Eritrea Archives - UN Watch https://unwatch.org/category/country/eritrea/ Monitoring the UN Promoting Human Rights Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:53:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 UN Watch Condemns Appointment of Eritrea as Chair of UN Human Rights Council Social Forum: “Inmates Running the Asylum” https://unwatch.org/un-watch-condemns-appointment-of-eritrea-as-chair-of-un-human-rights-council-social-forum-inmates-running-the-asylum/ Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:03:57 +0000 https://unwatch.org/?p=587966 GENEVA, Aug. 6, 2026 — UN Watch today strongly condemned the appointment of the Eritrean regime as Chair of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s 2026 Social Forum, calling the decision “a grotesque farce that places one of the world’s most repressive dictatorships in charge of a body tasked with advancing human rights.” “Inmates are […]

The post UN Watch Condemns Appointment of Eritrea as Chair of UN Human Rights Council Social Forum: “Inmates Running the Asylum” appeared first on UN Watch.

]]>

GENEVA, Aug. 6, 2026 — UN Watch today strongly condemned the appointment of the Eritrean regime as Chair of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s 2026 Social Forum, calling the decision “a grotesque farce that places one of the world’s most repressive dictatorships in charge of a body tasked with advancing human rights.”

“Inmates are running the asylum,” said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch. “Eritrea is a militarized one-party dictatorship with a Freedom House score of 3 out of 100, meaning their human rights record could hardly get worse.”

The reclusive dictator Isaias Afwerki has been shunned by the West for decades. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Eritrea after its soldiers raped and pillaged their way across neighboring northern Ethiopia during the war in Tigray.

“Eritrea’s regime has held no national elections since independence in 1993. It enforces indefinite national service that amounts to slavery. It jails critics and journalists without charge or trial for decades. It systematically tortures political prisoners and religious minorities. Known as the ‘North Korea of Africa,’ this regime has no business anywhere near a human rights body. Putting the Eritrean regime in the chair is a sick joke.”

This year’s UN Social Forum is mandated to promote “international cooperation and solidarity,” including the “realization of the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”

“Appointing Eritrea—whose regime has for years subjected its own people to rape, torture, forced labor, enforced disappearances, and the complete shutdown of independent media—makes a mockery of that mandate, said Neuer.

“Journalists such as Swedish-Eritrean Dawit Isaak have been held incommunicado without trial since 2001. Thousands of others remain disappeared. The ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice under president-for-life Isaias Afwerki tolerates no opposition, no free press, and no genuine civil society,” Neuer added.

UN Watch has documented these abuses through expert testimony at its Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. Survivors and human rights defenders have described a system of indefinite conscription, arbitrary detention, and total control that leaves ordinary Eritreans with no escape except perilous flight.

“This appointment does not occur in a vacuum,” said Neuer. “It is the latest example of the Human Rights Council’s chronic failure to uphold its own standards, allowing serial abusers to capture positions of influence while genuine victims are sidelined. The credibility of the entire UN human rights system is further eroded when dictatorships are rewarded with leadership roles.”

“UN Watch therefore issues a direct challenge: We call on United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to publicly and unequivocally condemn this appointment without delay. Silence would constitute complicity in the degradation of the institution he leads.”

“We further call on all democratic governments that claim to defend universal rights represented on the Human Rights Council—especially including UNHRC member states such as France, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, and Switzerland—to issue an immediate joint statement rejecting Eritrea’s chairmanship. They must demand a reversal of this outrageous appointment, and announce that they will not legitimize any proceedings under Eritrean leadership. These governments must also intensify bilateral and multilateral pressure on Eritrea to release all political prisoners, end the system of indefinite forced labor, allow independent media, and permit free and fair elections,” said Neuer.

“Anything less rewards tyranny and betrays the very people the Human Rights Council was created to protect. The world is watching. Democracies that remain silent will share responsibility for this shameful decision.”

The 2026 Social Forum will take place on October 29th and 30th at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The post UN Watch Condemns Appointment of Eritrea as Chair of UN Human Rights Council Social Forum: “Inmates Running the Asylum” appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Eritrea Confronted at the U.N. Over Rampant Human Rights Abuses https://unwatch.org/eritrea-confronted-at-the-u-n-over-rampant-human-rights-abuses/ Sun, 06 Oct 2024 10:02:20 +0000 https://unwatch.org/?p=576971   UN Watch’s Morris B. Abram Fellow, Alex Blecker, took the floor of the Human Rights Council to confront Eritrea over its widespread human rights violations. Full Transcript: UNHRC Vice President: I give the floor to United Nations Watch. Alex Blecker: Thank you, Mr. President.  We are deeply concerned by the dire situation of human rights […]

The post Eritrea Confronted at the U.N. Over Rampant Human Rights Abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]>
YouTube player

 

UN Watch’s Morris B. Abram Fellow, Alex Blecker, took the floor of the Human Rights Council to confront Eritrea over its widespread human rights violations.

