 14 July 2008
[10] Foreign and Commonwealth Office www.fco.gov.uk
a Letter from the British Embassy in Addis Ababa, d ated 2 July 2001
b Letter dated 10 May 1996
c Letter dated 9 September 2005
d Country profile – Eritrea; updated 8 October 200 7
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/country-pro files/sub-saharan-
africa/eritrea
Date accessed 18 July 2008
e Letter dated 1 February 2006
f Letter from the British Embassy in Asmara, dated 14 July 2003
g Letter from the British Embassy in Asmara, dated 13 June 2008, about
questions on military training/active national serv ice
[11] Dehai News http://www.dehai.org
a (AFP) Eritrea to counter rising commodity prices , 25 May 2008
http://dehai.org/archives/dehai_news_archive/apr-j un08/0804.html
Date accessed 16 July 2008
b Eritrean opposition groups call on Sudan to lift imposed ban, 9 June 2008
http://dehai.org/archives/dehai_news_archive/apr-j un08/1021.html
Date accessed 16 July 2008
c (Eritrean Ministry of Information) Eritrean natio nals who returned home
from Egypt express satisfaction with the warm hospi tality accorded them, 1
July 2008
http://www.dehai.org/archives/dehai_news_archive/00 12.html
Date accessed 16 July 2008
d Eritrea dismisses rights reports on mass arrests – 22 December 2006
Date accessed 29 December 2006
e Refugee voices: no longer stateless, but still in limbo, 7 July 2008
http://www.dehai.org/archives/dehai_news_archive/00 53.html
Date accessed 16 July 2008 PDF page 168
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
162
[12] The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA)
State-sponsored Homophobia: A world survey of laws prohibiting same sex
activity between consenting adults - May 2008, Dani el Ottosson
http://www.ilga.org/statehomophobia/ILGA_State_Spon sored_Homophobia
_2008.pdf
Date accessed 20 January 2009
[13] Government of Eritrea
Proclamation No 82/1995 - National Service Proclama tion of 23 October 1995
http://www.awate.com/artman/uploads/national_servic e.pdf
[14] Eritrean Embassy, London, United Kingdom
Letter dated 27 January 2004 to the Home Office a bout Eritrean nationality
[15] Asylum Law http:www.asylumlaw.org
Eritrea – Government
http://www.asylumlaw.org/docs/sexualminorities/Worl d%20SurveyAIhomos
exuality.pdf
Date accessed 15 August 2008
[16] Afrol News http://www.afrol.com
First medical school in Eritrea opens,15 March 200 5
http://www.afrol.com/articles/11933
Date accessed 14 October 2005
[17] Reporters sans Frontières ( Reporters Without Borders) (www.rsf.org)/
a Eritrea - 2008 Africa annual report, 13 February 2008
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-
bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?page=country&doci d=47b418b215&
;skip=&category=COI&coi=ERI
Date accessed 5 May 2008
b Eritrea: Naizghi Kiflu, the dictator’s eminence grise, May 2008
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=27109
Date accessed 28 May 2008
c Eritrea: Plea to EU to Suspend Development Aid in Light of Fresh
Crackdown On Journalists, 6 March 2009
http://allafrica.com/stories/200903060773.html
Date accessed 15 April 2009
[18] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home
a Eritrean refugees fly out of Ethiopia for a new life in the United States,
5 July 2007
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/UNHCR/a6a0 934d2cac0025662
3f526c5575294.htm
Date accessed 1 April 2009
b UNHCR comments to the Advisory Panel on Country I nformation on the
October 2004 Home Office Country Report for Eritrea , February 2005
www.apci.org.uk
c UNHCR position paper ‘Return of rejected asylum-s eekers to Eritrea’,
January 2004
PDF page 169
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
163
d Writenet report commissioned by the U nited Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees Status Determinatio n and Protection Information Sections
(DIPS), Eritrea: Challenges and Crises of a New State, published on
1 October 2006
http://www.unhcr.org/publ/RSDCOI/4538821e4.pdf
Date accessed 2 October 2007
e UNHCR comments to the Advisory Panel on Country Information on the
October 2005 Home Office Country Report for Eritrea , March 2006
f Letter from UNHCR dated 11 March 2005, ‘Draft Eva sion in Eritrea’
g United Nations News Service report - Security Cou ncil discusses border
tensions between Djibouti and Eritrea, 23 October 2 008
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type,COUNTRYNEWS,,ERI ,4918448c1e,0.ht
ml
Date accessed 15 April 2009
[19] United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
http://www.irinnews.org/
a Reporters ‘may have died in detention’, 16 Novemb er 2006,
Date accessed 2 January 2007
b Israel: Government starts rounding up asylum-seek ers, 27 February 2008,
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=76985
Date accessed 6 June 2008
c Government outlaws female genital mutilation, 5 A pril 2007
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71199
Date accessed 6 June 2007
d Refugee Repatriation from Sudan to End This Year, 2 August 2004
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408020008.html
Date accessed 26 February 2009
e Ethiopia-Eritrea: Chronology of Key Events in 200 4, 5 January 2005
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId =52579
Date accessed 26 February 2009
f Ethiopia-Eritrea: Year in Brief, July-Dec 2005 – A Chronology of Key
Events, 11 January 2006
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news /2006/01/mil-060111-
irin03.htm#Jul
Date accessed 26 February 2009
