Speech of the Eritrean lowlander’s league – Human Rights Council 53rd session-Geneva 20 June 2023, specified for the Report of the Special Rapporteur on situation of the human rights in Eritrea, Mr Mohamed A Babiker  

Geneva

June 20, 2023

Mr. High commissioner of the human rights council

Honored delegations

All the reports of the human right’s special rapporteurs since 2012, local and international human rights organizations have confirmed that there was no sign of improvement in the human rights situation in Eritrea. In fact, more violations have happened clearly reflecting the Eritrean government lack of commitment to implement the recommendations submitted to it by the human rights council, the periodic review mechanism, and the African organization for human and peoples right. Eritrea also failed to submit its periodic report to the commission on human rights in Geneva in March 2019.

Here we would like to mention few examples:

1. Continuation of detaining people without giving them a fair trial or allowing their families to visit them or know their place of detention; including liberation war fighters arrested, and private school teachers in 1994, G15 in 2001 who were government top officials, and the detainees of Al-Diaa school in Asmara in 2017 whose No one knows about their fate. In general, there is no fair public trial in Eritrea.

 

2. The continuation of arbitrary arrests, the practice of torture, extra judiciary execution, enforced disappearance and forced labor. The government didn’t take any steps to investigate, prosecute or punish any of its officials for these abuses, like the arrest of Shaik Mousa Mohamed Nour who died in the detention in 2017.

 

 

3. Continuation of the unlimited national service, which results in indefinite extension of the duration of national service, some for more than 20 years. Conscripts are employed by all government and party- run agencies including for profit enterprises in conditions of forced labor. The only way out of this dark tunnel is to flee the country.  Thus, draining the country of its limited human resources.
4. Attacking and burning the Eritrean refugee camps of Hitsats and Shimelba in Tigray region in Ethiopia. And the Barhale and Dallol camps in Afar region (Ethiopia) by Eritrean forces during the intervention in Ethiopia internal conflict in 2022; many were tortured and killed. The Eritrean soldiers forcibly repatriated Eritrean refugees and put them in detention centers. Many refugees remain unaccounted for till now.
5. Continuation of severe restrictions on religious freedom, freedom of movement, expression, and assembly. Even residence within the state territory and the right to leave the country is very restricted.
6. Eritrea is the only African country not to report on its administration of covid19 vaccination.
7. The regime continues to confiscate private property and land of citizens displacing them and offering these private properties to others with a deliberate policy of demographic changes specially in the Eritrean lowlands.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Lack of transparency and access to information make impossible to fully known the extent of human rights abuse in Eritrea.

Based on our knowledge about the situation in Eritrea we confirm the validity of the report of the special rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea Mr. Muhammad Babiker. Our voice less Eritrean people have a great faith and high expectation in your organization to elevate their sufferings by renewing the mandate for the special rapporteur on the situation on human rights in Eritrea to expose the track record of the Eritrean regime human rights abuses and urges the international community to put the necessary pressure on the Eritrean government to curb human rights abuses.

 

Eritrean Lowlanders League

Human rights Office