Full Transcript:

UNHRC Vice President: I give the floor to United Nations Watch.

Alex Blecker: Thank you, Mr. President.  We are deeply concerned by the dire situation of human rights in Eritrea. Eritrea is a current member of this Human Rights Council. As such, it is bound to uphold the highest standards of human rights. Is the government of Eritrea meeting its obligations to the UN, and to its own people?

Let us consider. In Eritrea, freedom of religion is severely limited. Hundreds of worshippers remain arbitrarily imprisoned — without trial, and with no due process. Some who have avoided arrest have been denied access to food rations.  Hundreds of political dissidents and critics of the government are subjected to enforced disappearance, some for decades. Since Eritrea’s independence in 1993, a national election has never been held. Three decades, no election.

According to the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, the country’s indefinite national service amounts to quote “forced labor and slavery.” For female conscripts, being subjected to sexual violence is commonplace.
Mr. President, Eritrea’s refusal to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur indicates that these human rights violations are only the tip of the iceberg.

There are no independent human rights groups based in Eritrea. And the government has continuously denied entry to international human rights organizations. Journalists have been especially targeted since the autumn of 2001. Public criticism of President Afwerki led to a devastating crackdown on dissent. He ordered the arrest of top officials, banning the press, and jailing journalists and other critics. Eritrea became Africa’s foremost jailer of journalists. Two decades later, independent media outlets are still banned from operating, and journalists remain disappeared.

Mr. President, do these actions by Eritrea amount to upholding the highest standards of human rights? If not, when will this Council fulfill its duty, under Article 8 of its founding resolution, and take action to remove this dictatorship?

Thank you.

UNHRC Vice President: Thank you. Let me remind all speakers that what we are currently addressing under Item 6, the UPR adoptions of countries reviewed in the 46th UPR Working Group session. Speakers are reminded to frame their statements in the context of the agenda item at hand. Speakers are also reminded of the need to adhere to language that is commensurate to dignity that is inherent to discussing human rights issues.

Eritrea: As we continue to engage in this crucial process we emphasize the importance of maintaining a non-politicized objective and respectful dialogue. It is essential that all stakeholders adhere to these foundational principles.

The post Eritrea Confronted at the U.N. Over Rampant Human Rights Abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Eritrea Confronted at the U.N. Over Rampant Human Rights Abuses - UN Watch   UN Watch's Morris B. Abram Fellow, Alex Blecker, took the floor of the Human Rights Council to confront Eritrea over its widespread human rights pinned YouTube player Farce: 80% of UNHRC delegations praise Eritrean regime on human rights https://unwatch.org/farce-80-unhrc-delegations-praise-eritrean-regime-human-rights/ Mon, 28 Jan 2019 22:58:52 +0000 https://unwatch.jaredco.com/?p=24756   GENEVA, Jan. 28, 2019 — Despite horrific abuses by the Eritrean regime, nation after nation lined up at the UN’s human rights council today to shower praise on the government’s human rights record in a mandatory review that all UN member states undergo every five years. (See below today’s statements praising Eritrea’s human rights record.) […]

The post Farce: 80% of UNHRC delegations praise Eritrean regime on human rights appeared first on UN Watch.

]]>  
Eritrean ambassador Tesfamichael Gerahtu headed his country’s delegation at today’s UN review.

GENEVA, Jan. 28, 2019 — Despite horrific abuses by the Eritrean regime, nation after nation lined up at the UN’s human rights council today to shower praise on the government’s human rights record in a mandatory review that all UN member states undergo every five years. (See below today’s statements praising Eritrea’s human rights record.)

While the review is meant to scrutinize governments and thereby strengthen the basic rights and freedoms of their citizens, UN Watch counted 71 out of 89 countries who abused the opportunity by instead showering the regime with praise.
Only a small minority of countries challenged Eritrea with the criticism and questioning it deserved based on its well-documented record of human rights abuses. 
A 2016 UN investigation suggests that many of the government’s human rights violations amount to crimes against humanity. Some abuses include arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, arbitrary killings, and torture on a wide scale. 
Following is a selection of the praise that Eritrea received when its human rights record was reviewed today.