[20] United Kingdom, Department for International D evelopment (DFID)
http://www.dfid.gov.uk
Country profiles: Eritrea, updated 24 October 2007
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/africa/eritrea.as p
Date accessed 31 July 2008
[21] Refugees International http://www.refugeesinternational.org/cgi-bin/ri/ind ex
a Forgotten People: The Kunama of Eritrea and Ethiopia – 18 February 2004
Date accessed 8 November 2004
b 30 May 2008, Stalemate takes toll on Eritreans an d Ethiopians of Eritrean
origin
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/artic le/detail/10668/
Date accessed 3 July 2008
PDF page 170
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
164
[22] Eritrean Human Rights Electronic Archive (E HREA)
Short Life History of Patriot-Martyr Seyoum Ogbamichael,
30 December 2005
http://www.ehrea.org/Short.htm
Date accessed 9 April 2009
[23] War Resisters’ International http://www.wri-irg.org/
a Eritrea entry in ‘Refusing to bear arms’, 1998
http://www.wri-irg.org/co/rtba/eritrea.htm
Date accessed 23 June 2006
b Eritrea: Conscientious Objection and Desertion, 2005
http://www.wri-irg.org/news/2005/eritrea-en.htm
Date accessed 23 June 2006
c Conscientious Objection and Desertion in Eritrea , 1 December 2005
http://www.wri-irg.org/pubs/upd-0512.htm
Date accessed 26 June 2006
[24] The Federation of American Scientists
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/ism.htm
Islamic Salvation Movement (EIJM) – 29 Oct ober 1999
Date accessed 24 September 2008
[25] Mebrat Tzehaie – Homepage (http://www.asmera.nl/)
a Health care in Asmara
http://www.eritrea.be/old/eritrea-health.htm
Date accessed 24 September 2008
b People
http://www.eritrea.be/old/eritrea-people.htm
Date accessed 24 September 2008
[26] Shabait (State Publishing)
a Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea Radio, 11 Ja nuary 2003 (Via Lexis-
Nexis) Date accessed 25 August 2006
b Members of 19 th round national service program graduate, 9 Decembe r
2006 Date accessed 11 December 2006
c Ministry of Justice organizes discussion regardin g Eritrean customary laws
and norms, 26 December 2006 Accessed 28 December 2006
d President Isaias presides over graduation, 15 Dec ember 2007
via Lexis-Nexis
Date accessed 19 December 2007
e 80,000 tourists comprising Eritreans living abroa d, 17 December 2006 via
Lexis-Nexis
Date accessed 19 December 2007
[27] United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
a Eritrea, Responding to the basic needs of the IDP population in new
resettlement areas, 12 February 2008
www.unicef.org/har08/files/har08_Eritrea_featurest ory.pdf
Date accessed 18 August 2008
b Eritrea, (n.d)
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/eritrea_1451.h tml
Date accessed 2 May 2008
c Eritrea: FGM/C Country Profile, 2002
http://www.childinfo.org/files/Eritrea_FGC_profile _English.pdf
Date accessed 2 May 2008 PDF page 171
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
165
[28] United States, Central Intelligence Agency
CIA World Factbook Online - Eritrea section (22 Ja nuary 2009 version)
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the -world-factbook/geos/er.html
Date accessed 22 January 2009
[29] Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/
a The Horn Of Africa War: Mass Expulsions and the N ationality Issue (June
1998–April 2002) – January 2003 http://hrw.org/repo rts/2003/ethioerit0103/
Date accessed 2 March 2004
b Stemming the flow: abuses against migrants, asylu m seekers and refugees
http://hrw.org/reports/2006/libya0906/
Date accessed 13 September 2006
c Eritrea Report 2005
Date accessed 3 May 2005
e Expulsions by Ethiopia
f Eritrea – World Report 2006
Date accessed 20 January 2006
g Ethiopia – World Report 2003
Date accessed 29 April 2006
h Eritrea – events of 2006, World Report 2007, date d 31 December 2006,
published 11 January 2007
http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/2007/01/11/eritre1 4698.htm
Date accessed 20 January 2006
i Eritrea – events of 2007, World Report 2008, date d January 2008,
published January 2008
http://hrw.org/englishwr2k8/docs/2008/01/31/eritre1 7746.htm
Date accessed 4 February 2008
j Eritrea – World Report 2009, published on 14 Janu ary 2009
http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_mate rial/Eritrea.pdf
Date accessed 19 January 2009
[30] Committee to Protect Journalists
16 September 2005 CPJ demands government account f or ‘disappeared’
journalists
www.cpj.org/news/2005/Eritrea16sept05na.html
Date accessed 2 February 2006
[31] Release Eritrea (http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/)
a Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church under a rrest, 20 January 2006
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/42
Date accessed 11 April 2006
b Religious Registration deception, 17 December 200 4
www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/10
Date accessed 15 March 2006
c Promoting religious freedom, 25 June 2005
www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/26
Date accessed 15 March 2006
d Eritrean students imprisoned for refusing to part icipate in Independence
Day celebrations, 23 May 2006
www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/45
Date accessed 7 June 2006
e Christian prisoners in Eritrea, 25 June 2005
www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/26
Date accessed 8 June 2006
f Hundreds of Eritrean Christians still in prison, 13 October 2005
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/39 Accessed 2 June 2006
