Eritrea - Country of Concern: latest update, 31 March 2014
Updated 21 January 2015
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Eritrea regrettably continues to violate its international obligations and domestic law. Over the past quarter, Eritrea has taken no concrete steps to improve its poor human rights record. The UK has continued to raise human rights concerns with the Eritrean government at every opportunity, both bilaterally and as part of the EU. In January our Ambassador took part in the Article 8 Dialogue between the EU and Eritrean authorities. Issues raised included arbitrary detention; freedom of media and expression; religious freedom and tolerance; migration and human trafficking; civil society rights; and economic, social and cultural rights.
Eritrea’s human rights record was examined under the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 3 February. The UK submitted advance questions on releasing political and religious prisoners, ending restrictions on freedom of religion, restoring an independent media, limiting national service and civilian militia duties, and preventing human trafficking. We were also one of 70 countries to make a statement during the review. This called on Eritrea to cooperate with the whole UN human rights system, expressed our disappointment with the lack of progress since the 2009 UPR and called on Eritrea to respond with concrete human rights improvements. The Eritrean representative denied human rights abuses and pointed to Eritrean development successes. The UPR resulted in 200 recommendations. Eritrea is expected to respond to these in time for the June session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Eritrea continued to reject all cooperation with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. However, we welcomed Eritrea’s decision to allow a technical team from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit in January. The delegation made field visits and held talks with government and party representatives as well as with the diplomatic community, including the British Ambassador to Eritrea. It called on Eritrea to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur and allow access to all Eritreans, including detainees. A follow up visit is under discussion but will depend on guaranteed access.
The UK supports United Nations Security Council Resolution 2023, which condemned Eritrea’s use of the “diaspora tax” to destabilise the Horn of Africa region and decided that Eritrea should cease this along with the use of illicit means to collect it. On 14 March, Foreign & Commonwealth Office officials met the Eritrean Ambassador to the UK to discuss fresh allegations that the embassy is using coercion and other illicit means to collect the tax from Eritreans resident in the UK. The Ambassador assured us that the embassy does not collect the tax, although it provides advice to those who wish to pay voluntarily. We reminded him of the Eritrean government’s obligations under the resolution. We have also urged members of the Eritrean diaspora to report to the police the use of any illicit means to collect the tax.