Syria: “We welcome the efforts made (by Eritrea) to draw up national strategies and policies in the area of respect for human rights.”
Russia: “Eritrea has progressed significantly in the sphere of human rights.”
China: “Highly appreciates Eritrea’s progress in the promotion and protection of human rights.”
Saudi Arabia: Commends “a number of achievements (by Eritrea), distinguished in promoting human rights.”
South Africa: Our delegation is “encouraged by (Eritrea’s) efforts to promote the development and well being of children.”
Sudan: “We commend positive development (by Eritrea) in plans for rural development.”
Zimbabwe: “Eritrea devised a number of initiatives to enhance economic, social, and cultural rights.”  
North Korea: “The endeavor by the government of Eritrea despite many challenges and difficulties during the review period is noteworthy.”
Bahrain: “We hail the relentless efforts undertaken by the government (of Eritrea) in the health sector.”
Libya: We “commend the (Eritrean) government’s efforts to implement recommendations from previous UPR cycles. The fruits of these efforts are amply clear.”
Mexico: “We recognize the progress made (by Eritrea), including in the increased registration of girls in schools.”
Myanmar: “We congratulate Eritrea for the implementation of recommendations made during the last cycle.”
Pakistan: “We appreciate efforts made by the government (of Eritrea) in education, health, political participation, improvement of the justice system, and food security.”
Philippines: Our delegation “recognizes efforts made by the government (of Eritrea) to advance the protection of women and children.”

The post Farce: 80% of UNHRC delegations praise Eritrean regime on human rights appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Tesfamichael Gerhatu 1 Tesfamichael Gerahtu, l' ambassadeur erythréen qui a mené la délégation de son pays pendant la revue Eritrea set to win seat on UN 's top human rights body, despite abuses https://unwatch.org/eritrea-set-win-seat-un-s-top-human-rights-body-despite-abuses/ Thu, 11 Oct 2018 15:52:20 +0000 https://unwatch.jaredco.com/?p=23961 Above: President Isaias Afwerki, dictator of Eritrea since 1993 Eritrea’s bid for a seat on the UN’s top human rights body should be rejected, as it fails to meet the basic membership criteria. The election of 18 new countries to the Human Rights Council will be held at the UN in New York tomorrow, October […]

The post Eritrea set to win seat on UN 's top human rights body, despite abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]>

Above: President Isaias Afwerki, dictator of Eritrea since 1993

Eritrea’s bid for a seat on the UN’s top human rights body should be rejected, as it fails to meet the basic membership criteria. The election of 18 new countries to the Human Rights Council will be held at the UN in New York tomorrow, October 12, 2018. See our full report on all candidates, and press release.
“Electing the heinous Eritrean regime as a UN judge on human rights is like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.
Eritrea’s Human Rights Record
Eritrea commits serious human rights violations, including:

  • Arbitrary executions
  • Enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention
  • Torture, and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment
  • Harsh prison conditions
  • Arbitrary arrest
  • Denial of fair public trial
  • Arbitrary interference with privacy
  • Restrictions on freedom of speech and press
  • Restrictions on internet freedom and academic freedom
  • Restrictions on freedom of assembly, association, and religion
  • Restrictions on freedom of movement
  • Lack of free and fair elections
  • Corruption
  • Restrictions on international NGOs
  • Violence against women and girls
  • Human trafficking
  • Criminalization of same-sex sexual conduct
  • Forced labor

Discussion
Eritrea is an authoritarian regime ruled by President Isaias Afwerki, head of the country’s sole political party—The People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Eritrea has not held national elections since it became independent from Ethiopia in 1993.[1] Though the constitution, ratified in 1997, calls for an elected 150-seat National Assembly, this assembly has not met since 2002.[2] Any opposition groups must operate from abroad, as the PFDJ is the only legally recognized political party in Eritrea.[3]
Eritrea is the subject of an annual Human Rights Council resolution condemning “in the strongest terms the reported systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations” committed by the government in a climate of “generalized impunity.”[4] The resolution itemizes numerous human rights abuses including: arbitrary detention, torture, lack of democracy and free press, and indefinite military or national service. In her recent report, Sheila Keetharuth, the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea criticized the Eritrean government for having “shown little willingness that it would tackle such [human rights] abuses.”[5]
According to the UN Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea, Eritrean government forces have committed, inter alia, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention, arbitrary killings, and torture on a wide scale with impunity since independence, and these abuses constitute crimes against humanity.[6] Detainees are routinely subjected to various forms of torture and harsh treatment, and many die in custody. [7]  Those targeted by the government for such abuses include army and national service evaders, political opponents, and members of certain ethnic and religious groups.[8]
Eritrea does not have freedom of the press.[9] All independent media outlets were shut down in 2001 in a government crackdown in which seven independent newspapers were closed and many journalists were arrested.[10] One source reports that fifteen of these journalists are still in prison.[11] Another source reports that at least seven of the journalists died in custody.[12] Human Rights Watch has called Eritrea “one of the leading jailers of journalists in Africa.”[13] The Special Rapporteur on Eritrea has documented more than 90 arrests of journalists in Eritrea since 1997, including two arbitrary arrests in April 2018.[14] Access to the internet is also extremely limited.
Eritrea does not recognize the right to freedom of assembly with past protests ending in mass arrests.[15]
Eritrea also does not respect freedom of religion. The government recognizes only four faiths (Islam and three strands of Christianity), and those who practice any other faith risk arrest and detention.[16]
In May 2017, news sources reported that 170 Christians were arrested in a government crackdown on unrecognized faiths. Among those arrested were some 30 young mothers being held at the notoriously harsh prison Nakura, while approximately 50 of their collective children were left behind without a parent.[17]
In March 2018, Eritrean authorities arbitrarily arrested hundreds of people for protesting the death in custody of the 93 year-old Haji Musa Mohamednur, former director of an Islamic school, for refusing to carry out government orders. The government carried out similar mass arrests when Mohamednur was arrested in October 2017.[18]
Eritrea has used its war with neighboring Ethiopia as an excuse to create a militarized state, and to exploit its citizens through forced conscription into the military or national service.[19] Though the law only requires 18 months of service, in practice many are forced to remain in the military or national service for longer periods — and sometimes forever — under threats of detention, torture or punishment of their families.[20] These Eritreans work for nominal pay and are denied the freedom to resign, take other employment, or freely travel, and often are denied promotions and salary increases.[21] Anyone attempting to escape this fate risks arbitrary arrest, torture, and/or execution. Eritrea has become notorious for its policy of shooting to wound or kill Eritreans attempting to flee the country.
Furthermore, several UN human rights mechanisms, including the COI on Eritrea and CEDAW, have expressed concern over widespread sexual violence against women and girls in Eritrea’s military training camps, including rape and forced sexual slavery.[22]
Eritrea’s UN Voting Record
Negative: At the General Assembly, Eritrea backed human rights abusers through a resolution denying the right to sanction such regimes, and by voting to delay the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against LGBT. Eritrea abstained or did not vote on resolutions that spoke out for victims of human rights abuses in North Korea and Myanmar, and voted against resolutions speaking out for human rights victims in Iran and Ukraine.