Date accessed 2 June 2006 PDF page 172
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
166
g One in ten Eritrean evangelicals are now in priso n, 25 August 2006
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/50
Date accessed 11 September 2006
h Authorities in Eritrea release Helen Berhane, 2 N ovember 2006
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/51
Date accessed 14 November 2006
i Religious persecution in Eritrea worsens, 10 Sep tember 2007
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/60
Date accessed 16 January 2008
Christians in Eritrea appeal for the interna tional community to urge the
government to release more than fifty children arre sted, 4 November 2006
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/52
Date accessed 14 November 2006
j Eritrean authorities continue to disrupt Christia n weddings and mournings,
6 February 2007
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/53
Date accessed 16 January 2008
k The Government of Eritrea raided a Presbyerian ch urch and arrested its
pastor, 4 May 2007
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/54
Date accessed 16 January 2008
l Eritrean authorities conduct a dawn raid arrestin g at least 20 Christians and
a pastor, with complex medical needs, 5 June 2007
http://www.release-eritrea.org.uk/node/56
Date accessed 16 January 2008
m Eritrean authorities arrest Pastor Ukbamichael, f or the third time in five
years, 2 October 2007 http://www.release-eritrea.or g.uk/node/60
Date accessed 16 January 2008
[32] Lonely Planet – Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti
By Frances Linzee Gordon. 2000
[33] United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Eritrea situation analysis on population, reproduct ive health and
Gender, December 2005
http://cst.addisababa.unfpa.org/docs/aaerics a.pdf
Date accessed 15 October 2007
[34] Lutheran World Directory
The Evangelical Church of Eritrea
http://www.lutheranworld.org/di rectory/afr/EvLuthCchEritrea-EN.html
Date accessed 14 July 2008
[35] United Nations Security Council http://www.un.org
News release - Security Council Terminates Mandate of United Nations
Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, urging both Countr ies to Cooperate with
Liquidation Process, 30 July 2008
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9410.doc.h tm
Date accessed 19 January 2009
[36] Freedom House http://www.freedomhouse.org
Freedom of the World, 2008 report, Eritrea
http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&ye ar=2008&country
=7390
Date accessed 18 July 2008
PDF page 173
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
167
[37] Behind the Mask http://www.mask.org.za/
a Eritrea entry, 2006
http://www.mask.org.za/index.php?page=eritrea
Date accessed 26 June 2006
b Hotel employees expelled for ‘immorality’ – 8 Oct ober 2004
[38] Eritrea Daily (http://www.eritreadaily.net)
a Eritrea slaps tighter travel restrictions on fore igners, 31 May 2006
http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0506/article0506312 .htm
Date accessed 29 June 2006
b Eritrea tyrant declares bread and pasta luxury it ems, 1 June 2008
http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0108/article080601 1.htm
Date accessed 16 July 2008
c Asylum seekers from Eritrea face uncertain fu ture, 2 November 2007
http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0407/article110702 1.htm
Date accessed 17 December 2007
d Eritrea: Mutinying Army Units Free Over 600 Unjus tly Jailed Parents,
18 December 2008
http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0208/article081218 1.htm
Date accessed 20 January 2009
[39] Hands Off Cain http://www.handsoffcain.org
country status on the death penalty (29 December 2 008 version)
http://www.handsoffcain.info/news/index.php?iddocu mento=12000734
Date accessed 19 January 2009
[40] The International Committee for the Red Cross http://www.icrc.org
a Annual Report 2008 – Eritrea, published 27 May 20 08
http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/7E UD9Y/$FILE/icrc_ar_0
7_eritrea.pdf?OpenElement
Date accessed 16 July 2007
b The ICRC in Eritrea – fact and figures 2007, 31 M arch 2008
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/e ritrea-field-newsletter-
310308?opendocument
Date accessed 2 May 2008
[41] World Health Organisation http://www.who.int
a Mental Health Atlas 2005, Country profile – Eritr ea
http://www.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/Me ntalHealth/Files/ER_M
ental_Health_Profile.pdf
Date accessed 7 August 2006
b Country Health system Fact Sheet on Eritrea, 2006
http://www.afro.who.int/home/countries/fact_sheets/ eritrea.pdf
Date accessed 20 January 2009
c Mental Health System in Eritrea, 2006
http://www.who.int/mental_health/eritrea_who_aims_r eport2.pdf
Date accessed 20 January 2009
PDF page 174
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
168
[42] allAfrica.com http://allafrica.com
a Eritrea: President holds talks with WHO regional director – 25 September
2007
Date accessed 26 September 2007
EU asked to intercede following Dawit Isaac’ s reimprisonment – 8 December
2005
Date accessed 13 December 2005
b NUEW chairperson attends UN meeting on putting an end to gender
discrimination – 30 January 2006
Date accessed 6 February 2006
c Southern Region: Community-based rehabilitation p rograms for the disabled
bearing fruitful outcome – 31 January 2006
Date accessed 2 February 2006
d Church fights military service for priests – 20 J une 2006
Accessed 23 June 2006
[43] World Organisation against Torture
Violence against girls in Eritrea, A Report to the Committee of the Rights of the
Child, 2003
http://www.omct.org/pdf/VAW/Publications/2003/Eng_2 003_05_Eritrea.pdf
Date accessed 12 October 2007
[44] Ma’ariv newspaper (via BBC News Internati onal Middle East)
“Israel uncovers criminal ring smuggling Eritrean migrants”, 31 August 2008
Via Dialog Datastar news subscription service
Date accessed 1 September 2008
[45] United Nations Department of Economic and Soc ial Affairs, Population
Division
Eritrean government policy on abortion [undated]
http://www0.un.org/esa/populatio n/publications/abortion/doc/eritre1.doc
Date accessed 2 March 2009
[46] The Institute on Religion and Democracy http://www.ird-renew.org
Update on outrages: Eritrea continues campaign a gainst Christians
http://www.theird.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=4 00&srcid=198
Date accessed 21 July 2008
[47] Compass Direct www.compassdirect.org
a Eritrea (country profile) – July 2006
Date accessed 16 February 2007
b Eritrea: Christian singer held in container is finally released, 2007
http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news .aspx?action=view&id=528
Date accessed 14 March 2008
c Eritrea: Christian woman in prison dies of malari a
http://compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news& lang=en&length=long
&idelement=5489
Date accessed 5 August 2008
d Eritrea: Christian students shut into shipping c ontainers, 11 August 2008
http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=n ews&lang=en&length
=long&idelement=5513
Date accessed 15 August 2008
[48] Right to Education.org
Eritrea, sourced from CRC/C/41/Add.12,23 Dec ember 2002
http://www.right-to-education.org/search/index.htm l
Date accessed 21 April 2008 PDF page 175
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
169
[49] Asmarino.com http://news9.asmarino.com
25 January 2007, The latest on H.H. Patriarch Anto nios: his person and
residence violated
Date accessed 16 February 2007
[50] Awate.com http://www.awate.com
a Update: State of the Eritrean Opposition and Erit rean Government, 28 August
2006
Date accessed 6 September 2006
b Barbarism of War Or Peaceful Exit Option? 6 Janua ry 2009
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/5044/5/
Date accessed 20 January 2009
c Eritrean Farmers Protesting Regime’s Policy of Price-Fixing,
27 December 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/5034/3/
Date accessed 20 January 2009
d A nation of fleeing masses, 21 May 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4853/5
Date accessed 28 May 2008
e University of Asmara: demise by negligence, 26 No vember 2004
Date accessed 24 July 2006
f Testimony: the torment at Gedem Prison, 16 June 2 006
Date accessed 24 July 2006
g Testimony: ex-prisoner of Brigade Six, Sawa, 25 A pril 2006
Date accessed 24 July 2006
h In tit-for-tat, Eritrea refuses entry visa to Ame ricans, 17 July 2006
Date accessed 24 July 2006
i Eritrean government said arresting parents of fle eing youth, 17 July 2005
(via Lexis-Nexis)
Date accessed 8 August 2006
j Eritrea said recalling demobilized troops, 24 Feb ruary 2006
(via Lexis-Nexis)
Date accessed 8 August 2006
k Eritrean opposition leaders upbeat about outcome of Khartoum meeting (via
Lexis-Nexis), 27 February 2005
Date accessed 14 August 2006
l Eritrean security forces reportedly arrest 62 fai thful in western town, (via
Lexis-Nexis), 17 January 2005
Date accessed 30 May 2006
m The obscure and tragic end of the G-15, 31 August 2006
Date accessed 6 September 2006
n Famishing A Nation, 10 December 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/5020/2/
Date accessed 20 January 2009
o An Eritrean Priest In Nairobi Faces Deportati on, 17 September 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4958/3/
Date accessed 20 January 2009
p The 19 th round at Kiloma: the self-deception continues, 10 December 2006
Date accessed 11 December 2006
q No Legal Exit; No Limit On Exodus, 25 September 200 8
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4965/3/
Date accessed 20 January 2009
r PFDJ rounds up Eritreans in Sudan 2006, 26 Novemb er 2006
Date accessed 5 December 2006
s Eight state media journalists still held in polic e-run ‘Agip’ centre in Asmara,
3 December 2006
Date accessed 5 December 2006
t EDA will hold its congress, 15 February 2007 PDF page 176
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
170
Date accessed 16 February 2007
u Eritrean economy: inflation and shortages, 22 Mar ch 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4546/3/
Date accessed 23 March 2007
v The genesis of Eritrea’s slavery project, 23 Octo ber 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4646/9/
Date accessed 17 December 2007
w ‘Eritrea: Muslims jail Christians’?, 21 May 2007 [sic]
Date accessed 13 April 2007
x All ‘Agelgelot’ called back to Wi’a, 25 June 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4546/3/
Date accessed 27 July 2007
y Eritrea regime issues circular to cut down desert ion, 28 March 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4557/3/
Date accessed 27 July 2007
Z Eritrean Government Unit Attacked, 26 September 200 8
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4966/3/
Date accessed 20 January 2009
aa Warsay arkebe, and now ‘ygermanalo’, 4 July 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4557/3/
Date accessed 27 July 2007
ab The fall of nafka, the corruption of the militar y elite, 2 July 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4553/19/