[1] U.S. Dep’t of State, Bureau of Democracy, H.R. and Lab., Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Eritrea 2 (2017) [hereinafter State Department Report on Eritrea]; Freedom in the World 2018: Eritrea, Freedom House (2018),  https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/eritrea.
[2] Freedom in the World 2018: Eritrea, supra note 62.
[3] Id.
[4] See, e.g., Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea, UN Doc. A/HRC/RES/38/15 (July 6, 2018).
[5] Eritrea: UN expert says embracing human rights vital to shape successful future, Office of the High Commissioner (June 26, 2018), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23262&LangID=E.
[6] Report of the commission of inquiry on human rights in Eritrea, ¶¶ 59-95, UN Doc. A/HRC/32/47 (May 9, 2016); State Department Report on Eritrea, supra note 62, at 2.
[7] Id.
[8] Id. at 2-3.
[9] Id. at 10.
[10] Salem Solomon, Life in Eritrea’s News Desert, Foreign Policy (Aug. 28, 2018), https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/28/life-in-eritreas-news-desert/.
[11] Freedom in the World 2018: Eritrea, supra note 62.
[12] Salem Solomon, Life in Eritrea’s News Desert, supra note 71.
[13] Felix Horne, Mystery Shrouds Rare Protest in Eritrea, Human Rights Watch (Nov. 3, 2017), https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/11/03/mystery-shrouds-rare-protest-eritrea.
[14] Eritrea: UN rights expert urges end to crippling media restrictions, Office of the High Commissioner (May 2, 2018), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23022&LangID=E.
[15] Freedom in the World 2018: Eritrea, supra note 62.
[16] Id.; State Department Report on Eritrea, supra note 62, at 12.
[17] Samuel Smith, 160 Christians Arrested During Eritrea’s Fresh Crackdown on Christianity, The Christian Post (June 28, 2017), https://www.christianpost.com/news/160-christians-arrested-during-eritreas-fresh-crackdown-on-christianity-189960/.
[18] Eritrea: UN expert says more arrests, detentions after elderly school chief dies in custody, Office of the High Commissioner (March 14, 2018), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22823&LangID=E; Oral Updates on DPRK and Eritrea, Office of the High Commissioner (March 14, 2018), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23548&LangID=E.
[19] Human Rights Situation in Eritrea, Submission to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Human Rights Watch (April 27, 2018), https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/27/human-rights-situation-eritrea.
[20] State Department Report on Eritrea, supra note 62, at 22.
[21] Id. at 22-23; Salem Solomon, Life in Eritrea’s News Desert, supra note 71.
[22] State Department Report on Eritrea, supra note 62, at 18.