Date accessed 27 July 2007
ac Eritrean regime now trafficking children, 24 Aug ust 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4597/3/
Date accessed 26 September 2007
ad Eritrea’s killing fields, 22 September 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4623/5/
Date accessed 26 September 2007
ae Scores of Eritreans die at W’ia, 3 October 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4634/3/
Date accessed 17 December 2007
af Colonel Simon Ghebredengel shot, 15 October 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4642/3
Date accessed 17 December 2007
ag EDA split: implications for national unity and d emocracy, 5 December 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4678/11/
Date accessed 17 December 2007
ah Eritrea Slouching Towards Another Confrontation, 19 January 2009
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/5052/2/
Date accessed 20 January 2009
ai Who does what, where in Eritrea, 6 December 2007
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4679/9/
Date accessed 17 December 2007
aj For PFDJ, Yesterday's Target Is Today's Incom e
Opportunity, 13 September 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4954/19/
Date accessed 16 September 2008
ak Lamenting my university, 20 January 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4739/5/
Date accessed 21 January 2008
al Eritrea: sightings, hearings and movements, 29 April 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4826/3
Date accessed 28 May 2008
PDF page 177
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
171
am Eritrea’s prisoners of conscience get a voice at the UN, 22 May 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4900/3
Date accessed 28 May 2008
an Eritrean refugees: victimized by Sudan, neglect ed by UNHCR, 3 January
2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4709/19/
Date accessed 10 January 2008
ao Forcefully Returned Refugees: 1 De ad, 2 Wounded, 7 December 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/5015/3/
Date accessed 20 January 2009
ap No happy new year for human rights, 5 January 20 08
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4712/1/
Date accessed 10 January 2008
aq New victims of Eritrea’s spiraling economy: fore ign opposition groups,
24 March 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4806/3/
Date accessed 10 April 2008
ar A phrase heard at every meeting ‘How long?’,19 M arch 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4804/3/
Date accessed 10 April 2008
as Naizgi Kiflu is returning to Eritrea from Londo n, 2 May 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4830/6
Date accessed 28 May 2008
at Eritrea’s food security: theory vs practice, 7 A pril 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4814/19/
Date accessed 16 April 2008
au How the PFDJ treats voluntary and involuntary re turnees, 10 July 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4887/24/
Date accessed 14 July 2008
av The ‘hade hizbi hade libi’ mask is unveiled, 24 July 2008
http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4902/5
Date accessed 29 July 2008
[51] US Committee for Refugees http://www.refugees.org
a World Refugee Survey 2008 – Ethiopia
http://www.refugees.org/countryreports.aspx?area=A bout%20Refugees&su
bm=19&ssm=29&cid=2137
Date accessed 17 July 2008
b World Refugee Survey 2008 – Sudan
http://www.refugees.org/countryreports.aspx?area=A bout%20Refugees&su
bm=19&ssm=29&cid=2171
Date accessed 17 July 2008
[52] Christian Today www.christiantoday.com
a African Evangelical Alliance leader arrested in E ritrea, dated 7 May 2007
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/african.evan gelical.alliance.leader.arr
ested.in.eritrea/10660.htm
Date accessed 12 December 2007
b Sudan prepares to return refugees to Eritrea, da ted 18 July 2007
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/sudan.prepar es.to.return.refugees.to.
eritrea/11675.htm
Date accessed 16 January 2008
[53] International Herald Tribune
Eritrea defiant on U.S. diplomat ic pressure, 18 September 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/18/africa/eritr ea.php
PDF page 178
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
172
Date accessed 10 October 2007
[54] Inter-Parliamentary Union http://www.ipu.org
FGM: Legislation and other national provisions (inf ormation in Eritrea
section undated)
http://www.ipu.org/english/issues/wmndocs/fgm%2Dpro v%2Dd.htm
Date accessed 20 September 2005
[55] The World Bank
http://web.worldbank.org
a Caring for orphans and vulnerable children impose s heavy costs on
families and nations – 15 December 2004
Date accessed 20 September 2005
b June 2004, The health sector in Eritrea: a World Bank country study
c ‘Costs of projects for orphans and other vulnerab le children: Case Studies
in Eritrea and Benin’ by Menahem Prywes, Diane Cour y, Gebremeskel
Fesseha, Gilberte Hounsounou and Anne Kielland, Jul y 2004, Social
Protection Unit, Human Development Network
Date accessed 25 September 2007
[56] Encyclopedia of the Peoples of the World (har d copy)
Author - Amiram Gonen
published by Henry Holt and Co in 1993
[57] Protection Project.org
Eritrea Trafficking routes
http://www.protectionproject.org/eritrea.doc
[58] MaltaMedia.com
UNHCR did not oppose the repatriation of Eritreans, Justice Ministry
insists - 23 May 2004
http://www.maltamedia.com
Date accessed 8 November 2004
[59] Ethnologue
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?na me=ER
Date accessed 19 August 2008
[60] The Languages of the World 2005 edition - Edit ed by Kenneth Katzner
[61] Human Rights Without Frontiers http://www.hrwf.net
Collation of 2003 postings
http://www.hrwf.net/html/eritrea_2003.html
Date accessed 30 May 2006
[62] Sudan Tribune http://www.sudantribune.com/
Eritrea rejects UN resolution on border dispute wit h Djibouti -
16 January 2009
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article29882
Date accessed 20 January 2009
PDF page 179
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
173
[63] Jehovah’s Witnesses media.org http://www.jw-media.org
“Systematic arrests in Eritrea aggressively target minority faith
- 18 August 2008”
http://www.jw-
media.org/region/africa_middle_east/eritrea/english /releases/intolerance/eri
_e080818.htm
Date accessed 19 August 2008
[64] University of Westminster, London, Centre for Capital Punishment Studies
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/law/
December 2005, Eritrea fact file
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/law/page-447
Date accessed 29 June 2006
[65] The Africa Guide
Information about the Afar, 2003
http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/afar.htm
Date accessed 2 October 2007
[66] Agence France Presse (AFP)
http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en/taglibrary/know-how/te xt
a Eritrean youth debate female circumcision in dram atic fashion, 19 March
2005
b Conscripts prepare to boost Eritrea’s defences on tense border, 1 March
2007
Via ReliefNet, http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf /db900sid/EKOI-
6YVA65?OpenDocument
Date accessed 21 March 2007
c Agence France Presse, Ban [name] to relocate UN f orce from Eritrea
unless fuel restrictions lifted, 16 February 2008,
Via Lexis Nexis (subscription service)
Date accessed 16 February 2008
[67] Christian Solidarity Worldwide http://www.csw.org.uk
a 8 June 2007, Children arrested in dawn raid on C hristians
Date accessed 30 July 2007
b 17 July 2007, Sudan prepares to return refugees t o Eritrea
Date accessed 31 July 2007
c 3 November 2006, Eritrean gospel singer Helen Ber hane released from
prison
Date accessed 1 December 2006
[68] Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board, Resear ch Directorate
http://www.cisr-irb.gc.ca
a ERI41690.E, Prisons in Eritrea, 14 July 2003. Date accessed 28 July 2006
b ERI100844.E, Treatment of Jebertia by government authorities,
7 December 2005. Date accessed 27 September 2006
c ZZZ102027.E, Possibility of repatriation of Ethio pian and Eritrean civilians
to their homelands, 20 February 2007. Date accessed 31 July 2007
d ERI102025.E, Information on official documents an d the names of the
agencies that issue them, 27 February 2007. Date accessed 31 July 2007
e ERI102153.E, Legislation and legal protection ava ilable to homosexuals;
their treatment by society and government authoriti es, 28 February 2007.
http://www.irb-
cisr.gc.ca/en/research/rir/?action=record.viewrec&g otorec=450928
Date accessed 31 July 2007 PDF page 180
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
174
f ERI102026.E. Military service, including age of recruitment, len gth of
service, grounds for exemption, penalties for deser tion from and evasion of
military service and availability of alternative se rvice (2005–2006),
28 February 2007. Date accessed 31 July 2007
g ERI102154.E, Information on the protection, servi ces and legal recourse
available to women who are victims of domestic viol ence, 28 February
2007. Date accessed 31 July 2007
h ERI102729.E, Eritrea: Whether women serving in th e military are
discharged when they marry; if so, evidence require d to prove marriage,
28 January 2008
http://www.cisr-
irb.gc.ca/en/research/rir/index_e.htm?action=record .viewrec&gotorec=4516
86
Date accessed 21 April 2008
i ERI102728.E Eritrea: Whether persons serving in the military are issued
military identification documents; if not, procedur e to confirm that persons
are serving in the military when they are off their military base, 28 January
2008.
http://www.cisr-
irb.gc.ca/en/research/rir/index_e.htm?action=record .viewrec&gotorec=4516
85
Date accessed 21 April 2008
j ERI102852.E Eritrea: Prevalence of fraudulent n ational identity cards,
8 July 2008.
http://www2.irb-
cisr.gc.ca/en/research/rir/index_e.htm?action=recor d.viewrec&gotorec=451
974
Date accessed 20 January 2009
k ERI102851.E Eritrea: Procedure for applying for a national identity card
etc., 8 July 2008.
http://www2.irb-
cisr.gc.ca/en/research/rir/index_e.htm?action=recor d.viewrec&gotorec=451
973
Date accessed 20 January 2009
[69] EthnoMed.org, University of Washington Harborv iew Medical Center
http://www.ethnomed.org
Eritrean cultural profile (n.d)
http://ethnomed.org/cultures/eritrean/eritrean_cp.h tml
Date accessed 9 August 2006
[70] Jane’s Defence Publications
a Jane’s Infantry Weapons 2006–2007 National Invent ories, Eritrea, p875
Date accessed 5 July 2006
b Jane’s sentinel country risk assessments – Eritre a country report, updated
15 November 2007, via subscription
Date accessed 11 January 2008
[71] Meskerem.com
Eritrean government reportedly accepts negotiation with opposition, 23
November 2005, (Accessed via Lexis-Nexis) Date accessed 9 August 2006
PDF page 181
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
175
[72] Selfi-democracy.com (EDP) website
a Eritrean opposition party to hold congress in Ita ly 25 July [2006], 23 July
2006, (Accessed via Lexis-Nexis) Date accessed 9 August 2006
b The State of Eritrea: constitution, n.d.