The post Eritrea set to win seat on UN 's top human rights body, despite abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Eritrea Eritrean government must put aside empty promises and protect citizens' human rights https://unwatch.org/eritrean-government-must-put-aside-empty-promises-and-protect-citizens-human-rights/ Mon, 14 Mar 2016 09:42:13 +0000 https://unwatch.jaredco.com/?p=9498 Statement by UN Watch ID: SR on Human Rights in Eritrea Agenda Item 4, UNHRC 31st Session 14 March 2016 Delivered by Mr. Daniel Mekonnen Thank you Mr. President, I am honored to make this statement on behalf of UN Watch. I thank the Special Rapporteur for her oral update and for her relentless efforts […]

The post Eritrean government must put aside empty promises and protect citizens' human rights appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Statement by UN Watch
ID: SR on Human Rights in Eritrea
Agenda Item 4, UNHRC 31st Session
14 March 2016

Delivered by Mr. Daniel Mekonnen

Thank you Mr. President,
I am honored to make this statement on behalf of UN Watch.
I thank the Special Rapporteur for her oral update and for her relentless efforts in spotlighting the plight of unaccompanied migrant children from Eritrea. This problem is part and parcel of the unacceptable level of gross human rights violations in the country, including a possible situation of crimes against humanity, which is well documented by the first report of the Commission of Inquiry. The problem is worsening by the day.
There is overwhelming evidence pointing to the fact that the pervasive practice of coerced and indefinite military conscription without formal pay, including forced enlistment of underage children, is the main reason for the mass exodus of Eritrean society. This problem is disproportionately affecting unaccompanied migrant children, who are fleeing the country on an alarming scale.
While the adoption of long-term recommendations is very much appreciated, the importance of urgent solutions specifically aimed at alleviating the plight of unaccompanied migrant children cannot be overemphasized.
The problem requires urgent solutions, including calling on the Eritrean government to put aside empty promises and take tangible and immediate steps to put a halt to its prolonged practice of indefinite military conscription. This Council should also call on all recipient countries to adopt measures that ensure adequate legal protection to unaccompanied migrant children. Many of these children, particularly those in the immediate neighboring countries of Eritrea, are living in extremely dangerous circumstances that are an affront to the human conscience.
I would like to conclude by reiterating my call for an urgent humanitarian solution to the prolonged suffering of unaccompanied migrant Eritrean children wherever they are, including a solution to the root causes of their flight from Eritrea.
Thank you Mr. President.

The post Eritrean government must put aside empty promises and protect citizens' human rights appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Eritrean government must put aside empty promises and protect citizens' human rights - UN Watch Statement by UN Watch ID: SR on Human Rights in Eritrea Agenda Item 4, UNHRC 31st Session 14 March 2016 Delivered by Mr. Daniel Mekonnen Thank you Mr. Children's Rights,Speeches Issue 568: UN Watch-led Geneva Summit for Human Rights to Turn Global Spotlight on Gross Abuses Worldwide https://unwatch.org/issue-568-un-watch-led-geneva-summit-human-rights-turn-global-spotlight-gross-abuses-worldwide/ Sun, 11 Jan 2015 08:18:54 +0000 https://unwatch.jaredco.com/?p=13626 UN Watch-led Geneva Summit for Human Rights to Turn Global Spotlight on Gross Abuses Worldwide Six More Activists Announce Participation On the eve of the UN Human Rights Council’s 2016 session,  courageous champions of human rights from around the world will unite to place urgent situations on the international agenda.  Please join us. February 23, 2016 Centre […]

The post Issue 568: UN Watch-led Geneva Summit for Human Rights to Turn Global Spotlight on Gross Abuses Worldwide appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> UN Watch-led Geneva Summit for Human Rights to Turn Global Spotlight on Gross Abuses Worldwide

Six More Activists Announce Participation

On the eve of the UN Human Rights Council’s 2016 session, 
courageous champions of human rights from around the world
will unite to place urgent situations on the international agenda. 

Please join us.

February 23, 2016
Centre International de Conférences Genève
17 rue de Varembé, 1202 Geneva

Registration is free but mandatory:
www.genevasummit.org

English-French interpretation provided
Interprétation simultanée en français

Featuring:

anastasinlin Why China Blocked Me
Anastasia Lin, 2015 Miss World Canada, was refused a visa by Chinese authorities to participate at the 2015 Miss World pageant in China in November 2015 due to her human rights advocacy.
mekonnen Eritrea: Africa’s “North Korea”
Daniel Mekonnen, an exiled Eritrean human rights lawyer and scholar, has been actively involved for the last 15 years in exposing gross human rights violations committed by the Eritrean Government.
rosamariapaya Cuba Needs Real Elections Now
Rosa Maria Paya is a Cuban human rights activist, daughter of the late dissident Oswaldo Paya, who is continuing her father’s quest for genuine democratic elections in Cuba.
mohamed-fahmy Journalists in Jail
Mohamed Fahmy, a famous journalist recently released from Egyptian prison, is now launching his own foundation for press freedom.
svitlana_zalishchuk Ukraine Under Russian Aggression
Svitlana Zalishchuk, a Ukrainian Parliamentarian and member of its Committee for Foreign Affairs, was an active participant of the EuroMaidan movement in 2013. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy.
orhan-kemal-cengiz Taking on Turkey’s Taboos, Demanding Democracy
Orhan Kemal Cengiz is a Turkish human rights lawyer and a columnist for Ozgur daily and Today’s Zaman.