http://selfi-
democracy.com/index.php?read=articles/documents/113 7696360eritrean_
e.htm
Date accessed 4 June 2008
[73] Eritrean Media Guide
February 2006, 28 February 2006 (Accessed via Lexi s-Nexis)
Date accessed 14 August 2006
[74] African Studies Review
April 2003, Language, education, and public policy in Eritrea, Tekle M
Woldemikael
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4106/is _200304/ai_n9219176/p
rint
Date accessed 11 May 2006
[75] Mission Network News http://www.mnnonline.org/
Eritrea expels missionaries
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/10609
Accessed 17 December 2007
[76] Adal61.com
6 May 2006, Eritrea’s collective farming
http://www.adal61.com/English_home/articles/Collect ive%20farming.htm
Date accessed 18 August 2006
[77] Global Networks
6, 2 (2006) pp 161-179, ‘Diaspora, cyberspace and political imagination:
the Eritrean diaspora online’ Victoria Bernal
http://www.anthro.uci.edu/faculty_bios/bernal/Berna l-diaspora.pdf
Date accessed 11 May 2006
[78] International Encyclopedia of Uniform Insignia Around the World
Eritrea
http://www.uniforminsignia.net/index.php?p=s tate&id=195
Date accessed 5 July 2006
[79] United States Library of Congress, Federal Res earch Division
Eritrea
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles.html
Date accessed 23 August 2006
[80] Royal African Society
Refugees and African development: the case of Erit reans in the UK, 14 July
2005
http://www.royalafricansociety.org/reports_publicat ions/recent_meetings/ref
ugees_caseoferitreans
Date accessed 9 August 2006
[81] The Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use
Country names http://www.pcgn.org.uk/Country_names .htm
Date accessed 29 June 2006 PDF page 182
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
176
[82] African Christianity
No date, Ethiopian Protestantism: The ‘Pente’ chur ches in Ethiopia
http://www.bethel.edu/~letnie/EthiopiaProtestantism .html
Date accessed 15 December 2005
[83] J Haustein
10 December 2005, Pentecostal and charismatic move ments in Ethiopia,
http://www.glopent.net/Members/jhaustein/ethiopia/p entecostal-and-
charismatic-movements
Date accessed 2 June 2006
[84] International Release: the Voice of the Persec uted Church
Remember persecuted Christians in Eritrea, no date , but September 2005
given in article, http://www.releaseinternational.o rg/Take_action/98.asp
Date accessed 2 June 2006
[85] OrvilleJenkins.com
The Afar People of the Horn of Africa, 3 Nov ember 2008
http://orvillejenkins.com/profiles/afar.html
Date accessed 1 April 2009
[86] Indian Ocean Newsletter
22 January 2005, A plague on evangelists (via Lexi s-Nexis)
Date accessed 30 May 2006
[87] Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) Australia
a 5 January 2006, Eritrea: round up of leaders from five churches
http://www.persecution.com.au/news/article.asp?artI D=%7B0C2EB47E-
F6C6-4432-B9A2-BE15E410A7ED%7D
Date accessed 2 June 2006
b 22 June 2006, Saudi Arabia: police arrest four Ea st African Christians
http://www.persecution.com.au/news/article.asp?artI D={CD7858EA-0A56-
4CE5-8BC7-6569BB62D78A}&keyword=Eritrea
Date accessed 27 July 2007
c 5 July 2006, Eritrea: Christian prisoners escape from military camp
http://www.persecution.com.au/news/article.asp?artI D={41951001-0C12-
44FF-8110-A189F3CACE89}&keyword=Eritrea
Date accessed 27 July 2007
d 23 October 2006, Eritrea: two Christians tortured to death
http://www.persecution.com.au/news/article.asp?artI D={6234A340-9D83-
41EE-BDED-EFA8708FD160}&keyword=Eritrea
Date accessed 27 July 2007
e 1 November 2006, Eritrea: police arrest 150 more Christians
http://www.persecution.com.au/news/article.asp?artI D={81AD6E3F-F469-
4B23-8F55-3D5AE5F90448}&keyword=Eritrea
Date accessed 27 July 2007
f 25 January 2007, Eritrea: 68 Christians arrested in new clampdown
http://www.persecution.com.au/news/article.asp?artI D={3B41C8CA-C1AC-
4529-8AD3-DC11FCC09D1B}&keyword=Eritrea
Date accessed 27 July 2007
g 26 February 2007, Eritrea: Christian dies in mili tary prison
http://www.persecution.com.au/news/article.asp?artI D={467B03D0-61B4-
4B1D-8AED-CEC74004A233}&keyword=Eritrea
Date accessed 27 July 2007
PDF page 183
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
177
h 5 January 2009, Eritrea: Approximately 100 Chris tians Arrested
http://www.persecution.com/recent_eritrea100Christi ans.html
Date accessed 19 January 2009
[88] United Nations Development Programme (www.undp.org/)
a April 2006, UNDP – Eritrea, Project factsheet, Te chnical assistance to
demobilize soldiers
Date accessed 3 November 2006
b Human Development Index, 2008 Statistical Update
http://hdrstats.undp.org/2008/countries/country_fac t_sheets/cty_fs_ERI.htm
l
Date accessed 20 January 2009
[89] African Studies Review (via Ingenta)
April 2006, Volume 49, Number 1, pp.75-92 Cosmolog ies in collision:
Pentecostal conversion and Christian cults in Asmar a, Abbebe KILEYESUS
[90] International Crisis Group
Ethiopia and Eritrea: stopping the slide to war, 5 November 2007
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5136&l =1
Date accessed 11 January 2008
[91] Human Rights Concern – Eritrea
Piercing the veil of impunity, 15 March 2007
http://eritrea.omweb.org/modules/news/article.php? storyid=7
Date accessed 21 July 2008
[92] Eritrean Liberation Front – Revolutionary Cou ncil http://www.nharnet.com/
We shall form a mass party founded on solid ground by ELF – RC Office for
Information and Culture, dated 11 September 2007