 

The post Issue 568: UN Watch-led Geneva Summit for Human Rights to Turn Global Spotlight on Gross Abuses Worldwide appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> anastasinlin mekonnen rosamariapaya mohamed-fahmy svitlana_zalishchuk orhan-kemal-cengiz UN rushes against Israel, stalls on Eritrea https://unwatch.org/un-rushes-against-israel-stalls-on-eritrea/ Thu, 04 Sep 2014 17:05:03 +0000 https://blog.unwatch.org/?p=6076 The UN Human Rights Council has appointed the three Commissioners for the CoI on Gaza. Yet, a similar one established on Eritrea a month before is stalled for at least six more months. At a July 23 special session on Gaza–its seventh against the Jewish state, more than any other country in the world–it was decided […]

The post UN rushes against Israel, stalls on Eritrea appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> The UN Human Rights Council has appointed the three Commissioners for the CoI on Gaza. Yet, a similar one established on Eritrea a month before is stalled for at least six more months.
At a July 23 special session on Gaza–its seventh against the Jewish state, more than any other country in the world–it was decided to establish “an independent, international commission of inquiry … to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014.”
On August 11, the three Commissioners were named, and after one declined, a third one was appointed on August 25.
Yet, a similar Commission of Inquiry, established a month before on June 23, seems to have dropped as a UN priority. It focuses on Eritrea, “one of the most closed countries in the world,” with a mandate “to investigate all alleged violations of human rights.”
The Commissioners have yet to be named. In addition, the President of the Human Rights Council revealed in a meeting with NGOs yesterday, that in his meetings with UN officials from the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) as well as its ACABQ (Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions), the budget has still not been approved. This will happen around October 2014 with the CoI to begin its work in January 2015.
The UN Human Rights Council has again showed how Israel-bashing is on top of its priorities, and overrides all other issues. It is another example of the well-known fact that resolutions against Israel serve to keep dictatorial regimes safe from UN scrutiny. Please explain that to the millions suffering of human rights abuses around the world.
 

The post UN rushes against Israel, stalls on Eritrea appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Rights Group Welcomes 'Landmark' UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses https://unwatch.org/rights-group-welcomes-landmark-un-vote-creating-inquiry-eritrea-abuses/ Fri, 27 Jun 2014 16:36:59 +0000 https://unwatch.jaredco.com/?p=15102 PRESS RELEASE Eritrean delegation interrupted testimony by Eritrean human rights dissident brought by UN Watch GENEVA, June 27, 2014 – Geneva-based human rights group UN Watch welcomed the Human Rights Council’s “landmark” creation of a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in Eritrea, in a resolution that was adopted by consensus today at the […]

The post Rights Group Welcomes 'Landmark' UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> PRESS RELEASE
Eritrean delegation interrupted testimony by Eritrean human rights dissident brought by UN Watch
GENEVA, June 27, 2014 – Geneva-based human rights group UN Watch welcomed the Human Rights Council’s “landmark” creation of a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in Eritrea, in a resolution that was adopted by consensus today at the 47-nation body.
The resolution “strongly condemns” the Eritrean authorities for perpetrating “widespread and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
“It speaks volumes that thousands of Eritreans are fleeing every month to escape their country’s grave abuses,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.
“Today’s resolution sends the message that the time has arrived to seek minimal human rights accountability from the Eritrean government.”
“Let’s not forget that Eritrea is one of the few countries without any reporting on the human rights situation from within, and a complete lack of access by international human rights observers, rendering monitoring of human rights conditions on the ground extremely challenging,” said Neuer.
“It is unacceptable that Eritrea refuses to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur, that none of the UN rights council’s thematic mandate-holders have been allowed to visit, and that the government has still not responded to the request by High Commissioner Navi Pillay to dispatch a mission with access to places of detention.”
During the UN’s recent quadrennial review of Eritrea’s human rights record, the country was unable to document any tangible improvements.
Eritrean asylum seekers and refugees undertake perilous journeys to Europe and are now one third of the overall arrivals in Italy—above Syrians.
“The human rights crisis in Eritrea has been forgotten for too long,” said Neuer. “This inquiry is a vital step because there’s an urgent need for the international community to increase efforts to explore additional means to tackle the situation effectively, at a time when Eritrean authorities continue to perpetrate human rights violations without any accountability.”
Eritrea Interrupts UNHRC Testimony by Dissident Brought by UN Watch 
UN Watch was a leading voice in this UNHRC session urging accountability in Eritrea, taking the floor twice to condemn Eritrea’s abuses. During last Friday’s review of Eritrea’s rights record, Eritrea interrupted the testimony of journalist and rights activist Meron Estafanos, who on behalf of UN Watch gave eyewitness testimony of the cruelty suffered by Eritrean refugees. (See UN Watch’s testimonies on Eritrea here and here).
Ms. Estafanos, a contributor to the leading Eritrean diaspora news site Asmarino, detailed the horrific abuses endured by the Eritrean refugee community in Egypt’s Sinai, where they are trafficked, extorted, and held for ransom.
Halfway through her speech, the Eritrean delegate interrupted to question her credentials and right to speak on behalf of UN Watch. The Council President responded in favor of Ms. Estafanos saying, “The speaker was accredited to this session under UN Watch. The speaker seems to be taking an example of a situation that she has experienced, and we should let her continue. I will once again give her the floor.”
With the Council President’s support, Ms. Estafanos went on to say: “Many of those fleeing the country are young people escaping the indefinite national service or underage children fleeing before they reach conscription age… I call upon the Council to urge Eritrea to assume its responsibilities under international law and to safeguard the welfare of its youth and respect their human rights.”
UN Watch, a rights group that gives human rights victims an international platform to influence action, was privileged to give Ms. Estafanos its spot to address the Council.
“Ms. Estafanos’ eye-witness testimony reaffirms the findings of the UN expert on Eritrea, whose report exposes the country’s gross human rights violations,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. “Her experience importantly underscores the need for the newly-created investigation into Eritrea’s human rights abuses.”