Date accessed 1 October 2007
[93] Economist Intelligence Unit (via subscription)
1 October 2006, Eritrea – human rights abuses cont inue
Date accessed 29 December 2006
[94] assena.com
Eritrean Government arrests people for accessing op position websites; it also
warns Internet cafes, 31 December 2008
http://asena.delina.org/index2.php?option=com_conte nt&do_pdf=1&id=1302
Date accessed 20 January 2009
[95] Travel Document Systems http://traveldocs.com/
Eritrea – Government
http://traveldocs.com/er/govern.htm
Date accessed 5 August 2008
[96] Transparency International
Corruption Perceptions Index 2008, published in Sep tember 2008
http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008 /cpi2008/cpi_2008_table
Date accessed 21 October 2008
PDF page 184
View this page in original PDF
E RITREA 21 A PRIL 2009
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further
brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
178
[97] Child Soldiers Global Report 2008
Eritrea, pages 137–139
http://www.childsoldiersglobalreport.org/files/cou ntry_pdfs/FINAL_2008_Gl
obal_Report.pdf
Date accessed 21 July 2008
[98] State of Eritrea, Ministry of Health
United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS
(UNGASS) report, National Aids and TB Control Divis ion, January 2008
http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/eritrea_2008 _country_progress_rep
ort_en.pdf
Date accessed 4 August 2008
[99] Children’s Legal Centre profile on Eritrea
International Association of Universities, World Hi gher Education Database, US
Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2003,
Information Sheet – Eritrea, Education System
http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/shared_asp_file s/uploadedfiles/%7B03951
76B-7C8A-4171-A965-4F17BE6A0880%7D_Eritrea.pdf
Date accessed 18 September 2007
[100] International Network for Higher Education in Africa
Country Higher Education Profile: Eritrea, 2003
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/inhea/profile s.htm
Date accessed 18 September 2007
[101] International Labour Organisation
The Effective Abolition of Child Labour, Cornell Un iversity 2005, International
Labor Standards, Child Labor
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewconte nt.cgi?article=1000&contexthd
Date accessed 18 September 2007
[102] United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritre a (UNMEE)
Oprhans benefit from Eritrea’s strong family values , 13 September 2007
http://unmeeonline.org/index.php?option=com_content &task=view&id=746&Ite
mid=56
Date accessed 26 September 2007
[103] Anti-Slavery International
Trafficking in women, forced labour and domestic wo rk in the context of the
Middle East and Gulf region, Working Paper 2006
http://www.antislavery.org.uk/homepage/resources/PD F/traffic%20women%20f
orced%20labour%20domestic%202006.pdf
Date accessed 25 September 2007
[104] Dorman, Sara Rich
Past the Kalashnikov: youth, politics and the state in Eritrea, Edinburgh,
17 June 2004
http://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/ 536/2/Past+the+Kalashnikov.pdf
Date accessed 13 March 2008
PDF page 185
View this page in original PDF
21 A PRIL 2009 E RITREA
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 12 March 2009. Further brief
information on recent events and reports has been p rovided in the Latest News section to 21 April 2009.
179
[105] Presidency of the European Union, Portugal 20 07
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the Euro pean Union on political
prisoners in Eritrea, dated 18 September 2007
http://www.ue2007.pt/UE/vEN/Noticias_Documentos/Dec laracoes_PESC/2007
0828Mianmar.htm
Date accessed 27 September 2007
[106] Reuters AlertNet http://www.alertnet.org
a Eritrea backs Somali opposition against Ethiopia, 15 September 2007
http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis /idUSL15345252._CH_.2400
Date accessed 27 September 2007
b Feature – In Eritrea, self help is a national leg acy, 17 July 2008
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/KKAA-
7GM3DP?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=ACOS-635NRY
Date accessed 17 July 2008
c Israel deports African migrants to Egypt in crackdo wn, 31 August 2008
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LV188352.h tm
Date accessed 20 January 2009
d Egypt deports Eritreans despite torture risk, 8 Jan uary 2009
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE507027 20090108
Date accessed 20 January 2009
[107] Voice of America (VOA) http://www.voanews.com/
a Ethiopia threatens to terminate peace deal with E ritrea, 25 September 2007
Date accessed 27 September 2007
b UN: 22 countries particularly threatened by food insecurity, 28 May 2008
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-05-28-voa33.cfm
Date accessed 29 July 2008
[108] Everyculture.com www.everyculture.com
Culture of Eritrea
http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Eritrea.html
Date accessed 28 September 2007
[109] Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) http://www.abc.net.au/
Eritrea govt says bomb kills two, wounds eight, 28 February 2009
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/2 8/2504130.htm?
Date accessed 15 April 2009
[110] Walta http://www.waltainfo.com/
Eritrea launches new crackdown o n Christians, 27 November 2008
http://www.waltainfo.com/index.php?option=com_conte nt&task=view&id=5
068&Itemid=45
Date accessed 15 April 2009
Return to contents
Go to list of sources