The post Rights Group Welcomes 'Landmark' UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Rights Group Welcomes 'Landmark' UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses https://unwatch.org/rights-group-welcomes-landmark-un-vote-creating-inquiry-on-eritrea-abuses/ Fri, 27 Jun 2014 13:46:03 +0000 https://blog.unwatch.org/?p=5815 Rights Group Welcomes ‘Landmark’ UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses  Eritrean delegation interrupted testimony by Eritrean human rights dissident brought by UN Watch GENEVA, June 27, 2014 – Geneva-based human rights group UN Watch welcomed the Human Rights Council’s “landmark” creation of a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in Eritrea, in a resolution […]

The post Rights Group Welcomes 'Landmark' UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Rights Group Welcomes ‘Landmark’ UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses 
Eritrean delegation interrupted testimony by Eritrean human rights dissident brought by UN Watch
GENEVA, June 27, 2014 – Geneva-based human rights group UN Watch welcomed the Human Rights Council’s “landmark” creation of a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in Eritrea, in a resolution that was adopted by consensus today at the 47-nation body.
The resolution “strongly condemns” the Eritrean authorities for perpetrating “widespread and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
“It speaks volumes that thousands of Eritreans are fleeing every month to escape their country’s grave abuses,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.
“Today’s resolution sends the message that the time has arrived to seek minimal human rights accountability from the Eritrean government.”
“Let’s not forget that Eritrea is one of the few countries without any reporting on the human rights situation from within, and a complete lack of access by international human rights observers, rendering monitoring of human rights conditions on the ground extremely challenging,” said Neuer.

“It is unacceptable that Eritrea refuses to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur, that none of the UN rights council’s thematic mandate-holders have been allowed to visit, and that the government has still not responded to the request by High Commissioner Navi Pillay to dispatch a mission with access to places of detention.”
During the UN’s recent quadrennial review of Eritrea’s human rights record, the country was unable to document any tangible improvements.
Eritrean asylum seekers and refugees undertake perilous journeys to Europe and are now one third of the overall arrivals in Italy—above Syrians.
“The human rights crisis in Eritrea has been forgotten for too long,” said Neuer. “This inquiry is a vital step because there’s an urgent need for the international community to increase efforts to explore additional means to tackle the situation effectively, at a time when Eritrean authorities continue to perpetrate human rights violations without any accountability.”
Eritrea Interrupts UNHRC Testimony by Dissident Brought by UN Watch 
UN Watch was a leading voice in this UNHRC session urging accountability in Eritrea, taking the floor twice to condemn Eritrea’s abuses. During last Friday’s review of Eritrea’s rights record, Eritrea interrupted the testimony of journalist and rights activist Meron Estafanos, who on behalf of UN Watch gave eyewitness testimony of the cruelty suffered by Eritrean refugees. (See UN Watch’s testimonies on Eritrea here and here).
Ms. Estafanos, a contributor to the leading Eritrean diaspora news site Asmarino, detailed the horrific abuses endured by the Eritrean refugee community in Egypt’s Sinai, where they are trafficked, extorted, and held for ransom.
Halfway through her speech, the Eritrean delegate interrupted to question her credentials and right to speak on behalf of UN Watch. The Council President responded in favor of Ms. Estafanos saying, “The speaker was accredited to this session under UN Watch. The speaker seems to be taking an example of a situation that she has experienced, and we should let her continue. I will once again give her the floor.”
With the Council President’s support, Ms. Estafanos went on to say: “Many of those fleeing the country are young people escaping the indefinite national service or underage children fleeing before they reach conscription age… I call upon the Council to urge Eritrea to assume its responsibilities under international law and to safeguard the welfare of its youth and respect their human rights.”
UN Watch, a rights group that gives  human rights victims an international platform to influence action, was privileged to give Ms. Estafanos its spot to address the Council.
“Ms. Estafanos’ eye-witness testimony reaffirms the findings of the UN expert on Eritrea, whose report exposes the country’s gross human rights violations,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. “Her experience importantly underscores the need for the newly-created investigation into Eritrea’s human rights abuses.”

The post Rights Group Welcomes 'Landmark' UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Rights Group Welcomes ‘Landmark’ UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses https://unwatch.org/rights-group-welcomes-landmark-un-vote-creating-inquiry-on-eritrea-abuses-2/ Fri, 27 Jun 2014 13:46:03 +0000 https://blog.unwatch.org/?p=5815 Rights Group Welcomes ‘Landmark’ UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses  Eritrean delegation interrupted testimony by Eritrean human rights dissident brought by UN Watch GENEVA, June 27, 2014 – Geneva-based human rights group UN Watch welcomed the Human Rights Council’s “landmark” creation of a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in Eritrea, in a resolution […]

The post Rights Group Welcomes ‘Landmark’ UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]> Rights Group Welcomes ‘Landmark’ UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses 

Eritrean delegation interrupted testimony by Eritrean human rights dissident brought by UN Watch

GENEVA, June 27, 2014 – Geneva-based human rights group UN Watch welcomed the Human Rights Council’s “landmark” creation of a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in Eritrea, in a resolution that was adopted by consensus today at the 47-nation body.

The resolution “strongly condemns” the Eritrean authorities for perpetrating “widespread and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

“It speaks volumes that thousands of Eritreans are fleeing every month to escape their country’s grave abuses,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.

“Today’s resolution sends the message that the time has arrived to seek minimal human rights accountability from the Eritrean government.”

“Let’s not forget that Eritrea is one of the few countries without any reporting on the human rights situation from within, and a complete lack of access by international human rights observers, rendering monitoring of human rights conditions on the ground extremely challenging,” said Neuer.

“It is unacceptable that Eritrea refuses to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur, that none of the UN rights council’s thematic mandate-holders have been allowed to visit, and that the government has still not responded to the request by High Commissioner Navi Pillay to dispatch a mission with access to places of detention.”

During the UN’s recent quadrennial review of Eritrea’s human rights record, the country was unable to document any tangible improvements.

Eritrean asylum seekers and refugees undertake perilous journeys to Europe and are now one third of the overall arrivals in Italy—above Syrians.

“The human rights crisis in Eritrea has been forgotten for too long,” said Neuer. “This inquiry is a vital step because there’s an urgent need for the international community to increase efforts to explore additional means to tackle the situation effectively, at a time when Eritrean authorities continue to perpetrate human rights violations without any accountability.”

Eritrea Interrupts UNHRC Testimony by Dissident Brought by UN Watch 

UN Watch was a leading voice in this UNHRC session urging accountability in Eritrea, taking the floor twice to condemn Eritrea’s abuses. During last Friday’s review of Eritrea’s rights record, Eritrea interrupted the testimony of journalist and rights activist Meron Estafanos, who on behalf of UN Watch gave eyewitness testimony of the cruelty suffered by Eritrean refugees. (See UN Watch’s testimonies on Eritrea here and here).

Ms. Estafanos, a contributor to the leading Eritrean diaspora news site Asmarino, detailed the horrific abuses endured by the Eritrean refugee community in Egypt’s Sinai, where they are trafficked, extorted, and held for ransom.

Halfway through her speech, the Eritrean delegate interrupted to question her credentials and right to speak on behalf of UN Watch. The Council President responded in favor of Ms. Estafanos saying, “The speaker was accredited to this session under UN Watch. The speaker seems to be taking an example of a situation that she has experienced, and we should let her continue. I will once again give her the floor.”

With the Council President’s support, Ms. Estafanos went on to say: “Many of those fleeing the country are young people escaping the indefinite national service or underage children fleeing before they reach conscription age… I call upon the Council to urge Eritrea to assume its responsibilities under international law and to safeguard the welfare of its youth and respect their human rights.”

UN Watch, a rights group that gives  human rights victims an international platform to influence action, was privileged to give Ms. Estafanos its spot to address the Council.

“Ms. Estafanos’ eye-witness testimony reaffirms the findings of the UN expert on Eritrea, whose report exposes the country’s gross human rights violations,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. “Her experience importantly underscores the need for the newly-created investigation into Eritrea’s human rights abuses.”

The post Rights Group Welcomes ‘Landmark’ UN Vote Creating Inquiry on Eritrea Abuses appeared first on UN Watch.

]]>